Ron Capps is firm in his belief – if you’re going to have a nostalgia class, then keep it nostalgic.

Capps, a veteran on the NHRA Full Throttle Series, has found a comfort zone racing off-seasons on the NHRA’s Hot Rod Heritage Series behind the wheel of nitro-burning, nostalgia Funny Cars more commonly referred to as AA/FC’s. Lately he’s become disheartened with the efforts of some to bring modern day advancements into a style of racing aimed at reliving yesteryear.

“It should be nostalgic,” Capps said. “I got into this because I loved watching those cars growing up. I just loved the way they looked.”

Ron Capps is firm in his belief – if you’re going to have a nostalgia class, then keep it nostalgic.

Capps, a veteran on the NHRA Full Throttle Series, has found a comfort zone racing off-seasons on the NHRA’s Hot Rod Heritage Series behind the wheel of nitro-burning, nostalgia Funny Cars more commonly referred to as AA/FC’s. Lately he’s become disheartened with the efforts of some to bring modern day advancements into a style of racing aimed at reliving yesteryear.

“It should be nostalgic,” Capps said. “I got into this because I loved watching those cars growing up. I just loved the way they looked.”

Sadly, Capps says, the movement is getting away from the original intent in a hurry.

“I get so irritated because these guys build these bodies, and several years ago I had a conversation with John Powers, who had built two of these cars that were more aerodynamic than the car I run on the NHRA series. I called him up and we had a conversation about why he built the car.”

Capps was the low qualifier [5.67] driving a 1978 Plymouth Arrow Funny Car earlier this year in Bakersfield. The most impressive part of the car for Capps is that it didn’t have a computer.

“Some of the cars are getting in the price range where they cost as much as my NAPA car,” Capps said. “I think there is a fine line and I see guys showing up with spill plates on their car and they look like our big show cars. It tears me up to the core.”

Capps plans a meeting with NHRA officials to discuss what he feels is a serious issue before it gets out of hand.

He believes once the aerodynamics come into play, then the classic shapes of the cars fade and all of a sudden, nostalgia staples such as the revered dry hops disappear.

“That’s it,” Capps said. “All you have to do is go to one of these events and hear one of these cars cackle at 98-percent nitro with a 1960s or 1970s body on it … to see the old cars like the old Blue Max and Jungle Jim cars … having those events where the people who I read about and were my heroes growing up, to be able to drive a car like that. We’ve got to preserve the nostalgia.

“All you have to do is go to one, see the smiles and if we don’t do something, this is going to get ruined.”

Capps said he was influenced to get into this movement by following Jeff Gaynor, a team owner he credits for starting this movement. The movement is one Capps believes has grown beyond what many could have imagined.

“You have so many of these cars on the west coast and case in point; we had 32 cars at the Bakersfield event,” Capps explained. “There were several cars that didn’t even come out. We’ve got over 35 good running cars out there.”

When the nostalgia remains in check, Capps believes it returns the sport to a day and age when the driver’s ability meant more to the end result on race day than the owner’s bank account.

“Driving one of these cars with very little downforce, being able to shift once, it’s putting the driver back in the seat. It was one of the most fun rides I’ve had. Now you have guys building cars, and if they [NHRA] let them go, their cars will look like mine,” said Capps as he pointed to his NAPA Dodge.

“It doesn’t do anything good for the nostalgia series.”

Capps doesn’t want to be viewed as a whiner or complainer, nor does he want to step outside of the drag racing spirit. He’s just passionate about preserving something he feels is a good thing.

“I understand that part of racing is to bend the rules. Some of these guys building these cars know these rules shouldn’t be toyed with. I would be embarrassed to show up with one of these bodies and not outrun everyone by two-tenths of a second.”

He believes if those adamant about pushing the envelope would just step back and see the situation as he does, then they’d understand.

“I think it’s important that we have something here where a man can take his kid to the races, and share with him the memories of the cars he saw growing up; it brings a tear, sometimes, to their eyes. I just don’t want to see that get ruined. Some of these guys building these cars need to understand, nostalgia means nostalgia.”

That’s why if the nitro nostalgia cars become modern nostalgia, Capps will rethink his involvement.

“I’d be done,” he said.