A remarkable 2017 Funny Car season got even better for Ron Capps on Sunday. The defending world champion set a career best with his sixth win of the year at the NHRA Route 66 Nationals – needing only 13 races to do so – picked up his first win at Route 66 Raceway and helped Rahn Tobler earn his 60th win as a crew chief.

But the weekend for Capps and Don Schumacher Racing will truly be remembered as a tribute to Terry Chandler, who funded Funny Cars teams for DSR drivers Tommy Johnson Jr. and Jack Beckman. Chandler passed away on Tuesday after a valiant fight with brain cancer, but not before making an incredible impact within DSR and the entire NHRA.

Capps, who beat Johnson in the final round with a 4.026 at 319.67 mph, dedicated the win to Chandler, offering his own respects to a woman who touched the lives of many.

“You already knew how much she was loved, but people who had never even met her before wanted to give their respects (this weekend),” Capps said. “And then to be lined up with one of her cars, you’re just not used to her not being here. We knew she loved drag racing but we obviously didn’t know (how) much. Don went to the service and the funeral on Saturday and came back and said, ‘This was her life,’ more than we even thought, (and) how much she looked forward to coming to the races. He could not believe every one of her friends, how much they talked about that’s all she talked about when she was back home in New Mexico. It was a very emotional weekend and I’m glad we can give Don the trophy to do what he’s going to do for her family.”

Even in beating Johnson, Capps said Chandler would have been the first one to give him a hug and offer congratulations.

In that regard, there was plenty to celebrate for Capps, who continues to build on his championship defense with the best regular season of his standout career.
He appears to be a lock to take the top spot in the points standings into the Countdown to the Championship, and Capps and Tobler have been an incredible – and almost unbeatable – duo on Sundays, going 29-3 in eliminations the past nine races.

That was especially true this weekend, after Capps struggled with the prominent crosswinds at Route 66 Raceway during qualifying.

He qualified ninth, but running well immediately on Sunday – a 4.005 at 320.89 in the first round against Jonnie Lindberg – was a huge confidence booster.

“We didn’t qualify in the top half and that’s because I couldn’t keep the car in the groove on Friday night and then the second run on Saturday,” Capps said. “We saw a lot of people having problems, so it’s not an easy place to drive and it demands a lot out of you. We should have qualified better, but as every Sunday goes with Rahn Tobler, he wakes up in the morning and he’s a big-picture guy.”

Capps beat Jim Campbell in the second round and earned a spot in the finals by going 4.038 at 318.84 to oust Matt Hagan. Helping Tobler to his 60th victory as a crew chief was also meaningful for Capps considering what he means to the Funny Car veteran.

“It’s been a dream and I wake up every morning wanting to make him proud,” Capps said. He’s really become family and really become a mentor to me. He’s so fun to race with and he’s taught me a lot.”

Next up for Capps is a trip to L.A. for the ESPYS, where Capps is up for the Best Driver Award. Coming off a championship season, the success in 2017 proves the dream hasn’t stopped for Capps, who may be driving as well as he ever has.

“I feel like I’m peaking right now, I really do,” Capps said. “I always felt like I took a lot of those years for granted with Snake’s team. I didn’t think a lot about anything more than a step in front of me. I was living in the moment a lot and now I’ve learned big picture, and a lot of things I’ve gotten to be smarter about because of the people around me. I’m in better shape than I’ve ever been and I look forward to it more than ever, so yeah, I do feel like I’m at my peak.”