CAPPS COLLECTS NO. 3 IN SEATTLE QUALIFYING

Seattle, Saturday - NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car points leader Ron Capps collected the No. 3 spot today in qualifying for Sunday's Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals.

Capps set his best elapsed time of the weekend (a 4.864-second ET at 313.00 mph) during this afternoon's third qualifying round, held under a cool cloud cover, a far cry from Friday's hot and sunny conditions and similar ones in today's final round.

His other runs included a 5.123/293.54, a 4.968/310.48, and a tire-smoking13.818/83.13 in the last session.

"Usually the Friday night session is the one that's going to make or break your position," said Capps, who also receives support from Knoll Gas-Torco Race Fuels. "We were lucky enough to have some cloud cover the first run today, which was very unexpected. They had record-setting temperatures in the area at 94 degrees and we figured we weren't going to have lane choice(after the second session, in which he had qualified No. 9), but we obviously made a good run with the .84. We just wanted lane choice for tomorrow and that's what we have.

"In the last run we tried some things and you have to try to improve your position at the same time. You have to try things that you think might help your car and, obviously it didn't, but it's better to find any mistakes on a Saturday than on a Sunday. It's been a good weekend so far."

As for the first-round match-up between No. 2 in points John Force and Capps' teammate Gary Scelzi, "Our teammate Gary Scelzi has John Force first round. It makes me want to take off my Brut firesuit and crawl up into the grandstands with the fans and watch, because that's the kind of match-up the fans come to see.

"I hope they're way up in front of us (in the staging lanes) tomorrow so I get to watch it."

Capps faces Del Worsham in the first round of Sunday's eliminations.