Ron Capps of the Mello Yello Funny Car escaped unhurt as the parachutes on his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger failed to deploy after he won the opening round of the special race in the Traxxas Nitro Shootout, sending his car buried upside down into the sand trap at the end of the track
Things started just fine for Capps who narrowly beat rival John Force in the first round, 3.90 to 3.95, before crashing due to parachute malfunction. The car also turned upside down after hitting the fence, not enabling Capps to exit normally from the roof flap as it was buried in the sand, NHRA reported.
"It's the worst," Ron Capps told NBCSports.com in an interview. He described other incidents where he flipped Tony Stewart's Midget car over a fence, jumped off a car running 50 mph and survived explosions, fires and wrecks but he said this is the most horrible incident in his drag racing career so far.
"I didn't feel the 'chutes hit. So I hit the [release] button a few more times, and then it was into survival mode," Capps said. "I went through the checklist - get on the brakes, make sure the fuel shutoff is off - and I was on the brakes so hard that I'm sure the [brake] fluid was bubbling. I figured this was it and I braced myself for something I've never done - I've never been into the sand at a high rate of speed like that," he added.
The NHRA safety officials took several minutes to position his car upright making him ran out of air in his helmet before he was able to escape.
Ron Capps would also not be able to continue with the competition as the NHRA rules do not allow any car replacement. That being said, he cannot compete with the state of his car. Capps lost the chance to the $100,000 prize for the Shootout but he said he is more concerned about the U.S. Nationals on Monday.
