Sat, 12 Nov 2016, 22:37 PM Ron Capps Clinches NHRA Funny Car World Championship

Courtesy of NHRA Communications Photo copyright 2016 NHRA/National Dragster

POMONA, Calif. --

Ron Capps celebrates Championship

Ron Capps captured his first NHRA Mello Yello Series Funny Car world championship Saturday at the Auto Club NHRA Finals.

At the conclusion of qualifying, Capps in his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T, had secured enough points to ensure teammate Matt Hagan could not pull-off the upset.

Capps started his quest for the world championship with a win at the season opening event in Pomona when he defeated Del Worsham.

Capps and his NAPA team were a dominate force during a seven race span that began at the event in Epping, N.H. and ended in Sonoma, Calif. During that time he posted three victories (Epping, Englishtown, N.J. and Norwalk, Ohio), two runner-up finishes (Chicago and Sonoma), a semi-final appearance in Bristol, Tenn. and had one of only four quarterfinal losses of the season in the stretch. He also was the No. 1 qualifier at three consecutive events (Epping, Englishtown and Bristol).

Capps held the points lead for 16 events during the season, including the last 14 consecutive races. Capps' only stumble during 2016 was when his team failed to qualify for the first Las Vegas event. In the Countdown to the Championship Capps raced to two runner-up finishes and three semi-final appearances and led the points following each event.

"It hasn't sunk in yet," Capps said. "I almost gave up, not winning a championship, but trying so hard and wishing so hard, and just focused on winning races and all the accolades I've gotten this year especially the 50th win, passing some people I really looked up to in the sport. That's mind boggling to me every time I'm mentioned with those names. We got to the Countdown with a big lead and I thought, 'Okay now we really got a shot at this.' We said at the beginning of the year this is the toughest Funny Car class ever. Then it was the 50th anniversary of the Funny Car, which was awesome. It just kept snow balling. We kept digging and digging and digging and Rahn Tobler just had that eye."

The NAPA team is still in contention to win the final event of the season at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona and will race Chad Head in the first round of eliminations Sunday beginning at 11 a.m.