Antron Brown Makes it to Final Round at Pomona Season Finale
POMONA, Calif. (November 13, 2022) – Toyota driver Ron Capps won his third career NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Funny Car Championship on Sunday night with a final round appearance in the season finale at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Capps’ championship marks the fourth Funny Car championship for Toyota, and the first for the GR Supra Funny Car. Capps met race-winner Cruz Pedregon in the final round and lost by only two one-hundreths of a second.
In Top Fuel, Antron Brown made his way to the final round and faced race-winner Austin Prock. Brown ran a 3.701 to Prock’s 3.641 to finish out the racing season.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series
Auto Club Raceway of Pomona
Race 22 of 22
TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Final Result | Round-by-Round |
| Antron Brown | Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Final Round | W. 3.704 vs. 4.070 (J. Ashley)W. 3.805 vs. 3.890 (R. August Jr.)W. 3.725 vs. 3.717 (J. Hart)L. 3.701 vs. 3.641 (A. Prock) |
| Shawn Langdon | DHL Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Round 1 | L. 7.377 vs. 3.711 (A. Prock) |
| Steve Torrence | Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Round 1 | L. 4.267 vs. 3.903 (R. August Jr.) |
| Justin Ashley | Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Round 1 | L. 4.070 vs. 3.704 (A. Brown) |
| Doug Kalitta | Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Round 1 | L. 4.113 vs. 3.801 (J. Hart) |
TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Final Result | Round-by-Round |
| Ron Capps | NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | Final Round | W. 3.852 vs. 10.350 (J. Arend)W. 3.865 vs. 3.905 (T. Wilkerson)W. 3.865 vs. 3.905 (B. Tasca III)L. 3.850 vs. 3.839 (C. Pedregon) |
| Alexis DeJoria | Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | Semi-Finals | W. 4.014 vs. 4.272 (J. Campbell)W. 3.914 vs. 4.065 (S. Densham)L. 3.880 vs. 3.864 (C. Pedregon) |
| J.R. Todd | DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | Round 1 | L. 4.349 vs. 3.878 (T. Wilkerson) |
TOYOTA QUOTES
RON CAPPS, NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports
Final Result: Final Round
What would you say to anyone looking to take a risk like you did to start this race team?
“It’s like anybody in Amrica, anything you put your mind to, you can do with great people around you. I told you earlier I knew we deserved it because of the great group of people I have around me. I can’t even begin to say what it feels like right now. I mean, NAPA Auto Care people, all the NAPA Auto Care owners, 6000 strong and for everybody at home that puts on the Ron Capps NAPA jersey and watching on the couch there on Fox Sports, and GearWrench and Toyota coming on board – to give them a championship means so much. But my family and more than anything we have take on this role this year. That’s been unbelievable. I’m sure you’ve all seen me age quite a but in the last year or so. And I’m sure there were some upset people on the starting like including Slugger (Labbe, TRD) from Toyota and his guys. They thought I was going to shut it off and I planned on it, but I didn’t see Cruz (Pedregon) and I knew I couldn’t get across the centerline so I hugged the wall all the way down. I hope everybody appreciates that. I ran it to the finish line because that was a hard decision to make. For the fans, I did the longest burnout.”
ALEXIS DEJORIA, Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, DC Motorsports
Final Result: Semi-Finals
In your round one win, the GR Supra got really close to the center line. What does that feel like from the driver’s seat?
“These are over 11,000 horsepower race cars running on nitromethane – volatile. They don’t want to go straight. Sometimes you’re doing good on the steering and it just wants to push you over. Sometime you’re not as good at staying ahead of the car. But on that one, man, what a mess. That was an ugly run. I was relieved to see the win light come on in our lane. I know the guys give me a great car, but it’s up to me to get down the track and not cross the centerline and not mess up on the starting line. I can tell you that for as calm, cool and collected as I was, I almost double-stepped that car and then we get down there and realized I had to lift and get back on it. But what a weird day of upsets. I’m just so relieved that we’re going onto the second round. Now it’s time to be the quarterback who throws the interception, I just have to forget about it and move on. We have lane choice – amazing.”
STEVE TORRENCE, Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Torrence Racing
Final Result: First Round
After losing in the first round in Pomona, how will you and your team reflect on the 2022 season and does this reignite the fire in you for 2023?
“The fire never went out, but I’ll tell you, I’m glad this year is over. It’s been terrible. Couldn’t have been a better way to end it. We’ve stubbed our toe and shot ourselves in the foot time and time again this year and we have to get back to square one and get back to doing what these Capco boys know how to do. We’ll have a good off-season and spend some time with friends and family. We’ll just do the best we can do, but it’s been a great year except for our performance. I’ll go home and spend some time with my family and my little girl and it will all be better.”
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