Ron Capps is in the midst of an incredible drag racing career and this weekend at the 2016 NHRA Auto Club World Finals he has the chance to do something that he has been striving for since the first time he buckled a helmet. Capps comes into Pomona as the points leader in the nitro Funny Car category and with his talented crew led by Rahn Tobler and Eric Lane needs to do little more than qualify to lock up the first championship of his career. He’s been close before.

Four times through his career Capps has been the bridesmaid. The NHRA finals in 2012 was an emotionally draining experience for Capps as he was in a battle with teammate Jack Beckman for the championship and ultimately came up less than a round short, losing the title by a measly two points. The scene of Ron and his daughter in an emotional embrace at the top end was heartbreaking for his fans the world over.

Things are different in 2016. Capps is not in a position where he has to take second place runner Matt Hagan all the way down to the mat. The team must qualify and basically that’s it. Anything can happen in drag racing and we have certainly seen that over the last couple of weeks but this car has been so solid through the year, so solid in the countdown, Capps is in a better position at this moment than he ever has been in his career. With 104 final round appearances and 50 Wallys in his trophy room (all earned in nitro burning cars) he is currently the winningest driver without a championship (he hates that…and we hate it for him). If the boys do what they need to do and Ron does what he needs to do there will be an emotional dam break at Pomona the likes of which the sport of drag racing has seldom ever seen. Other than his absolute direct competitors, no one is rooting against Ron Capps. If and when the moment comes, it will be a highlight in NHRA drag racing history.

But where did it start? For Capps it started pretty quickly. After getting a top fuel ride in 1995 with Roger Primm, he appeared in his first final round at Atlanta that same year but came up short against Cory Mac.  Later in 1995 at Seattle it was Capps in the final again. Like in the first final Cory McLenathan was opposite him and the disparity could not have been more wide. The unsponsored Primm car and the McDonald’s sponsored, Joe Gibbs owned car of Cory Mac looked like a mismatch. As the fates often have it in drag racing, you cannot predict how stuff will happen. On this day David slayed Goliath. To boot, Capps was great in his first event winning top end interview. Watch it here – (Story continues after video!)

The successes of 1995 were followed by a quiet 1996 with Capps appearing in no final rounds and winning no races. 1997 saw him in the seat of the Copenhagen funny car owned by Don Prudhomme. It was at this point nearly 20 years ago that Capps would fall in love with floppers and never ditch out on the class that he is hoping to capture the title in this weekend. Capps appeared in the finals at the first ever national event at Gateway International Raceway and he would once again look out the side window and see the golden arches staring back at him. Yes, his first funny car final was against a McDonald’s car just like this first top fuel final. Weird, right? Unlike his first top fuel final, this one went his way. (Watch here) –

So there you have it. The official beginnings of a funny car career that has spanned decades, achieved results that will land Ron Capps in the hall of fame and ain’t over by a long shot yet. If and when Ron Capps, Rahn Tobler, Eric Lane, and the rest of the crew do what they know they can, California may run out of tissues.

Don’t miss it this weekend.