Ron Capps won the Funny Car title at the NHRA Arizona Nationals after recovering from a major engine explosion.
Shawn Langdon secured his third consecutive Top Fuel victory in Phoenix, defeating Leah Pruett in the final.
Three-time Funny Car world champion Ron Capps recovered from a massive engine explosion in the second round at Firebird Motorsports Park, defeating Spencer Hyde in the final round to earn his 78th career win on Sunday, March 22, at the 41st annual FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs.
Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel) and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) also won the second of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
In the final round, Capps went 4.124 seconds at 303.24 mph in his NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra, holding off Hyde to pick up his first victory of the season and fourth overall in Phoenix.
This was an emotional one for the veteran after he suffered a huge engine explosion at the finish line in his second-round win against Daniel Wilkerson. Capps and the team bounced back in impressive fashion to knock off defending event winner Paul Lee with a strong run and advance to the final round.
He left first on Hyde and pulled away at the finish line, picking up one of the more memorable wins in Capps’ stellar career. A year ago, Capps also had a huge explosion and crash in Phoenix, but those two incidents are now a distant memory after Sunday’s incredible finish.
“We knew this was going to be a battle of attrition and dropped cylinders today,” Capps said. “A couple of those runs, there was no way I would imagine that would have got us lane choice, but it did.