NHRA legend Ron Capps pens heartfelt note after surviving massive explosion in "not only the fastest but the safest motorsport"

NHRA Funny Car driver Ron Capps who drives for Team Ron Capps with the NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Supra faced a fireball crash at the NHRA Arizona Nationals. The 59-year-old was able to get out of the car safely and penned a heartfelt note after surviving the brutal crash.

The NHRA legend went up against Blake Alexander for round 1 at the Arizona Nationals in the Funny car. However, Capps blew up his engine before crossing the finishing line and slammed the wall on his opponent's side of the track.

NHRA uploaded a video of the crash on X (formerly Twitter) and users reacted by hailing the safety standards and sending thoughtful messages to Ron Capps. The 59-year-old quoted the tweet and thanked everyone for the support, love, and kind messages, as he tweeted:

“I'm fine, thankful to everyone that makes us not on my the fastest Motorsport on the 🌍… But also the safest....🙏 Ron Capps walked away from massive explosion that sent him on wild ride into the wall during RD 1 of the #ArizonaNats”

Capps had a great start of the line and was ahead of Alexander when his engine blew up and the fireball crept inside the cockpit. The veteran drag racer lost control of the Toyota, swerved into the left lane, and crashed into the wall at 300+ mph.

The medical crew helped Capps out of the car, and the American leaned against the wall to compose himself after the high-impact crash. The NHRA Funny Car champion then spoke with the reporter while the safety marshals removed the smashed car from the track.

---

Ron Capps kept picturing NHRA legend John Force's crash during his Arizona Nationals crash

Ron Capps displays a sticker on his hot rod in support of John Force in the pits at Summit Motorsports Park - Source: Getty

John Force had a similar crash to Ron Capps during the 2024 Virginia Nationals. The JFR owner lost control of the Funny Car, slammed into the wall, and was subsequently taken to a hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit.

The NHRA changed its safety precautions and rules after John Force's crash, and Ron Capps hailed the association’s move as possibly saving his life during the Arizona Nationals crash.

“I just kept picturing John's accident that was right in front of us in Richmond. So I just hung on and just tried to brace myself. And when it hit, I honestly didn't expect to be awake afterwards,” said Capps.

“So I mean the paddings, all the stuff that, you know, Eric Medlin and [John] Force’s accidents and all those things over the years have thankfully been fixed and upgraded so that I could be okay,” he added.

It took John Force weeks to recover from the crash, and he was then admitted to a rehabilitation center for over a month. Force is biding his time and has promised to return to the sport.