Ron Capps is a wily veteran of the nitro game who’s spent many years spinning wrench on Funny Cars, as well as muscling them down the drag strip. On race day, an experienced driver understands you have to do whatever it takes to make it to the next round. Capps engaged in a pedal fest with Gary Densham, but his Funny Car had other plans.

Capps has pulled off some amazing driving jobs during his career, and that’s helped him secure three NHRA Funny Car titles. The past few NHRA Mission Foods events have seen Capps start to gain some momentum, and the team has started to hit its stride. The Northwest Nationals was the first event in the abbreviated 2024 West Coast swing, so starting out things on a positive note was important for the team.

The first round matchup with Densham went sideways in a hurry. Capps’ Funny Car lost traction first, forcing him to get up on the wheel and loud pedal. At about half-track during the run, Capps’ pedal job was interrupted by a massive engine explosion. With the body half gone and the car thrashing about, Capps had his hands full trying to maintain control. The car did smack the wall in the right lane, causing it to shoot across the track, impacting the wall in the left lane. Thankfully, all of the safety gear did its job, and the car kept Capps safe.

Check out this video from NHRA/Fox Sports that shows not only how violent the engine explosion was, but how good of a driving job Capps did keeping things from being any worse.