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RON CAPPS IS THE UNDISPUTED MAYOR OF THE BRAINERD ZOO

While John Force is still the all-time winnngest driver at Brainerd Int’l Raceway with an amazing 11 Funny Car titles, its actually Ron Capps that’s synonymous with the Brainerd track, specifically the Zoo, it’s notorious campground. Take a quick tour of the Brainerd Zoo and it won’t take long for one to notice the popularity of the NAPA Toyota driver, who won his seventh Brainerd title on Sunday. There is Capps Corner, Capps Curve, and probably a few other stops along the way that fly Capps’ familiar yellow and blue colors. The Brainerd fans love Capps and he loves them back, making nightly stops to visit with fans, sign autographs, and sometimes share a cold beverage. “There were a couple of years where I didn’t go to the Zoo and I got beat in the first round. I won’t make the mistake again,” said Capps following career win No. 75. “I’m going to the Zoo tonight and this [Wally trophy] is going with me.”

WHEN THEY TELL YOUR RECORDS WILL FALL, YOU SHOULD LISTEN

As soon as nitro drivers and crew chiefs noticed that the weather forecast for Sunday in Brainerd called for a high of 73 degrees (a far cry from Saturday’s 90-plus temperatures) , there were bold predictions regarding the possibility of both track and national records falling. That’s a bold statement since the 2017 Brainerd event produced some amazing numbers including the current 3.793-second Funny Car national record by Robert Hight. While the quickest funny Car run of the weekend was just 3.881 by Hight, one Top Fuel car in particular delivered as Mike Salinas lit up the Brainerd scoreboard with a 3.654 run at a stunning 338.26 mph. Salinas’ speed was not only the new Brainerd track record, but it was also the third fastest speed recorded in Top Fuel. The Scrappers driver also broke the stranglehold that Brittany Force had previously held on the Top 10 speeds in the class.

THE MATCO TOOLS TOP FUEL TEAM IS PEAKING AT THE RIGHT TIME

The parity that exists across the board in the Camping World NHRA Drag Racing Series makes it hard for any driver to dominate for an extended period and most racers will tell you that if they could pick a time to get hot, it would be the six playoff races, and the preceding events in Brainerd and Indy. So far, Antron Brown appears to be right on schedule. Brown, already a three-time champion, ran the table in Brainerd with a win in the Mission #2Fast2TastyChallenge and Sunday’s final eliminations. To be honest, there isn’t much separating the top eight or nine drivers in Top Fuel right now so the thought of one driver dominating seems a bit far-fetched, but Brown is one driver that that no one wants to race at this point.

DOUG GORDON WINS HIS REMATCH WITH BRAINERD INT’L RACEWAY

A year ago, Doug Gordon was able to walk away from one of the most intense and frightening accidents ever seen in the Top Alcohol Funny Car class. By now, most know that Gordon quickly rebuilt his Beta Motorcycles Camaro and went on to win the 2022 Lucas Oil TAFC championship. As gratifying as that was, Gordon had unfinished business as he returned to Brainerd a year later. While there were almost certainly some anxious moments before he made his first run, Gordon did not let it affect his performance as he won the race with a string of 5.4 second runs and helped pad his lead in the battle for the 2023 championship. Gordon now has five national event wins this season and holds a sizable lead over his closest rival, Brainerd runner-up Bob McCosh.

DALLAS GLENN MAKING A MOCKERY OF PRO STOCK POINTS BATTLE

It’s going to evaporate in less than a month, but for now, Dallas Glenn can open up the points tab on NHRA.com and see that he’s got an insurmountable 284-point lead over second place Matt Hartford in the Camping World Pro Stock standings. Glenn has dominated the regular season with four wins in seven finals and a 31-7 record in elimination rounds. Glenn humbly states that his RAD Torque Systems Camaro has done most of the heavy lifting this season, but he’s also been able to dole out his fair share of abuse on the starting line. Glenn’s lead will be reduced to a single round so the fight for the title will begin anew, but it’s hard to argue at this point that he’s not the favorite.

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