Quantcast
Jump to content









Ron Capps: Two Time World Champion NHRA Driver Turned Team Owner [RR 767]


Recommended Posts

We are at the 2022 Napa Expo with reigning two-time world champion Ron Capps, who has just recently started his own Motorsports company. Find out what it’s like being both the driver and team owner. Listen to Ron explain the initial rush when his race car goes from 0-100mph in 7/10 of a second. He says It’s all about his team and the processes and procedures.

Established in 2021, Ron Capps Motorsports is a single-car NHRA Funny Car team owned and operated by reigning and two-time world champion Ron Capps. Headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., the team will make its on-track debut in 2022 and will compete on the 22-race NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series circuit thanks to the support of NAPA AUTO PARTS. Capps, who serves as both the owner and driver of his namesake operation, is the second-winningest Funny Car pilot in NHRA history, with 67 wins in the category and 68 overall (1 Top Fuel). The 2022 NHRA season marks Capps’ 28th year competing in the sport’s professional ranks.

  • Category: NHRA Funny Car
  • Sponsor/car: NAPA AUTO PARTS
  • Crew chief: Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli, John Medlen
  • Career best points finish: 1st (2016, 2021)
  • Career event titles: 68 (Funny Car: 67; Top Fuel: 1)
  • Career final rounds: 131 (Funny Car: 129; Top Fuel: 2)
  • Career No. 1 qualifying positions: 29
  • Career best elapsed time: 3.837 secs, (Reading, 2019)
  • Career best speed: 339.28 mph (Reading, 2019)


On the Internet: twitter.com/RonCapps28, facebook.com/RonCappsFC, Instagram.com/RonCapps28, NAPAonline.com, NHRA

Key Talking Points

  • What people forget- NAPA isn’t a chain or a franchise; it is owned by people in your neighborhood.
  • His dad was a dealer technician- he was his dad's mechanical assistant 
  • Told team owner last September he wasn’t coming back- Announced the launch of his own team, Ron Capps Motorsports, in December 2021. The team, with Capps serving as owner-driver, made its NHRA debut in 2022
  • 2022 marks Capps’ 28th season competing professionally in the NHRA (first event: Phoenix, 1995)
  • One of 17 drivers in NHRA history to have claimed a win in both the Top Fuel and Funny Car categories
  • “I was in my mom’s belly at my first race,” he says, adding his mom, Betty, met his dad, John, at a drag race.
  • “I’ll never forget when I was at the Denver airport going up an escalator, and a woman at least 80 was coming down,” he recalls. “As she came closer, she started singing the ‘NAPA Know How’ song and was shaking her head as we do in the commercials
  • “You can’t win the Kentucky Derby on a mule.”
  • Intrigued by hearing the stories of NAPA Auto Care people and fans while attending events and networking 
  • Hired his world championship team to join him- the manager is critical and the trust to let the team members do what they need to do with processes and procedures. There is a team goal to be successful. 
  • Advice for son- get a basic business degree
  • Behind the scenes before a race- sponsor event (like indoor go carting, top golf, dinners etc)
  • 8 crew members take apart an engine and put it back together in 33 minutes. 11,000 horsepower
  • 300 mph+ in a quarter mile
  • 0 to 100mph in 7/10 of a second in 60 ft
  • His wife is involved in the business- invoices, insurance, etc
  • “Crash course to be an owner…but you can do it.”

 

Connect with the Podcast:

Aftermarket Radio Network

 

Subscribe on YouTube

Visit us on the Web

Follow on Facebook

Become an Insider

Buy me a coffee

Important Books

Check out today's partner:

Learn more about NAPA AutoCare and the benefits of being part of the NAPA family by visiting www.NAPAAutoCare.com

 
ARN-Website-Banner-July-2022-1200x400-1.
 

Screenshot_340.png

Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         5 comments
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
  • Similar Topics

    • By Joe Marconi

      Premium Member Content 

      This content is hidden to guests, one of the benefits of a paid membership. Please login or register to view this content.

    • By carmcapriotto
      Mike Ragsdale is the founder of the 30a Company, and he has an incredible story of being called out by his kids when they got tired of hearing him talk about his dream life without ever pursuing it. This is an incredibly inspiring episode that may result in you exploring how you can create a life you don’t need to escape from.
      Thank you to RepairPal for sponsoring The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast. Learn more about RepairPal at https://repairpal.com/shops
      How To Get In Touch
      Group - Auto Repair Marketing Mastermind
      Website - shopmarketingpros.com 
      Facebook - facebook.com/shopmarketingpros 
      Get the Book - shopmarketingpros.com/book
      Instagram - @shopmarketingpros 
      Questions/Ideas - [email protected] 
       
      Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
    • By carmcapriotto
      Recorded Live at MACS (Mobile Air Climate Systems) 2024 Training Event & Trade Show, Pam Oakes discusses life after selling her shop and the transition into training. She also focuses on the role of 609 certification, EPA regulations and the importance of continuous learning and education. As professionals, we must adapt, learn, and embrace changes to ensure we're not left behind. Show Notes
      MACS (Mobile Air Climate Systems): https://macsmobileairclimate.org/ The MACS event (00:00:01) Introduction to the event, including the number of speakers, hours of training, and expo highlights. Transition from shop ownership to training (00:00:58) Discussion about the transition from owning a shop to training and the challenges involved. Importance of EPA compliance (00:05:03) Discussion about the EPA's enforcement of regulations and the consequences of non-compliance. ASE subject matter expert team (00:12:31) Discussion about the benefits of being part of the ASE subject matter expert team and the approach to creating fair and effective exam questions. The shop owner's passion for learning (00:16:08) Discussion on the shop owner's continuous learning and involvement in an ADAS project. The importance of training and continuous learning (00:17:28) Emphasizing the significance of ongoing training, learning, and the value of a supportive team. Training and certification for industry professionals (00:19:46) Exploring the efforts to provide training and certification for technicians. Changing the language and perception of automotive roles (00:21:51) Addressing the need to redefine and standardize the language used in the automotive industry to better represent roles and improve customer understanding. Automotive technology and industry evolution (00:23:30) Comparing the evolution of automotive technology to the advancements in other industries and discussing the challenges of acceptance and adaptability. The future of automotive technology (00:28:26) Discussing the future of automotive technology, including autonomous vehicles, hydrogen fuel, and battery electric vehicles. The impact of new automotive technology (00:30:16) Discussion on the challenges and potential drawbacks of new automotive technology, including the push for certain technologies and the future of hydrogen fuel. Porsche E-Fuel (00:32:11) Conversation about Porsche's development of e-fuel. Hydroelectric Power Plants (00:33:57) Exploration of the potential for hydroelectric power plants to produce electricity for e-fuel production. Post-Sale Life and Support (00:35:24) Reflection on life after selling a business and the importance of support systems in the automotive industry. Training and Education (00:36:09) Discussion about the importance of industry involvement in training and educating automotive professionals at all levels. Thanks to our Partners, AAPEX and NAPA TRACS Set your sights on Las Vegas in 2024. Mark your calendar now … November 5th-7th, 2024. AAPEX - Now more than ever. And don’t miss the next free AAPEX webinar. Register now at http://AAPEXSHOW.COM/WEBINAR NAPA TRACS will move your shop into the SMS fast lane with onsite training and six days a week of support and local representation. Find NAPA TRACS on the Web at http://napatracs.com/ Connect with the Podcast: -Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RemarkableResultsRadioPodcast/ -Join Our Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1734687266778976 -Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/carmcapriotto -Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmcapriotto/ -Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/remarkableresultsradiopodcast/ -Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RResultsBiz -Visit the Website: https://remarkableresults.biz/ -Join our Insider List: https://remarkableresults.biz/insider -All books mentioned on our podcasts: https://remarkableresults.biz/books -Our Classroom page for personal or team learning: https://remarkableresults.biz/classroom -Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/carm -The Aftermarket Radio Network: https://aftermarketradionetwork.com -Special episode collections: https://remarkableresults.biz/collections            
      Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
    • By carmcapriotto
      Have you discovered the power of training conferences? It’s not just the learning—it's the collaboration of minds, the shared experiences, and the connections that make them invaluable. 
      Show Notes
      Reflections on Vision Hi-Tech Training & Expo 2024 (00:01:32) Personal observations and experiences at the Vision 2024 conference. Hands-On Key Cutting Class (00:02:39) Description of a hands-on key cutting class, including the tools and sponsors involved. Scan Tool Class and Discussions (00:03:53) Discussion of various scan tools and their capabilities, featuring notable industry figures. All-Day Hands-On Pico Class (00:05:01) Description of a comprehensive all-day training session focused on Pico technology and vehicle diagnostics. Tech Talks Presentations (00:08:41) A series of presentations by industry experts on personal and professional experiences, including case studies and techniques. Trade Show Experience (00:15:48) Overview of the trade show, including interactions with various booths and industry professionals. Reflection on Training Resources (00:18:05) Discussion of training resources and their value for technicians, including specific recommendations. The discussion about technical training (00:19:13) Exploring the changes in technical training and the expectations for the next great trainers. The dedication and focus of a great trainer (00:20:23) Discussing the qualities and dedication required to become a top-notch trainer in the automotive industry. The impact of training conferences (00:24:01) Highlighting the importance of attending training conferences and the benefits of networking and learning from peers. Personal update and gratitude (00:25:08) Providing a personal update on a family member's health and expressing gratitude for support and interaction.  
      Thanks to our Partner, NAPA Autotech napaautotech.com
       
      Email Matt: [email protected]
      Diagnosing the Aftermarket A - Z YouTube Channel HERE
      Aftermarket Radio Network: https://aftermarketradionetwork.com/
       
      Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
    • By Transmission Repair

      Premium Member Content 

      This content is hidden to guests, one of the benefits of a paid membership. Please login or register to view this content.



  • Our Sponsors

×
×
  • Create New...