Drag Racer Ron Capps Walks Away From Explosion, Fiery Crash

Professional drag racer Ron Capps suffered a scary explosion and fiery crash as he raced at the NHRA Arizona Nationals over the weekend. It was an unexpected turn of events which thankfully ended with Capps climbing out of the car under his own power, relatively unharmed by the violent collision with the wall.

Watch a Camaro ride the wall in a crazy spectator race.

In an interview with Fox Sports after the horrific crash, Capps seemed shaken as he said he thought of John Force and his crash once his car exploded, then veered left towards the wall. In fact, he didn’t expect to remain conscious after the collision, but thankfully he did and appears to be just fine.

Because his wife and kids were at the race, and his parents were watching on TV, Capps said he wanted to get out and wave to the cameras as quickly as he could. His heart is in the right place.

He said that unlike his crash last summer in Seattle, this time around there was zero indication the car was in trouble. He blamed the 2024 incident on himself, saying the mechanicals were struggling and making noises but he insisted on racing anyway.

But he admitted he had no idea what happened this time, simply saying “it was quick.” Considering he crossed the finish line at 230 mph, things do tend to move rapidly at that kind of speed.

Racing, whether it’s on a drag strip, road course, off-road trail, etc. is dangerous and risky. By its nature, drivers are pushing the envelope, so when things go wrong they can slide off the rails in a hurry. We know drivers understand this, but sometimes we think the fans might become a little forgetful.

Capps credited the many safety innovations made after other NHRA race crashes for the fact he was okay and walking under his own power after this high-speed collision. We’re just happy we’re not covering a fatality.

Image via NHRA/YouTube