BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 8, 2025) – Three-time Funny Car world champion Ron Capps became the all-time wins leader at Bristol Dragway on Sunday, snapping a 33-race winless streak by defeating Paul Lee in the final round of the 24th annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Richard Gadson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the eighth of 20 races during the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
Capps made the best run of his weekend in the finals, going 3.957-seconds at 328.06 mph in his 12,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra to chase down Lee and win for the eighth time at Bristol Dragway, surpassing Tony Schumacher for the most in track history.
It also gave Capps a huge sigh of relief, snapping a long winless streak. His last victory before Sunday came at Indianapolis in 2023, but the veteran found his groove on Sunday in Thunder Valley, winning at the scenic track for the third time in four years. Capps knocked off Matt Hagan, Epping winner J.R. Todd and Dave Richards to reach the final, turning in a classic performance to get his 77th career win and moving to fourth in points.
“We’re a single car team, and we can’t lean on other teams so it’s been a little more difficult,” Capps said. “Even when we were struggling, I never once questioned Guido [crew chief Dean Antonelli]. I just knew we had to get better, and we stuck with the plan.
To reach the final, Torrence got past Dan Mercier, Clay Millican and points leader Tony Stewart, defeating Stewart by .002 in a thrilling side-by-side semifinal duel.
On a historic day, Anderson earned his 1,000th round win in the Pro Stock semifinals and followed with his fourth win of the season, defeating teammate Dallas Glenn in the championship round with a weekend-best run of 6.623 at 205.91 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. Anderson now has 110 career wins and joins John Force as the only drivers in NHRA history win 1,000 career rounds wins.
“This is pretty magical. I think I could call it a day and ride off into the sunset but I’m having too much damn fun right now,” Anderson said.
For the first time, Richard Gadson is a winner in the Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks, defeating teammate Gaige Herrera in the final round, taking the holeshot victory on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki with a run of 6.884 at 196.30. Herrera went a quicker 6.882, but Gadson’s stout .014 reaction time proved to be the difference at the finish line.
“The first thing is I’m exhausted. This has been hands down the most exhausting thing I’ve ever done I always knew I could do it. I really needed to win this for me,” Gadson said.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action June 20-22 with the fifth annual American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park in Richmond, Va.