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<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nCapps\u2019 68th<\/sup> career Funny Car victory was his second of the 2021 season and helped narrow the gap between him and Hagan atop the standings while fellow Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driver Cruz Pedregon moved into the top-three with a semifinal round appearance at the Dallas-area venue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Capps arrived in Texas ranked second in the playoff standings, within 59 points of the category leader Hagan, and promptly put his NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat in a good position for the elimination rounds with a solid qualifying performance which allowed him to collect four bonus points and secure the No. 2 spot on the ladder. He disposed of competitors Jack Wyatt and Paul Lee in the early rounds to move on to a semifinal match against fellow HEMI-powered driver, Cruz Pedregon. A holeshot win over Pedregon provided Capps the opportunity to advance to his fourth final round of the season and meet up with DSR teammate Hagan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Capps used a 0.046-second reaction time coupled with a solid 3.930-second elapsed timed run at 326.87-mph for another holeshot win, this time beating his stablemate\u2019s quicker 3.919 sec.\/328.78 pass, to make his way to the winner\u2019s circle for the first time in more than 20 years since his only other victory at the Dallas-area venue in Spring of 1998.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Sunday\u2019s victory, Capps, who finished runner-up in the championship four times before finally capturing the Funny Car crown in 2016, tightened up this year\u2019s battle heading into the final three race weekends of the season and now sits just 33 markers, or less than two rounds, behind Hagan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Defending NHRA Funny Car world champion and points leader heading into Texas FallNationals, Hagan powered his DSR Western Technical College Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat from the No. 4 qualifier position to his second consecutive final round showdown in the \u201cCountdown to the Championship\u201d with a series consistent 3.9-second runs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coming off his win at the previous event in St. Louis, Hagan recorded a 3.897-second elapsed time qualifying run at 332.34 mph in Q2 on Friday evening to secure the fourth place spot. He began his Sunday drive with a starting line advantage and a first round win against No. 13 seed Dale Creasy Jr. to advance to a quarterfinals match against No. 5 seed Bob Tasca III. While his opponent was slightly quicker on the draw, the DSR HEMI-powered machine overtook him in the first few feet and posted a 3.918 second\/325.53 mph run to turn the win light on against Tasca\u2019s 3.955 sec.\/331.61 mph pass. The semifinal pairing brought No. 8 seed J.R Todd to the line against Hagan who posted a 0.081-second reaction time and 3.904 sec.\/331.04 mph lap after his opponent had a 0.007-second start, but double-stepped and lost traction at the hit of the throttle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hagan advanced to his 71st career final round showdown, his sixth final round appearance of the season (and his team\u2019s seventh with Tommy Johnson Jr.\u2019s win while subbing for Hagan at Reading), and one with championship implications as it was against No. 2 contender and teammate Capps. While a holeshot and 0.0121-second margin of victory by Capps was a bitter pill to swallow, the runner-up finish kept him in the points lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>