This weekend marks the return of the most prestigious event in drag racing -- the NHRA U.S. Nationals. It is more significant for Ron Capps and Jon Capps, brothers who will try to win their respective classes as part of a special reunion.
If they can pull off the feat, it will become an event to remember for their family, as well as the state of Indiana.
"Look out, Indianapolis, it's going to be a party," Ron told AltDriver while laughing. "We have a late flight out Tuesday. I've already made sure of that.
"I like to get out early, and my wife hates it, but everyone's going, our whole family. So, it would be a party, I can guarantee it."
Ron, a three-time Funny Car world champion, will go for his third U.S. Nationals win. Jon, a professional driver for both Hollywood and the automotive industry, will try to take the Nostalgia Funny Car class as he returns to his racing roots.
"I'm stoked," Jon told AltDriver while taking a break from a BMW M track day at Monticello Motor Club. "I mean, we're running the Heritage Series cars, which are a little bit different from the Big Show Nitro Funny cars, but they're still a lot of fun.
"The difference is you can enjoy the run, the whole run (laughs), as opposed to a Nitro Big Show Funny car. It's so intense that you really don't want to lose a run by something you messed up, so you're really going to stay on top of things. It's a millisecond that you're making all these different decisions. So the Nostalgia cars are a lot more fun to drive."
The Capps brothers grew up in a racing family. They raced karts and midgets, and they both moved into the world of drag racing. Both celebrated wins in one of the fastest motorsports in the world.
Yet, their paths diverged. Ron went on to become a three-time world champion in NHRA and a team owner. Jon raced as well, but he also began working as a driving school instructor and as a stunt driver after becoming friends with stunt driver Greg Tracy.
He contributed to numerous commercials while showing his skills behind the wheel. Jon also "appeared" in such films as "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," "Driven," and "Ford v Ferrari," among many others.
Photo courtesy of Jon Capps
While Jon has spent extensive time wheeling a wide assortment of vehicles on film sets, during track days, and at auto shows, he has continued to make occasional starts in drag racing.
He even won the historic March Meet at Famoso Dragstrip, a track where he and Ron previously roamed.
"We rode our little dirt bikes when our dad was racing throughout the years," Ron said. "We were off goofing off and screwing around, getting in trouble like all the other kids at their dad's race.
"We were all these bunch of -- brat pack, you'd call it -- running around, and we used to take the little pit bikes, the little dirt bikes, and mess around up there."
Said Jon, "Ron and I, we'd play on the grandstands and ride our dirt bikes through the stack of orange rinds that they use for fertilizer. So we would go there as kids, and I was 12 years old watching the races and everything."
Photo courtesy of Ron Capps
This week's trip to Indianapolis will provide Jon with another opportunity to compete. He will return to the high-speed series fully recovered from a surgery that he says probably should have kept him out of the March Meet.
This time, he will take on a historic track the same weekend as his brother.
Ron and Jon will compete in two separate classes, but will they still have a bit of a friendly rivalry throughout the weekend? Or, will they just choose to celebrate each other's accomplishments?
"The answer is yes," Jon said with a big smile. "We ran, I can't remember, I think it was a race in Houston, NHRA race. We ran against each other in the semifinal round and he was in the points chase, I wasn't.
"I was already contemplating, 'Man, if I go out there and I don't see him, I might have to lift just because I'd like to see him win the championship.' It was before he won his first championship. But same point in time, I'm a competitor and my guys have been busting their butt. I want to see them win too."
This event also stood out to Ron, who exclaimed, "I almost hit the wall! My team owner's like, 'What are you doing?' I go, 'I'm not losing to my brother.'"
Joking aside, the Capps brothers support each other every time they race. It doesn't matter if it's NHRA, midgets, the now-inactive SRX series, go-karts or anything else.
This weekend in Indianapolis will be no different. They will go to dinner together every night, they will stay at the same place, and they will cheer for each other while also trying to win their classes.
Photo courtesy of Jon Capps
But they will still try to secure bragging rights for the next holiday get together when they face off on iRacing or while playing board games.
Sure, the Capps brothers love and support each other. But make no mistake, a sibling rivalry still exists.
"Our relationship, to your point, has definitely (never) been better," Ron said. "We're still ultra competitive in anything we do, it's funny as hell. "...We will sit and make laps, and then like, 'Alright, I outdid yours,' and 'Alright, get out of the way!' And then he jumps in.
"But, anything we do, go-karting...even board games. I've joked about it, but it's true. Board games at the holidays with all of our family, like, we do not want to lose to each other at anything."
The U.S. Nationals will take place starting on Wednesday, Aug. 27, and continuing through Monday, Sept. 1. Several series will get on track for the biggest weekend of the NHRA schedule while NHRA TV and Fox Sports provide coverage.