NHRA Funny Car driver Ron Capps and his team suffered a setback early Tuesday when the Don Schumacher Racing hauler transporting Capps’ car caught fire near Amarillo, Texas.
The hauler and much of its contents – including the race car – suffered “significant damage,” according to a report by CompetitionPlus.com.
As a result, the NAPA Auto Parts-sponsored car has pulled out of this weekend’s annual Professional Racers Organization (NHRA) “spring training” test session for Top Fuel and Funny Cars at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which runs from Thursday through Saturday.
The truck was en route to Las Vegas when the fire broke out. The top and rear of the hauler sustained heavy damage, including the rear doors being melted and unable to be opened.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to the CompetitionPlus.com story. The hauler was towed to a nearby facility. Capps was not with the team at the time of the incident.
While the team will miss this weekend’s test, team owner Don Schumacher said it will be ready for next weekend’s NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season-opening race in Pomona, California.
“We are sending a truck and trailer from our shop in Brownsburg, Indiana to replace that trailer and it should be business as usual in Pomona,” Schumacher told CompetitionPlus.com.
The new trailer is expected to arrive in Amarillo on Thursday, where as much of the salvageable contents from the burned trailer will then be transferred to the new one before it heads on to Pomona.