DRAG RACING RESUMES IN GAINESVILLE

The NHRA pro tour is in Gainesville, Fla., after taking three weeks off.
    It’s the 40th annual Gatornationals and the only major racing event this weekend.
    With race fans left with little on TV to watch, the NHRA needs to put on a good show during its tape-delayed coverage on ESPN and ESPN2.
    Ron Capps could do what his NASCAR Sprint Cup counterpart Matt Kenseth couldn’t: Win the first three titles to start a season.
    Capps won Funny Car titles in the opener at Pomona, Calif., and followed by winning the NHRA Full Throttle event near Phoenix.
    Kenseth’s two-straight winning streak ended in the Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway two weeks ago when his engine blew and he finished last in the 43-car field.
    Capps and crew chief Ed McCulloch have been untouchable for Don Schumacher Racing after not winning a title last year.
    "In our sport, any time you can have a streak it's amazing considering the competition," said Capps, who leads the field by 97 points.
    "That's the great thing about NHRA drag racing. You never know what's going to happen, so when somebody does go on a roll it makes it that more impressive.”
    Capps has won the Gatornationals title in two of the past three years.

FORCE’S NEFF ON HIS OWN
    For the second straight event, Mike Neff of John Force Racing will be driving and serving as his own crew chief.
    Neff is doing double-duty while regular crew chief John Medlen continues to recover from two medical procedures he had nearly four weeks ago after admitting himself to an Indiana hospital for chest pain.
    Neff is in his second year as a driver but is a veteran crew chief. He tuned Gary Scelzi to the 2005 Funny Car championship.
    Neff faced Capps in the championship round three weeks ago but a broken part handed the title to Capps.
    "The clutch linkage broke and there was no way to push the clutch in to put it in reverse,” Neff said of what happened after his pre-race burnout.
    “It must have happened during the burnout. I tried to push the clutch in and there was nothing there. I tucked my foot underneath the pedal to see what was going on and I could feel that the clutch pedal was broken.”
    The reigning top rookie in his class is seeking his first title.