Ron Capps’ NHRA car explodes in terrifying moment at Arizona Nationals

An absolutely wild explosion happened during Round 1 at Arizona Nationals in the NHRA. Ron Capps amazingly walked away. During his run against Blake Alexander, Capps was engulfed in flames as his entire cockpit blew up around him.

NHRA drag racers are a different breed. Ron Capps got his car, not much of it left, to stop and just got out. It wasn’t a big deal whatsoever.

Thankfully these cars are very safe in the modern era. Still, safety is not something to be taken for granted. This is an incredible video.

.@RonCapps28 walked away from a massive explosion that sent him on a wild ride into the wall during RD 1 of the #ArizonaNats.

Eliminations are on @FS1 at 6:30p ET. @TeamRonCapps pic.twitter.com/aViQNrPQgd

— NHRA (@NHRA) March 23, 2025

These NHRA cars are incredibly powerful. When they take off it is like a rocket shooting into the sky. Except these vehicles are on four wheels and stay firmly on the ground. Ideally.

Ron Capps is a veteran of the sport. He has been there and done that in this sport. This incident is probably one he would rather not be part of ever again if he can help it. That’s the thing, you never know when it might happen in this sport.

Not a great start to the weekend at Phoenix. But Capps will be one of the favorites to win multiple events and even a championship this season. He is always in contention in his NAPA machine.

The NHRA is finishing up the weekend in Phoenix. There is a lot of action to catch later tonight. Eliminations are coming up after the NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami.

Ron Capps walks away from scary explosion

Seeing an incident of that magnitude and intensity, you can’t help but think about John Force and his own accident last year. Force suffered a much smaller explosion but had multiple, violent hits into the wall.

Of course, Force has not raced since. At 75 years old, there may not be much reason to get back to the NHRA. He has done everything in the sport, defined the sport, and will forever be THE icon of drag racing.

No, Force has not officially retired. He is determined to return to the cockpit. With his fiery spirit and determination, I’m sure he will find his way back to racing at least one more time before hanging up his helmet.

Thank goodness Ron Capps was able to walk away from his wreck. NHRA didn’t need another major injury.