The offseason
may be nearing an end for competitors on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing
Series, but veteran Funny Car driver Ron Capps shows no sign of slowing down.
Capps is set make
his annual cross-country trip from his home base near San Diego to Portland,
Maine, for two days of appearances on behalf of his sponsor, NAPA Auto Parts.
He’ll then fly to Atlantic City Friday to host the NAPA Atlantic City Indoor
Race for TQ Midgets on Feb. 1-2 at the fabled Boardwalk Hall.
Through it all,
though, Capps will be looking ahead to Sunday, when he travels to New Orleans
in search of more fun than any Mardi Gras party could provide. A lifelong fan
of the San Francisco 49ers – Capps will
be in attendance at Super Bowl XLVII Sunday, but not in the grandstands or a
luxury suite.
In fact, the
only ones with a better view of the action will be the players, coaches and officials.
The driver of
Don Schumacher Racing’s NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car will be
working the sidelines for San Francisco radio station KNBR, carrying a
parabolic microphone for the flagship station of the 49ers Radio Network. The
opportunity arose thanks to his friendship with station-owner Mike Hohler, and
Capps was determined to make the best of it.
“Just having the
Niners being in the Super Bowl is huge,” said Capps. “But to go to my first
Super Bowl and be able to work on the sidelines is going to be unbelievable.
I’ve been watching Super Bowl coverage this week, and highlights from other
Super Bowls show how the sidelines are packed with media, movie stars and
athletes. It will be fun working at the game and being that close to the
action.
“It doesn’t get
any better than this.”
Capps will fly
from Atlantic City Sunday morning and go directly to the Superdome to begin
preparations for the big game. While he was able to make sleeping arrangements
in a friend’s time-share apartment for Sunday night, he admits, “I’d sleep in a
car if I had to.”
Sunday will
actually mark Capps’ second stint as a sideline worker at an NFL game. The five-time
2012 NHRA Funny Car winner debuted as a microphone holder when the 49ers beat
Arizona, 24-3, near in Monday Night Football action last October, one day after
he won the Funny Car title at Las Vegas.
In addition to
standing close to the action, Capps said his sideline job offers a unique
opportunity to eavesdrop on some of the game’s on-field conversations.
“It is so cool
to hear all the chatter and `smack talk’ going on with the players,” he said. “It’s
pretty wild. As a 49er fan, this will be a dream come true.”
Even though he
makes his living at 320 mph, Capps said there are hazards to the job, as well.
“When guys came
toward me trying to make a tackle, I found myself running to get closer to the
action,” he recalled. “I was almost risking myself at times, just to get that
good sound. I got into the job and tried to be the best microphone holder they
ever had, but after the game I started to wonder what I was doing.”
No matter what
the outcome of Sunday’s game, Capps said he will remain a committed,
professional microphone technician.
“If the Niners
win, I promise I won’t throw the microphone. The guys at KNBR put a lot of
trust in me, and I take it very seriously.
“But I might
have to pay for a new one if I get too caught up in celebrating.”
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