Three times Ron Capps won what was long known as the Big Bud Shootout, the all-star event for top Funny Car drivers held annually at O’Reilly Raceway Park. He never looked at the $100,000 check.

“It could have been $10 for all I cared,” he said.

For Capps, winning the event sponsored most recently by U.S. Smokeless was about prestige. The trophy that came in the form of a mounted rifle was nice to have, too, and one such piece of hardware hangs prominently in Capps’ office at home in Carlsbad, Calif.

Capps said his 8-year-old son, Caden, loves the trophy, and Capps thought it was special that luggage once came as an additional prize.

“It was a big deal, and it wasn’t about the money,” he said of winning the event. “You couldn’t sleep the night before, and then you had to go to bed early so you could run the big race.”

The “big race,” known as the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, will be staged for the 55th time this weekend, but the Shootout will not be along for the ride. Event organizers could not land a sponsor, which means for the first time since 1981, the eight-car race won’t be held.

“That’s kind of strange; mentally you think it’s going to be there,” said John Force, who competed in the Shootout 24 times, winning a record six.

But Force is OK without it given the pressure already heaped on the U.S. Nationals, the sport’s version of the Super Bowl.

Many of the top Funny Car drivers, along with counterparts in the other professional classes, will be aiming to secure positions in the sport’s playoffs, known as the Countdown to 1, which begins Sept. 17-20 in Concord, N.C.

“This (Nationals) is so big now,” Force said. “You have to be thinking about winning Indy, that’s No. 1; making the Countdown, that’s a real priority; and then you have to think about winning the Shootout, too.”

Pro qualifying begins Friday at 5:30 p.m., with four additional sessions Saturday and Sunday. Final eliminations begin Monday at 11 a.m.

Two shops open

John Force Racing will hold a free open house from 3-7 p.m. today at its facility in Brownsburg. The event features the opening of a museum highlighting the team’s safety endeavors.

Food cans will be accepted for the Hendricks County Food Bank. The shop is located at 498 Southpointe Circle.

Don Schumacher Racing will host a similar free event at its shop in Brownsburg from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday. It benefits Riley Hospital for Children.

The Shumacher shop is located at 1681 E. Northfield Drive.