When he started his own team in 2022, the year Ron Capps earned his third NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car championship, the owner/driver knew he wanted to commit himself to advancing the careers of younger drivers in the sport, just as he was helped along early in his 31-year career, one that now spans 652 total races with three Funny Car World Championships, 76 overall victories and 37 No. 1 qualifiers.
The day before racing commenced for the 25th annual Nevada NHRA 4-Wide Nationals on The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Capps made an announcement that was totally unexpected. Just like most “secrets” in racing, this one couldn’t keep. Ron Capps Motorsports has hinted about this, but now confirms he is expanding his team by adding Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Top Alcohol Funny Car standout Maddi Gordon.
Gordon, who has been driving – and crewing on – her family’s Funny Car and is a third-generation straight-line racer, will enter NHRA’s Mission Foods competition in 2026 in a Ron Capps Motorsports Top Fuel dragster. To commemorate this auspicious partnership, Gordon will have the opportunity to warm up Capps’ Toyota GR Supra Funny Car this weekend.
“This has been in the works for a while now,” Capps admitted. “When Snake (Don Prudhomme) brought me up to the pros, I was lucky enough to be given that shot, despite not already having a sponsor attached. It’s rare, these days, for funding not to be part of the equation, especially when you’re building a new team. I want to give someone a chance like Snake gave me a chance.
“We’re going to build this program around Maddi,” he said. “She’s crazy talented and she’s a hard worker. At 20 years old, we expect her to have a long career out here. She’s a great representative of the next crop of NHRA drag racers.”
In her first year driving the Top Alcohol Funny Car, Gordon became the 100th woman in NHRA history to win a national event. She successfully recorded three regional wins, finishing second in national points. Watching her build a season, Capps saw how impressive her stats were and how hard Maddi Gordon worked to achieve that success.
Thus far in 2025 competition, Gordon sits third in National points and earned a regional victory at Firebird Motorsports Park outside Phoenix. In addition to driving, she is responsible for clutch operation and assists, as needed, with engine work on the car.
What’s unusual about this addition to Capps program is the fact that Maddi Gordon was chosen to drive the Top Fuel dragster on merit, not due to financial partnerships. Capps noted that while plans are coming together to make this dream a reality, he wants Gordon to focus on her Top Alcohol Funny Car championship campaign throughout the 2025 season, including in Las Vegas this weekend.
Gordon won’t license or make test passes in a Top Fuel dragster until the 2025 Mission Foods and Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series are both completed. In fact, she’s only had the chance to sit in a nitro car once before this weekend.
That changes when she warms up the NAPA Toyota GR Supra at 11:30am on Friday, April 11. Realizing her good fortune, Gordon has already begun representing Capps’ team at events and media appearances. She’s been posting content on social media recognizing Capps’ partners, including NAPA, Carlyle Tools and F3 energy drink.
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