ALEXIS DEJORIA & MADDI GORDON Light Up Gatornationals in Historic NHRA Weekend

March 9, 2026

• ALEXIS DEJORIA proved she belongs in the big leagues by reaching the Funny Car final at the season-opening Gatornationals, representing John Force Racing’s new era without the Force family name. Though she fell to Chad Green in the championship round (3.959 to 5.003), DeJoria’s run to the final validates her place in the sport’s premier team and shows we’re watching a competitor who can carry the torch.
• Rookie MADDI GORDON delivered the kind of fairytale debut that reminds us why we love this sport, becoming the 23rd woman to qualify a Top Fuel dragster and then backing it up with performance. The third-generation racer upset 2013 champion Shawn Langdon in round one (3.762 seconds at 334.48 mph) then took down eight-time champion Tony Schumacher in the quarters before Doug Kalitta ended her Cinderella run in the semis.
• LEAH PRUETT returned to Top Fuel competition after two years away, posting an identical 3.713 ET to husband Tony Stewart in opening round eliminations—a coincidence that perfectly captured their synchronized comeback. Though both lost in the quarterfinals, Pruett’s honest self-assessment about needing to fix her pedal technique shows the work ethic that made her a championship contender before her hiatus.

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