MADDI GORDON Gets Ron Capps’ Nod for Top Fuel Leap in 2026

April 8, 2025

by Susan Wade // from competitionplus.com

GRRL! SUMMARY:

Three-time Funny Car champion Ron Capps officially selected 20-year-old MADDI GORDON to drive a Top Fuel dragster for Ron Capps Motorsports starting in 2026. GORDON, who became the 100th different woman to win an NHRA national event with her July 2024 victory at Seattle, was chosen purely on merit rather than funding ability. Capps praised her hands-on mechanical background and family racing roots, noting she builds and works on her own cars just like he did coming up in the sport.
The move represents a massive transition for GORDON, who will jump from her current 3,500-horsepower Top Alcohol Funny Car to a 12,000-horsepower Top Fuel beast – the quickest-accelerating vehicle on the planet. Currently focused on chasing her own Top Alcohol Funny Car championship in 2025, she’s studying in-car videos and preparing mentally for the dramatic change from front-engine to rear-engine, quarter-mile to 1,000-foot racing format.
GORDON’s selection breaks the typical pay-to-play model that dominates modern drag racing, with Capps specifically choosing her for talent over financial backing. The Gordon family racing operation includes her recently retired three-time champion father Doug, sister Macie as engine builder, and grandparents who serve as crew chief and team manager. Her transition from this tight family unit to a professional operation represents both opportunity and challenge as she prepares for the sport’s highest level.