Ron Capps Motorsports has revealed its next major move — and its future might just belong to Maddi Gordon. The three-time Funny Car world champion announced that Carlyle Tools will serve as primary sponsor for Gordon’s full-season debut in Top Fuel competition beginning in 2026.
The news broke Tuesday at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, where Gordon unveiled the team’s black-and-venom-green Carlyle Tools dragster. The announcement formalized what Capps had teased earlier this year: his single-car operation will expand into a two-car team, adding its first Top Fuel entry to the Ron Capps Motorsports lineup.
“This is definitely a pinch-me moment,” said Gordon. “I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that I get to drive a dragster for Ron next year, and to do that with such an innovative and dynamic brand like Carlyle Tools is a dream.”
Gordon, 21, represents both racing lineage and next-generation promise. The third-generation driver grew up in the pits alongside her family’s Top Alcohol Funny Car program, where she also wrenches on the car. In 2023, she became the 100th woman in NHRA history to win a national event — a milestone that hinted at what was coming.
She began working with Carlyle Tools earlier this season through a smaller product partnership that Capps helped facilitate. That early connection has now grown into a full-fledged sponsorship — one that ties together a rising star and a brand redefining its image.
The partnership comes as Carlyle Tools undergoes a rebrand designed to reach the next wave of students and young technicians. For NAPA Auto Parts, the parent company that also backs Capps’ championship-winning Funny Car, Gordon personifies that mission.
“Maddi doesn’t just talk the talk, she walks the walk,” said Capps. “She can do the clutch, pull a cylinder head, she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty — she does it all. When we announced she’d be joining RCM, I said we were doing this backwards. Normally, you find funding first and a driver second, but I wanted to pay it forward and give her the shot that Snake (Don Prudhomme) gave me.”
Capps’ decision underscores his transition from driver to mentor. While still in the hunt for Funny Car championships, his long-term vision for Ron Capps Motorsports clearly extends to building future stars. Gordon’s addition marks the team’s first official step toward a multi-car powerhouse.
Katherine Wooten, NAPA’s Director of Partnership Strategy and Activation, said Gordon’s work ethic and technical knowledge made her a natural fit for the Carlyle brand’s evolution.
“Maddi represents everything we’re working toward with the Carlyle Tools transformation — she’s young, she’s incredibly talented, and she knows her way around an auto shop,” Wooten said. “When we reimagined the Carlyle brand, we had the next generation in mind, and we were looking for someone who could authentically connect with young technicians. Maddi doesn’t just drive the car, she understands the tools and knows what it takes to build something from the ground up.”
Gordon’s presence on the tour will also continue a family legacy steeped in nitro and hard work. Her father, Doug Gordon, is a former NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car world champion, while her grandfather, Mike Gordon, helped shape the foundation of the family’s program. Maddi’s transition to the sport’s fastest class ensures that the Gordon name remains an active part of NHRA’s lineage.
Before joining the Top Fuel ranks, Gordon will close out the 2025 campaign with her family team, where she currently sits third in the national standings with three national and four regional victories to her credit. She will begin the Top Fuel licensing process later this year.
Her rookie debut in the 12,000-horsepower Carlyle Tools dragster is set for the 2026 NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida, March 6–8. It’s a launch that combines the old-school ethos of hands-on racing with the modern brand power of NAPA’s Carlyle Tools initiative.
For Capps, it’s another full-circle moment — from being Don Prudhomme’s young prospect decades ago to now mentoring a 21-year-old who mirrors that same drive and determination.
“Maddi’s the real deal,” Capps said. “She’s got the skill, the attitude, and the heart for this. I can’t wait for everyone to see what she’s capable of when she rolls into Gainesville next year.”
