What once seemed like a far-fetched dream is now days away from becoming a reality.
Maddi Gordon, 21, will be making her first passes as the driver of the Carlyle Tools-sponsored Top Fuel dragster for Ron Capps Motorsports.
Gordon will be in the driver’s seat when her new team makes test runs scheduled for Feb. 17–20 at Gainesville Raceway. The 2026 NHRA season opener is the Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals in Gainesville, March 5–8.
“It’s definitely changed from, you know, more like just straight excitement,” Gordon said. “Of course, I’m equally as excited, but I would say I’m definitely more focused now. I’m spending a lot more time watching in-car videos of driving and spending a lot more time on the practice tree at home. At home, I have a clutch pedal set up and a throttle pedal set up that’s connected to our practice tree, but I unplug it because it kind of messes up the tree if I go hit the gas and all that stuff. I’ll actually go through a whole run using the clutch pedal and the gas pedal. I would say I’m getting more focused and more in the driving mode for sure.”
And she’s been marking her calendar to make her debut runs in a Top Fuel dragster.
“Oh my gosh, it’s so exciting. It is less than two weeks now, I will make my first test hit,” Gordon said. “These will be my first passes in any car that contains nitro in it. I’m not sure how many test runs we will make. That will be the first time our team is all working together. It depends on how quickly we get the car going, but we’ve got experienced guys who have worked on cars for a lot of years. We’ve also got a couple of new guys to drag racing, but they have been mechanics in previous careers. The guys have been working together for over a month now, so I’m sure things will be pretty seamless and smooth. On an amazing day, we could make four to five runs, but that would be a lot.”
Gordon is no stranger to drag racing. She is a third-generation racer who has been making a name for herself while serving in dual roles as both driver and crew member on her family’s Top Alcohol Funny Car.
In her first year of driving the Alcohol Funny Car in 2024, Gordon became the 100th woman in NHRA history to win a national event by capturing the title at the Northwest Nationals in Seattle.
Then on April 27, 2025, shortly after being introduced as a future Top Fuel driver for Ron Capps Motorsports, Gordon won her second Top Alcohol Funny Car national event with a final-round performance that included a 5.523-second elapsed time at 264.60 mph to defeat Brian Hough, Ray Martin and Annie Whiteley at the Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
More than a driver, Gordon was responsible for the clutch and regularly assisted with engine work when needed for her family’s Funny Car, perfectly embodying the demographic Carlyle Tools is hoping to attract.
Climbing the ladder to become a 2026 Top Fuel rookie has been a years-long process.
“I went from Junior Dragsters and did some Junior Comp as well, and then I would say I did more Super Pro,” Gordon said. “I did Super Pro in the same car, just no throttle stop. From there, I went to the Alcohol Funny Car.”
Which she knows is not a Top Fuel dragster by any means.
“You know, it’ll definitely be a lot different,” Gordon said. “But the thing is, I just love drag racing. I love driving. I love competing. I love working on cars. I love being at the racetrack. I just love the sport, and being able to race professionally at this level is something I could have honestly never even imagined.
“On the driving side, it will be so much different than an Alcohol Funny Car. You’ve got so much going on in an Alcohol Funny Car — you’re shifting it twice, revving it up, swapping feet, and it never wants to go straight. In a dragster, it’s a lot more finesse and fine movements, as opposed to jerking a wheel around. There’s a big driving style difference.”
Gordon will also be able to lean on her team — led by veteran crew chief Rob Flynn and co-crew chief Troy Fasching — as she navigates the Top Fuel waters.
“I’m a little biased, but I feel I have the best mentor and people surrounding me,” Gordon said. “They’ve been involved in drag racing for many, many years to help teach me and guide me through that learning curve. I’m excited for the challenge, and I feel very confident with the people I have around me.”
Still, Gordon knows nothing will compare to the first time she smashes the throttle in a Top Fuel dragster on Feb. 17.
“I can only imagine. I’ve made hundreds of thousands of passes in my head,” Gordon said. “I won’t really know until I hit the gas. I think it will be similar to the first time I hit the gas in an Alcohol Funny Car — just hold on and try to process it all. It’s going to be insane. There’s no other way to put it. I’m sure there will be a couple of holy s*** moments in the best way possible. I’m going to be nervous, as any new driver should be, but not nervous about the car — just nervous because I want to do the best I can.”
Ron Capps, team owner and three-time NHRA nitro Funny Car world champion, is thrilled to expand his operation and have Gordon drive the RCM Top Fuel dragster.
“Maddi doesn’t just talk the talk, she walks the walk,” Capps said. “Normally you secure funding first and then add the driver, but it was important for me to pay it forward and give an up-and-comer like Maddi the same kind of opportunity Snake gave me. She does the clutch, she can pull a cylinder head, and she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty. NAPA and Carlyle recognized those qualities in her, and I think the fans will too. She is the ultimate spokesperson for Carlyle Tools.”
That praise means everything to Gordon.
“To have someone like Ron Capps see what he sees in you and trust you with his race car is incredible,” Gordon said. “When he approached my dad and said he wanted me to drive for him, I was honestly in awe. The fact that he trusted me with this opportunity means the world to me. It gives me a lot of confidence going into this.”
Gordon is still adjusting to her new reality as a professional drag racer.
“I don’t work with cabinets anymore,” Gordon said. “I had a full-time job as a cabinet sales rep. Now when I fill out my occupation at the doctor’s office, I put professional drag racer. I think it’s really going to hit me after the first qualifying session at Gainesville.”
Gordon’s grandparents founded Morro Bay Cabinets Inc. in Paso Robles, Calif., in 1974, where Maddi previously worked.
She isn’t setting specific goals for 2026, instead focusing on the process.
“It’s an elite class,” Gordon said. “There are 10 or 12 race-winning drivers at every event. It’s going to be tough. We want to qualify well, and I know I’m a new driver, but we’ve put together a really good team. You can’t have a championship team without a championship crew, and I feel like we have that.
“Running the full season allows us to qualify for Rookie of the Year, which would be huge. Everybody wants to win races and championships, but it’s going to take some time to get my feet wet. We’re looking for wins, just like everyone else.”
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