Competition Plus’ Water-Cooler Topics From The NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals outside of Ohio.
1 – THE SHOE FITS FOR CINDERELLA – Somewhere out there, away from the crowd assembled around the stage at Summit Motorsports Park, Spencer Massey couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t win the race. In fact, he didn’t get out of the first round.
That’s because Massey exhibited an extreme amount of sportsmanship in waiting for Maddi Gordon’s Top Fuel team to repair an air hose that had blown off as the team attempted to start the car. Massey spent extra time allowing the Ron Capps Motorsports Top Fuel dragster to perform a makeshift repair. And, even when NHRA forced Massey to start and begin the process of his burnout, he went longer than usual just to ensure the rookie had time.
And even though she passed him early in the race, Massey didn’t mind – he had done the right thing.
But for Gordon, the gesture led to one of the most magical days of her drag racing career. It led to her first professional drag racing victory. Following the win over Massey, she raced to victories over Tony Stewart, and the dominant Shawn Langdon before running 3.786 seconds at 333 miles per hour to defeat Antron Brown in the final round to pick up her first win in just her 10th career start.
For the fast-talking and driving Gordon, she seemed at a loss for words.
“It literally doesn’t get any better than this,” Gordon said. “We brought three race cars here and we came home with three trophies and three ice cream scoopers. Y’all know me, I love ice cream, so that is like the cherry on top. I remember backing up from the burnout and I want that one so bad. So bad.”
Gordon sealed a magical day, one that was more than a double-up, given that team owner Capps won Funny Car. It was a triple-up of sorts when her father Doug, drove the family’s Top Alcohol Funny Car to victory, topping the seemingly unstoppable Sean Bellemeur, the pressure of which seemed overwhelming as she staged Sunday afternoon.
“For my dad to win and then Ron to win, it’s, like, pressure’s on, right?” Gordon questioned.
She continued, “And you know, Carlyle Tools and NAPA Auto Parts, they believed in me before I hit the gas pedal. We went around for a whole year saying that I’m going to drive Top Fuel and it’s going to be great and I do cool interviews or whatever and they never seen none of it. And they stuck by my side with Ron Capps Motorsports and our team and that is, like I said, that’s the type of loyalty that I’ll cherish the rest of my life.”
So convinced was Capps that Gordon was the next big thing, he even planned to step aside from his NAPA Auto Parts Funny Car to let her drive just in case the Carlyle Tools sponsorship didn’t come together.
That’s a reality that struck home for Gordon on Sunday at the winner’s press conference.
“That’s huge. I mean he is a legend in our sport, truly,” Gordon said. “And every time I say that he’s like, ‘Stop saying that, you make me sound old.’
“But he is a legend, and to drive for him is such a blessing. He is the best mentor. He’s the best teammate. He’s the best boss, and it’s crazy to think that he believed in me enough to give up his seat that he’s been in for 30 years. He had never seen me drive a dragster with a blower on it, not a Top Dragster, not an Alcohol Dragster, not a Top Fuel dragster, and he believed in me enough to give up his seat potentially. And that’s the confidence that gave me the confidence to get in that race car.”
Then, of course, there was Massey.
“He is a true drag racer and as soon as I got out of that race car, I jumped over and I thanked every single Spencer Massey team member that I could find because if it wasn’t for him, none of this would have happened,” Gordon said. “That is a true drag racer, and that’s what I love about this sport are people like him. None of this would be possible without him.
And, as she added with a smile … Ronners, a.k.a., Ron Capps.
2 – LOOKING PRETTY GENIUS NOW – The real story wasn’t how Ron Capps became an 80-time winner on the NHRA tour, nor was it him becoming the first three-time Funny Car winner in 2026 by beating former teammate Jack Beckman.
For Capps, it was the satisfaction of a good, ‘I told you so,’ without having to utter the words to those who doubted him in putting Gordon in a Top Fuel dragster.
Gordon sealed his first Ron Capps Motorsports double-up, much like he helped Don Schumacher get his first nitro sweep back in March 2007 at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. He and then-teammate Tony Schumacher sealed the DSR domination for the weekend.
“We have an inside joke because I’m now a genius, and the same people that questioned me last year of me putting a 21-year-old little blonde girl on a Top Fuel car that had never driven one questioned my judgment,” Capps explained. “Then I got the phone calls from them and just saying, ‘You are the great … great move. You’re a genius.'”
This has happened so much Capps admits it’s become a running joke, even this week when he gave the rookie a glimpse of his relentless sponsorship servicing.
“I was giving her a taste of what my life’s been like the last 19 years with NAPA Auto Parts,” Capps revealed, adding they visited two incredibly efficient NAPA store owners.
“She got a taste of what that’s like and to be around those kind of people and why I’m so passionate about it throughout the year. So her and I got to hang out all week. And it’s been that way. We left Gainesville, and we went and did a three-city tour for NHRA, a media tour and I’m always bummed when she goes home and I go my separate ways. It’s like, ‘Aah.’
“We just have such a great time and she’s just fun to be around, great person, great family. I didn’t want to say it. I felt a little mojo — like we were in Ohio really building up the mojo — so I think it paid off.”
3 – DRAG RACING’S SPLIT PERSONALITY – Don’t let Aaron Stanfield’s soft-spoken demeanor fool you. Once the helmet goes on, the Pro Stock standout has one objective.
“It doesn’t matter who I line up against,” Stanfield said. “When I put the helmet on, I’m trying to rip your head off.”
That mindset paid off Sunday at the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, where Stanfield used a nearly perfect .002-second reaction time and a 6.626-second pass at 208.75 mph to defeat Matt Hartford on a holeshot. The victory, decided by just .006 seconds at the finish line, was Stanfield’s second of the season and the 16th of his career.
Stanfield knew beating Hartford would likely come down to who won the battle on the starting line.
“I definitely knew I was going to have to be pretty good on the tree,” Stanfield said. “Matt’s been driving really good here lately and he’s had a fast race car. So, definitely knew I was going to have to grab some on the tree, and the old hot rod did just enough to pull the win off.”
The victory capped a demanding weekend for Stanfield, who balanced Pro Stock, the GETTRX Pro Stock All-Star Callout, Pro Modified and responsibilities with the Stanfield Racing Engines Factory Stock program.
“I told Erica [Enders] before we run the first round, I said, ‘We’re lucky I don’t put my helmet on backwards,'” Stanfield said with a laugh. “It’s definitely a balancing act.”
Despite juggling multiple roles, Stanfield delivered some of the sharpest reaction times of the weekend, including a .001 light in the second round before the .002 in the final.
“That’s my secret,” Stanfield joked when asked about his starting-line success. “Sometimes I guess I just wake up on the right side of the bed, and I felt really focused this morning.”
Stanfield said confidence comes from more than driver preparation.
“A combination of just having the clutch linkage in that perfect spot where the fuel is perfect just puts me in a spot where I can drive good.”
4 – NOT LETTING IT GO – Richard Gadson insists he isn’t racing to prove anything to his critics. That doesn’t mean he stops pushing.
For the second straight day in Norwalk, Gadson got the better of Vance & Hines teammate Gaige Herrera, winning the Pro Stock Motorcycle final after Herrera fouled for the second consecutive day. Saturday’s red light gave Gadson the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory. Sunday’s gave him his second national-event win of the season and the sixth of his career.
Gadson roared to victory Sunday with a 6.849-second pass at 197.36 mph, earning his first Norwalk victory while completing a weekend sweep.
“Obviously, I didn’t lie yesterday when I told you it’s pretty much an ‘are you willing to red light’ situation,” Gadson said. “He’s a tough competitor. He’ll rebound, and it’ll probably be hell for us all for the next couple races.”
The victory carried extra meaning after a transmission failure derailed Gadson’s chances a year ago.
“I don’t know if you believe in energies, but I feel like Norwalk owed me one,” Gadson said. “I got the ice cream scoop that I always hoped for, a double-up with the Mission #2Fast2Tasty win and the overall win. It doesn’t get much sweeter than this.”
Gadson admitted his biggest motivation comes from within.
“I know a lot of people say that it’s a cliché saying, but that’s me every day,” Gadson said. “Every pass, I’m thinking about it. I never let it go. I’m a really emotional racer.”
“I carry a lot with me every run. This weekend was a really heavy weekend for me, and I’m making statements to myself.”
There is no easing up when Herrera is in the other lane.
“No, because he’s not going to cut me any,” Gadson said. “I went out there in the finals and I was willing to do the same thing.”
Despite the rivalry, Gadson believes the pairing has elevated both riders.
“He’s a silent assassin,” Gadson said. “I love having him as a teammate. I think this is the best possible scenario you could have put us both in to bring the best out of each other.”
5 – THE RIVENBARK FACTOR – On paper, Kevin Rivenbark didn’t look like the favorite to win the opening race of the NHRA Pro Mod Road to the Championship. Fortunately for him, championships aren’t decided on paper.
Rivenbark entered the first playoff race of the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports as the No. 13 qualifier. Four rounds later, he left the NHRA Nationals in Norwalk with the Wally trophy after defeating Billy Banaka in the final.
Rivenbark posted a 5.714-second pass at 251.53 mph to edge Banaka’s 5.716, 252.33 mph. The victory was his first of the season and the second of his NHRA Pro Mod career, moving him to ninth in the standings.
The road to the winner’s circle included victories over former NHRA champion Mike Castellana, points leader Derek Menholt and former champion Lyle Barnett before the final-round showdown with Banaka.
“We haven’t won this since Phoenix of 2024, but we never stop,” Rivenbark said. “The guys are restless. They just keep going and going. We’ve had some bad times and some tough times, but hopefully we’re on the right road.”
Rivenbark believes the team’s qualifying effort didn’t show the car’s true potential.
“We knew we had a better car than what we showed in qualifying,” Rivenbark said. “This weekend was really a shakeup. We’re hoping to get going for the Road to the Championship, and hopefully both of us, with teammate Stan Shelton, will come out on top, or at least one and two.”
Despite his semifinal exit, Menholt held onto the championship lead leaving Norwalk, but only by 13 points over Mike Stavrinos. Banaka’s runner-up finish moved him to within 15 points of the lead, tightening the championship battle as the five-race Road to the Championship gets underway.
6 – GLENN’S DISASTER TURNS INTO GLENN’S WIN – When Greg Anderson fell in the first round of Sunday’s eliminations, it appeared that Dallas Glenn would be the one to beat. However, when Glenn came to the line in the semi-finals only to be shut-off on the starting line the focus turned to another Glenn.
Dallas’ wife, Sadie, the social media specialist who races Top Dragster when she’s not generating content for her clients, raced her way to a first career Top Dragster national-event win. Glenn reached her first final round and claimed the victory when Kenny Carson fouled at the starting line.
“I’m exhausted in a good way,” Glenn said. “These [trophies] are all a lot heavier than I expected.
“I was bummed about Dallas, having the fuel leak and I was like, ‘Uh-oh, it’s all on me. Don’t mess us up too bad.’ We struggled the first two years with this car and we kind of just decided to stop reinventing the wheel and go basic with it. It’s run great ever since.”
7 – DAN WILKERSON’S TALL AS HAGAN FALLS – Two weekends ago, Matt Hagan was on top of the Funny Car world, beating Ron Capps in the final round and scoring his second national-event victory of the season. On Sunday, he fell in the first round for the second time in three races.
Dan Wilkerson, who lost to Hagan in the Bristol final round, gained a measure of payback when he won in the first round, as Hagan crossed the centerline.
“I probably made more runs here at Summit Motorsports Park than anywhere,” Wilkerson said.
8 – DELCO’S TWO-FER – It was Gainesville 1990 all over for Kenny Delco, as he scored two victories in one during the first round of Pro Stock. Delco ripped off a .001 light and held .072 as they went past the tree. The deficit was too much for Anderson to make up, as he beat Anderson by a 6.632-to-6.591 margin.
The portion of the bracket also guaranteed the winner of the match a bye run into the semis, which became the end of the road for the popular underdog.
The Norwalk round win marked only the second time in 18 races that Delco had beaten Anderson.
“I got to thank Ed Guarnaccia, Matt Hartford, Val Smeland, Steve Buscarello,” Delco said. “They’re all helping me, and I let go of the clutch at the right time and it actually made a good run. We haven’t made a good run all weekend. The one run I made good, trans broke, but I’m excited.”
A somber Anderson, who has lost in the first round three times on a holeshot, accepted the blame for the loss. He lost the day earlier on a holeshot to Erica Enders during the first round of the GETTRX Pro Stock Callout.
“I certainly can’t blame the race car,” Anderson said. “That’s 100% Greg Anderson. I did not get the job done. I didn’t yesterday, and I didn’t today. So, got to go home and figure out what I’m doing wrong. Obviously, I’ve gotten a little bit too complacent. Maybe the car’s too good. I got too much confidence that I can drive around these guys, but I can’t. The class is too close. Hats off to Kenny, he did a fantastic job. He’s certainly hungry. He beat me, and it’s the way it goes.”
9 – DIETSCH GETS THE SCOOP – Taylor Dietsch came to Norwalk looking for his first Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown victory of the season. He left with something he’d wanted even longer — the track’s signature ice cream scoop trophy.
Dietsch defeated points leader Jonathan Allegrucci in an all-Ford Mustang Cobra Jet final at the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals, ending Allegrucci’s three-race winning streak while collecting the third national-event victory of his career. The win also moved Dietsch to 11th in the standings, just six points outside the top 10.
“It’s just been a perfect day,” Dietsch said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better race day. Every round we raced was a good race. We were looking at incremental times after the third round. We thought we saw an opportunity and we went for it.”
Dietsch gained the advantage at the starting line with a .031 reaction time to Allegrucci’s .038 and never gave it away, driving to a 7.711-second pass at 178.10 mph. Allegrucci lost traction and slowed to a 10.836 at 85.11 mph, but retained the series points lead.
For Dietsch, the trophy meant almost as much as the victory.
“I don’t know how to describe it, but I’ve wanted one of these ice cream scoops for quite a while,” Dietsch said. “Even before I started racing Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown cars. I’ve come to Norwalk with my dad. It was always a great weekend, but we’re really excited to finally get one of these scoops.”
The victory came after Allegrucci denied the possibility of an all-Dietsch final by defeating No. 1 qualifier Jason Dietsch in the semifinals. Taylor then made sure the family still ended the weekend in the winner’s circle.
“It’s great to win another one,” Dietsch said with a smile. “I made it around him now. He’s only got two wins in Flexjet and now I have three. We were both in the semis and we were hoping to make it an all-Dietsch final, but we weren’t quite there.”
10 – THE TOP SPORTSMEN – Phil Unruh came to the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, looking for one Wally trophy. He left the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event with two, becoming the 31st driver in NHRA history to double up at a national event.
Unruh captured both the Super Comp and Super Gas titles. The victories were the 10th and 11th national event wins of his career and marked just the 47th double-up in NHRA history.
“It still hasn’t sunk in,” Unruh said. “To win one Wally is hard enough. To win two in the same day, especially here, is something I’ll never forget.”
The double required six elimination-round victories, including final-round wins over Howie Smith in Super Comp and Raymond Miller in Super Gas.
“It’s all about the team,” Unruh said. “The car was there every round, and I was able to do my job. Days like this don’t come around very often.”
Top Alcohol Funny Car provided another headline as Doug Gordon defeated Sean Bellemeur for his second victory of the season and the 28th national event title of his career. Bellemeur lost traction almost immediately, allowing Gordon a clear path to the winner’s circle while daughter Maddi Gordon later won the Top Fuel final.
“It doesn’t get much better than this,” Gordon said. “To win here and then watch Maddi race for a Top Fuel title the same day is something our family will always remember.”
Matthew Cummings claimed the Top Alcohol Dragster title with a final-round victory over Jamie Noonan for his first win of the season and ninth of his career.
Sadie Glenn earned her first NHRA national event victory by winning Top Dragster, while Peter D’Agnolo (Competition Eliminator), Brenda Grubbs (Super Stock), Matt Antrobius (Stock), Alex Miller (Top Sportsman), and Victor Marqua (Super Street) also claimed Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series victories.
