Gordon Delivers in Vegas After Top Fuel Announcement Capped a Defining Week
- Crystal Clay
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
By Crystal Clay, Chief Motorsport Correspondent
LAS VEGAS (April 13, 2025)–As she made her way down the return road in front of the grandstands following the final round, a group of junior dragsters were making their passes, mirroring the chapter Gordon and her sister closed years earlier. The moment offered a quiet reminder of how far she has come, with her family watching from the starting line area, just feet away from where her next chapter is about to begin.
Maddi Gordon’s post-race celebration wasn’t just about the win. It was about who was there to witness it.
“This is what dreams are made of,” Gordon said. “This is my second national event I’ve ever won. The first was in Seattle, and Macie wasn’t there. But this one? Macie was here, and she’s a key part of this race car.”
Macie identified a critical engine issue before the final qualifying session. Had it gone unnoticed, it could have ended Gordon’s weekend early.
“If she hadn’t found it, we probably would have blown up in Q4,” Gordon said. “But instead, we fixed it, and we ran good.”
Gordon advanced through a stacked field in Sunday’s four-lane format. She squared off against Annie Whiteley, Ray Martin, and Brian Hough in the final round and drove to the win, with Hough finishing as runner-up.
The decision to move Gordon into Top Fuel had already been made by the time she earned her first national event win. Ron Capps had tried to keep the news quiet to give her the space to perform without added attention. That moment helped solidify the path forward, and the announcement of her signing with Ron Capps Motorsports came just days before the Vegas 4-Wide, positioning Gordon as one of the most talked-about drivers entering the weekend.
The victory came just days after Gordon’s announcement that she will move to Top Fuel under Ron Capps Motorsports next year, an opportunity she described as unexpected but deeply personal.
“I don’t usually get speechless, but I kind of do when I talk about it,” Gordon said. “Driving Top Fuel was never something I considered achievable. We don’t have the millions it takes. It felt like something beyond the sky.”
Gordon said the opportunity, made possible by Capps and his partners, felt surreal.
“They made this dream come true,” she said. “I’m honored to be mentored by Ron and his whole team. I’m going to do my best to be the best driver I can be.”
While the spotlight has shifted to her next chapter, Gordon made it clear that this weekend was about more than anticipation. It was about execution.
In a recent interview, Ron Capps noted that the timing felt right to bring Gordon into Top Fuel, not just because of her potential, but because of how she has been carrying herself in moments like these. Sunday’s win affirmed that instinct.
“This is beyond what I could have dreamed of,” she said. “To get it done here at the 4-Wide, where my dad’s had a lot of success, is amazing for myself, my whole team, and Gordon Motorsports.”
She called the weekend unlike any other, citing the increased media presence following her announcement.
“I’ve never had so many cameras on me. It takes some getting used to,” Gordon said. “But this shows why we put the work in, and why I’m smiling right now.”
When asked what she hoped people took away from her performance, Gordon didn’t overthink it.
“I hope people take away a smile. Because I’m smiling right now, and there’s no reason I shouldn’t be.”
The win marked a personal milestone for Gordon and a reminder that before she ever hits the throttle in Top Fuel, she's already making noise in Top Alcohol Funny Car.
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