Maddi Gordon: Unexpected, Unbought, Undeniable in Top Fuel
- Crystal Clay
- 9 hours ago
- 6 min read
The Next Best Thing Was Hiding in Plain Sight
By Crystal Clay, Chief Motorsport Correspondent
LAS VEGAS (April 12, 2025) — NHRA rising star Maddi Gordon prepares for her Top Fuel debut with mentorship from Ron Capps, a legacy of family support, and a milestone win that made history.
Las Vegas has always been more than just a racing destination for Maddi Gordon. It is home turf, the site of her final junior dragster pass against her sister, and now, the backdrop for a surreal new chapter. Originally from Paso Robles, California, Gordon sat under the media spotlight for her very first press conference as the reality of what’s ahead began to settle in: Nitro.
Not quite this season, but close enough to feel it. She is not just chasing a dream; she is closing one chapter as a third-generation driver competing with her family’s Alcohol Funny Car team and preparing to step onto NHRA’s biggest stage in 2026. This time, it will be in a Top Fuel Dragster, under the mentorship of Funny Car champion and Ron Capps Motorsports team owner Ron Capps, who plans to expand his operation by adding a second car for the rising star to pilot.
Right now, Gordon still balances her racing life with working sales at her family’s cabinet shop, surrounded by the same people who’ve always made her feel capable: her parents, grandparents, and sister. When she talks about her future in Top Fuel, her excitement is palpable, but so is the emotion of letting go of what’s familiar.
“It’s going to be a huge change,” she says, eyes swelling. “My grandpa always tells me when to go into the stage, my mom buckles me in, my dad lets the body down… my grandma grabs everything else. I won’t have that next year, but I know they’ll still be there.”
Gordon is already easing into the shift. During the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, she has not just been watching from the sidelines. She's hands-on, stepping into the rhythm of a new team.
Capps stood nearby throughout the process, giving Gordon space to lead, a quiet nod to the trust already forming between them.
One of the first things Capps told her? She wouldn’t be working on the car anymore.
“He knows that’s what I do,” Gordon said, laughing.
The comment wasn’t just about job roles, it echoed the same mentorship Capps once received when he got his shot under Don “The Snake” Prudhomme. Back then, he had to step away from the tools and focus solely on the seat, learning to trust the crew and grow into the driver he needed to be. Now, he’s offering Gordon that same elevation, one he knows, from experience, is no small transition for a hands-on racer.
If you’re ever roaming the pits between runs, you’ll notice Capps always packs his own parachutes. He began to explain it with a few prompts.
“Have you ever been skydiving? When you do go, do you want to pack your own parachute?”
The implication is clear. It is not a question of trust; it is about staying connected. For Capps, packing his own parachutes is how he remains part of the process, not above it. It reinforces his role not only as a driver or team owner, but as a teammate who is fully invested, hands-on, and present in the work they do together.
Gordon understood immediately. She grew up elbows-deep in clutch packs, tightening bolts and prepping between rounds. But this next step requires a different kind of focus. She’ll have to let go of that role to step back, so she can step up.
“I can always head over to the shop on off weekends and still get my hands dirty,” she says with a grin, referring to her family’s Alcohol Funny Car shop.
One of the most talked-about figures in Gordon’s support system isn’t a sponsor, a tuner, or even a crew chief—it’s her grandmother. And make no mistake, Grandma isn’t on the sidelines with a folding chair and snacks.
“She’s not just there making sandwiches,” Maddi says, grinning. “She builds all of our clutch packs. At the shop, she’s got her own clutch pack bench. It’s Grandma’s bench.”
Meticulous and precise, her grandmother dials in clutch packs within a couple thousandths of an inch, an art form that makes Gordon’s job easier round after round.
“She’s super particular,” Gordon says. “I’ll come in and say, ‘Man, Grandma, that one was so good, I barely had to adjust it.’”
It’s a rare bond. Part performance partner, part family glue and it captures the essence of how Gordon was raised; in a home where horsepower and heart go hand in hand.
Gordon’s family isn’t just supportive. They are her race team. Her dad ran for championships, her grandpa owned the car, and every member of the family was part of the operation. So when the opportunity came up for Gordon to get in the seat, it wasn’t a guarantee yet it was a moment filled with uncertainty.
“The hardest part of leaving is probably my grandpa,” she says, her eyes swelling up. “Because it’s his race car, and, you know, he’s getting older. And he at first was like, Do I really want to give Maddi the ride? Because we didn’t know how I was gonna do.”
She speaks with a candid honesty, acknowledging the risk her family took, not just for her, but with her.
“I could’ve done absolutely horrible and just, you know, wasted years of hard work. My dad was running for championships, and they were winning the world championships. My mom was like, Do we really wanna give up years and just let Maddi give it a try? ’Cause, I mean, honestly I might suck.”
But they gave her a shot.
That leap of faith from her family, and now from Capps, feels even more significant in a sport where most drivers secure seats by bringing in sponsorship money. Gordon’s opportunity was earned, not purchased.
Capps saw something in Gordon that could not be bought, and she showed up ready to prove him right.
“And the fortunate thing is my dad will get back in the race car,” she adds. “And I’m sure he’s gonna pick up right where he left off. So it’ll be okay.”
Even with the change on the horizon, she knows the bond won’t fade. If anything, it’s being redefined.
“I think it’ll be emotional even for the whole family,” she says. “But they’ll all be there, and so it’ll be okay.”
Capps will tell you this wasn’t just the right decision, it was the right time. From Gordon’s steady rise in the sport, to the cultural momentum surrounding women in motorsports and auto mechanics, to her signing with a top female sports agency, it all aligned.
Capps’ longtime partners at NAPA Auto Parts were also part of the conversation, recognizing the value in investing in emerging talent. Their support helped solidify the opportunity for Gordon to step into a Top Fuel seat.
And then, on the very day he and his partners planned to tell her, Gordon made history as the 100th win by a woman in an NHRA event.
“Everything just lined up,” Capps said, reflecting on the moment.
But timing wasn’t the only thing that made it feel right, it was who she is. Her joy, her energy, her spunk. And Capps saw it all clearly. Still, he made one thing clear: don’t mistake her bubbly personality for softness.
He’s been around long enough to know what women in this sport are capable of. And as he talked about it earnestly, with feeling, you could tell he meant it. The women he’s seen? They show up, get in the car, and—to borrow the words he didn’t quite say, but definitely implied—they’ll kick your butt.
And Gordon? She’s cut from that same cloth.
“I’m spunky. There’s no way around it,” she says with a grin. “I’m just excited. I love life, and I’m living the dream.”
Now, she’s about to drive straight into the next one.
Her last name carries weight in motorsports, though she shares no relation to the NASCAR legend. Still, it is a fitting reminder that you never know where the next breakout talent will come from, or how a familiar name might one day represent a completely new chapter in racing.