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Ron Capps Motorsports Pre-Race Report: In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals

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In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals
Event 20 of 20
Countdown Event 6 of 6
In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip
Pomona, Calif.
Nov. 13 – 15, 2026

By: Ron Capps Motorsports (Photos Courtesy Ron Capps Motorsports)

Driver Information:

RON CAPPS
Driver of the NAPA Auto Care Funny Car

Countdown to the Championship Ranking: 6th (-155)

NHRA Finals Event Highlights:

  • Two-time runner-up (2008, 2022)  
  • Five-time No. 1 qualifier (1999, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022)

In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip Overall Highlights:

  • Four-time winner 
  • Nine-time runner-up 
  • Seven-time No. 1 qualifier

2025 NHRA Finals Event Recap:
Canceled due to weather

Last Event (Las Vegas):
Qualified eighth; Runner-up finish (defeated Cruz Pedregon in E1, Jack Beckman in E2, Austin Prock in E3; defeated by Jordan Vandergriff in E4)

2026 Statistics:
19 races: three wins, two runner-up finishes, four No. 1 qualifiers

Career Statistics:

  • 687 races: 80 wins, 41 No. 1 qualifiers
  • Career-best E.T.: 3.821 seconds (Pomona 2, 2024)
  • Career-best speed: 339.37 mph (Martin, Mich. 2026) 

Noteworthy:

  • Capps enters the weekend following a runner-up finish at the Las Vegas Nationals. It was the three-time world champ’s second runner-up of the season and fifth final round appearance overall
    • Capps’ other runner-up finish occurred during the Pomona 1 event in April
  • Both Capps’ NAPA Auto Care Funny Car and Maddi Gordon’s Carlyle Tools Top Fuel dragster will feature increased OKUMA branding in Pomona as the final leg of a six-race collaboration with the global leader in machine tool design and manufacturing
  • As a lifelong Californian and resident of Carlsbad near San Diego, Capps considers In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip to be a home track

Fan Events:

  • Friday, 11:00 – 11:30 a.m., Ron Capps Motorsports driver autograph session, Carlyle Tools Outlaw trailer
  • Saturday, 9:30 – 10:00 a.m., Ron Capps Motorsports driver autograph session, Carlyle Tools Outlaw trailer

Quotable:
“It’s hard to believe, but here we are, coming up on another Pomona Finals. When I look back at a lot of the races throughout my career, there are some that just blend in. But I can tell you without a doubt, if not every NHRA Finals event, at least most of them have stood out in one way or another. For me personally, battling for a championship and to come up short a handful of times and then to finally win it in 2016, and then to go on and do it two more times has been pretty spectacular, especially when we’ve come from behind and won it on the very last day of the season. There’s just so many reasons to get excited for Pomona. It’s such a historic track, on top of it being the place where world championships are decided.

“It’s been a great season for our NAPA Auto Care team and the entire Ron Capps Motorsports organization as a whole. We started our Top Fuel program with Maddi and that’s been a tremendous success so far. She’s vying for Rookie of the Year, which is a goal we’ve had since the beginning of the season. Achieving that would be a huge accomplishment. We’re both in good spots heading into this weekend, with both teams having the opportunity to move up in the points. We’re not in the championship chase this year, but as any team will tell you, you still want to end your season on a great note, and there would be nothing better than closing out the year with one last 75th anniversary diamond Wally trophy. Guido’s (Dean Antonelli) got the eye of the tiger headed into Pomona.”

MADDI GORDON
Driver of the Carlyle Tools Top Fuel Dragster

Countdown to the Championship Ranking: 6th (-337)

Last Event (Las Vegas):
Qualified seventh; First round exit (defeated by Antron Brown in E1)

2026/Career Statistics:

  • 19 races: one win, two runner-up finishes
  • Career-best E.T.: 3.693 seconds (Las Vegas 2026)
  • Career-best speed: 340.82 mph (Las Vegas 2026)

Noteworthy:

  • The first-year Top Fuel driver will make one final push in her campaign for NHRA’s prestigious Rookie of the Year award, which will be announced Monday evening at the sport’s annual end-of-season banquet
  • Both Gordon’s Carlyle Tools Top Fuel dragster and Ron Capps’ NAPA Auto Care Funny Car will feature increased OKUMA branding in Pomona as the final leg of a six-race collaboration with the global leader in machine tool design and manufacturing
  • As a lifelong resident of Paso Robles in central Calif., Gordon considers In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip to be a home track

Fan Events:

  • Friday, 11:00 – 11:30 a.m., Ron Capps Motorsports driver autograph session, Carlyle Tools Outlaw trailer
  • Saturday, 9:30 – 10:00 a.m., Ron Capps Motorsports driver autograph session, Carlyle Tools Outlaw trailer

Quotable:
“It is pretty crazy to think we’re headed back to Pomona to compete in our final event of my rookie season. I have quite literally grown up at Pomona, watching my dad race his Alcohol Funny Car since I was eight days old. I raced Jr. Dragsters there, Alcohol Funny Car, and now Top Fuel dragster. There’s so much history for me at that track, and it’s beyond exciting to be able to close out my rookie season there. It’s incredible to look back at how far our team has come this year. We’ve all learned so much and grown as a team. I’m so impressed with what Rob (Flynn), Troy (Fasching), Chuck (Grospitch), and every one of our Carlyle Tools boys have built, and I couldn’t be prouder to go out there and race with this group every weekend. For Ron Capps Motorsports, it’s pretty awesome that we’ve been able to achieve so much in our first year together and it just makes us all extra pumped for next season knowing we’ve got a really solid foundation to build off of.

“We’re headed into the weekend tied for sixth place. We stayed behind in Vegas to test and we ended up making four hits. Rob was ecstatic with the results, so we’ve got a lot of confidence going into Pomona and we’re just going to take it one round at a time and try to collect some more win lights. After the Vegas race, I attended the SEMA show where we got to spend a lot of time with all our partners. Carlyle Tools had an amazing booth and we filmed some fun social content with them. They really knocked it out of the park with their demo stations. After the SEMA show, I actually headed back to the Vegas track with my family to race our family car. So, that’s how I spent my off weekend, back at the track, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. I had a few days at home after to regroup, and now I’m ready to hit the gas again in Pomona. I can’t wait for one more great outing with our team before we head into the off-season and get to work on our 2027 program.”