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Ron Capps Motorsports Post-Race Recap: Maryland

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NHRA Potomac Nationals
Event 7 of 20
Maryland International Raceway
Mechanicsville, Md.
May 29 – 31, 2026

Ron Capps Strengthens Funny Car Points Lead with Semifinal Finish at NHRA Potomac Nationals

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

MECHANICSVILLE, Md. (May 31, 2026) – Three-time NHRA Funny Car world champion Ron Capps entered the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals tied for the points lead with J.R. Todd after capturing two wins in three final rounds in the first six races of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. By reaching the semifinal round Sunday at Maryland International Raceway, Capps became the sole points leader in his NAPA Auto Care Funny Car at the first of three back-to-back-to-back races.

Qualifying was a learning experience for Capps and his team led by crew chief Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli as they developed data and a tune-up for the historic track, which is one of four new tracks on the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Series schedule. Capps lost traction on his first qualifying pass, but rebounded with a 4.050-second pass in the second session to move up a spot to No. 11. On Saturday, Capps spun the tires down-track in the third session before throwing down a 4.024 E.T. at 321.65 mph in the final session to gain another spot on the qualifying order.

Racing out of the No. 10 slot on the ladder, Capps squared off against Alexis DeJoria in round one of eliminations on Sunday. He led the race from start to finish, winning with a weekend-best 4.001 E.T. at 321.12 mph to DeJoria’s 4.009 E.T. Capps and second-round opponent Cruz Pedregon left the starting line together and they both encountered issues, but Capps fought his way to a 4.255-second pass to hold off Pedregon. In the semifinals, Capps powered to his second-quickest run of the event, a 4.014 E.T. at 320.28 mph, but he came up a bit short to defending world champion Austin Prock and his 3.998 E.T.

“This was one of those weekends we talk about throughout championships that are just gut-check weekends,” said Capps, who earned a spot in the next Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge with his semifinal finish. “We didn’t start qualifying very well. I felt like I drove terribly on Friday and let the car get out of the groove a little bit, and I think that would have given us a pretty good qualifying spot. Ultimately, we didn’t have lane choice. We qualified in the bottom half of the field, but our NAPA Auto Care team just kept plugging away and Guido kept working at it.

“This track was so much fun with all these fans,” added Capps, a two-time No. 1 qualifier this season. “We had a lot of fans that used to come to Maple Grove or Richmond or Englishtown, so they were very thankful we’re here. I can’t wait to come back. With that being said, there’s just a lot of character at this racetrack. It’s very demanding as a driver. You’ve got to really be on your game, and I think Guido and the guys did a fantastic job.”

The pursuit of a fourth world championship for Capps and his Ron Capps Motorsports team will continue in just a few days at the NHRA New England Nationals, June 5-7, at New England Dragway in Epping, N.H.  

Qualified: No. 10 (4.024 E.T. at 321.65 MPH)

Elimination Round Results:
E1: 4.001 E.T. at 321.12 MPH defeated Alexis DeJoria 4.009 E.T. at 326.56 MPH
E2: 4.255 E.T. at 263.05 MPH defeated Cruz Pedregon 4.939 E.T. at 263.05 MPH
E3: 4.014 E.T. at 320.28 MPH defeated by Austin Prock 3.998 E.T. at 323.12 MPH

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car Point Standings (Unofficial):

1Ron Capps540
2J.R. Todd524
3Chad Green500
4Jordan Vandergriff495
5Matt Hagan493
6Alexis DeJoria427
7Jack Beckman412
8Spencer Hyde370
9Austin Prock323
10Dan Wilkerson264

Maddi Gordon Shows Consistency at Inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals

Maddi Gordon continued to gain experience at the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals, where she lost a close opening-round race Sunday morning at Maryland International Raceway. The NHRA Rookie of the Year contender made a string of consistent passes across qualifying and eliminations, giving her confidence in her Rob Flynn and Troy Fasching-tuned Carlyle Tools Top Fuel dragster as the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series kicked off a stretch of three consecutive races. Gordon held on to her No. 6 position in the Top Fuel points standings.

In the opening qualifying session, Gordon powered to a 3.840-second pass at 330.39 mph to streak to the provisional No. 2 spot, earning two championship bonus points in the process. She improved to a 3.805 E.T. at 332.34 mph in the second session to sit fifth going into Saturday. A consistent 3.808-second pass followed in the third session on Saturday. That performance came with another bonus point, as it was the third-quickest pass of the session. Gordon’s only instance of tire smoke all weekend struck in the final qualifying session, and she ended up No. 6 on the final qualifying order.

Gordon rolled into Sunday eliminations facing No. 11 qualifier Will Smith. The two drivers ran nearly identical passes, with Gordon matching her qualifying performance with a 3.805 E.T. at 330.07 mph, but Smith moved first and won with a 3.802 E.T.

“Qualifying went really well, and I really felt confident going into race day today,” Gordon said. “We’re making runs up and down the racetrack in our Carlyle Tools dragster, getting me more experience in the car. We were trying to run a mid-3.70. I technically didn’t lose on a holeshot, but it feels like I did because I just didn’t have a good light. I missed the tree and I’m pretty bummed about that, but we win and we lose as a team. Like Chuck (Grospitch), our car chief said, the windshield is a lot bigger than the rearview mirror for a reason, so we’ll just look forward and do better at the next one.”

Before she moves on to the next stop on the NHRA Mission Foods Series schedule, Gordon will head to the High Performance Expo (HPX) in Charlotte, where she’ll appear as a featured speaker. Gordon’s rookie season will then continue at the NHRA New England Nationals, June 5-7, at New England Dragway in Epping, N.H.  

Qualified: No. 6 (3.805 E.T. at 332.34 MPH)

Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.805 E.T. at 330.07 MPH defeated by Will Smith 3.802 E.T. at 327.03 MPH

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel Point Standings (Unofficial):

1Shawn Langdon722
2Doug Kalitta646
3Leah Pruett506
4Tony Stewart424
5Josh Hart409
6Maddi Gordon395
7Justin Ashley364
8Billy Torrence356
9Antron Brown345
10Clay Millican294