Ron Capps Motorsports Post-Race Recap

NHRA Brainerd Nationals
Event 13 of 20
Brainerd International Raceway
Brainerd, Minn.
Aug. 21 – 23, 2026

Maddi Gordon Charges to Second Career Final Round at NHRA Brainerd Nationals

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

BRAINERD, Minn. (Aug. 23, 2026) – NHRA Rookie of the Year contender Maddi Gordon raced to her second career Top Fuel final round Sunday afternoon at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, losing a close race to two-time and reigning world champion Doug Kalitta. Gordon and her Carlyle Tools team put together one of their best weekend-long performances of the season, as Gordon earned a slew of bonus points in qualifying, set a new career-best E.T., and left the starting line first in all four Sunday matchups. It’s all coming together at just the right time for Gordon and the upstart Ron Capps Motorsports Top Fuel program, as just one race remains before the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs begin. Gordon now sits fifth in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel points standings.

Gordon, who raced to victory in her first career final round to double-up with team owner Ron Capps earlier this summer, made her match race debut between the Seattle and Brainerd races. She won the Top Fuel shootout at Summit Motorsports Park’s 49th annual Night Under Fire in early August. That sent her to the ‘King of Nitro’ final round, where she powered to a runner-up finish to Capps in his NAPA Auto Care Funny Car.

Gordon’s Night Under Fire momentum carried into Brainerd, as her Carlyle Tools dragster was on rails throughout qualifying. Crew chiefs Rob Flynn and Troy Fasching established a baseline with a 3.80-second pass at 327.98 mph in the first session to put Gordon fourth. She stepped up to a 3.725 E.T. at 336.15 mph in the second session to move up to second, earning two bonus points in the process. On Saturday, Gordon dipped into the 3.60-second zone for the first time in her career, running a 3.695 E.T. at 336.99 mph. It was the second-quickest pass of the session, giving Gordon another two bonus points, and kept her in the No. 2 spot. In the final qualifying round, Gordon recorded the second-quickest numbers of the session once again, a 3.731-second pass at 330.80 mph. She wrapped up qualifying with six bonus points and the No. 2 position on the ladder.

Gordon went into race day as the second-most-picked driver to win the race by Drag Race Bracket Bonanza players. In a first-round matchup against veteran driver Scott Palmer, the third-generation racer took the starting line advantage and powered to a 3.752 E.T. at 336.32 mph to defeat Palmer. Gordon moved on to face 2025 regular season champion Tony Stewart for the sixth time this season. Gordon moved first and extended her winning record over Stewart to 4 – 2 using a 3.740 E.T. at 330.72 mph to Stewart’s 3.751 E.T. With that pass, Gordon set low E.T. of the round and moved around Stewart in points back into the top five. She also secured her spot in the final Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the season. With lane choice over Leah Pruett in the semifinals, Gordon left the starting line first once again and held the lead through the finish line, posting a 3.770 E.T. at 329.91 mph to narrowly defeat Pruett and her 3.776 E.T.

Appearing in her second career Top Fuel final round, Gordon led two-time and defending world champion Doug Kalitta off the starting line, but her 3.770-second pass wasn’t enough to reach the finish line first, and Kalitta won with a 3.743 E.T.

“We were just a tick behind Doug over the weekend, but for a brand-new team to be just a tick behind Doug Kalitta all weekend, that’s a super-big accomplishment,” said Gordon, who earned her Top Alcohol Funny Car license at BIR in 2023. “Behind the scenes, we’re trying a lot of different things, getting prepared for the Countdown, and it’s showing really good results.

“What’s so cool for me as a new driver is knowing I have such a proven team behind me,” Gordon added. “I read this quote earlier – ‘May your dreams stay big and your worries stay small’ – and I’m dreaming big. I go into every event dreaming, ‘I hope I can win this race,’ and my worries are so small because I have Rob and Troy and all of our guys in my corner. Every single time I get in the race car, I have confidence that it’s going to go down the racetrack. We have a shot to win whatever race it is, and our car’s going to be put together 10 out of 10 every single time. It’s just such a comforting feeling to have leaving Brainerd, going into Indy, and then going into the Countdown.”

Gordon will continue her whirlwind rookie season at the biggest race of the year, the NHRA U.S. Nationals, Sept. 4-7, at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Qualified: No. 2 (3.695 E.T. at 336.99 MPH)

Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.752 E.T. at 336.32 MPH defeated Scott Palmer 4.363 E.T. at 196.93 MPH
E2: 3.740 E.T. at 330.72 MPH defeated Tony Stewart 3.751 E.T. at 338.85 MPH
E3: 3.770 E.T. at 329.91 MPH defeated Leah Pruett 3.776 E.T. at 325.14 MPH
E4: 3.770 E.T. at 328.78 MPH defeated by Doug Kalitta 3.743 E.T. at 333.74 MPH

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

1	Doug Kalitta	1232
2	Shawn Langdon	1165
3	Leah Pruett	974
4	Antron Brown	808
5	Maddi Gordon	804
6	Tony Stewart	753
7	Josh Hart	705
8	Billy Torrence	655
9	Justin Ashley	609
10	Clay Millican	540

Ron Capps Reaches Quarterfinals at Brainerd, Turns Focus to Indy

Ron Capps and the NAPA Auto Care Funny Car team advanced to the quarterfinals Sunday at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, closing a challenging weekend at the Minnesota facility where Capps holds seven wins. After holding the Funny Car points lead following nine of the season’s first 12 races, the three-time world champion leaves Brainerd ranked third and firmly in contention for the regular season championship heading into the points-and-a-half NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

Capps, who NHRA recognized as one of its Top 75 Drivers this weekend as part of its 75th anniversary celebration season, went into the Brainerd Nationals with momentum after recording mid-3.80-second passes on his way to the first-ever ‘King of Nitro’ victory at Summit Motorsports Park’s 49th annual Night Under Fire earlier this month. He defeated teammate Maddi Gordon in a rare Top Fuel vs. Funny Car final round.

Qualifying at Brainerd was a challenge for Capps, who shut off near halftrack on his first qualifying attempt and ended up No. 10 going into the second session. Crew chief Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli went back to the drawing board and guided Capps to a 3.930-second pass at 322.27 mph to move the NAPA Auto Care Funny Car up to the provisional No. 5 spot. The struggles continued on Saturday, as Capps experienced traction issues in both qualifying sessions and returned to the No. 10 position for Sunday eliminations.

Two of the most experienced drivers in Funny Car met up in the opening round of eliminations when Capps paired up with fellow multi-time world champion Cruz Pedregon. Capps scored a starting line advantage and led the race from start to finish, using a 3.934-second pass at 325.14 mph to hold off Pedregon’s quicker 3.919 E.T. Another marquee matchup followed in the second round, as two-time and reigning world champion Austin Prock sat in the other lane. Capps dropped a cylinder out of the gate, which pushed him toward the center line as he went down the track. Though Capps reached the finish line ahead of Prock, he clipped the finish line timing system blocks, automatically disqualifying him.

“Brainerd is a pivotal race,” said Capps, the winningest active driver at BIR. “The U.S. Nationals is looming, everybody is shooting for the regular season championship, and on top of that, you’re getting ready for the playoffs. I’m sick to my stomach. These nitro Funny Cars are so hard to drive. You don’t have a second chance to think about it. Things happen so fast. I knew the centerline was getting close. I didn’t want to make a big move of the wheel and upset the chassis. I didn’t know where (Prock) was at – he could’ve been next to me. Everything is hindsight. I’m just gutted right now. As a seasoned driver, I feel like I let a lot of people down. But the good news is Guido and the guys gave us a great race car that we can take to Indy, which is worth points-and-a-half.”

Throughout the weekend, Capps sported increased OKUMA branding as part of a six-race collaboration with the global leader in machine tool design and manufacturing. The Ron Capps Motorsports team also welcomed new partners Core Scientific and USA Compression at Brainerd.

Capps and the NAPA Auto Care Funny Car team will close out the NHRA regular season at the prestigious NHRA U.S. Nationals, Sept. 4-7, at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Capps is a two-time event winner with four final-round appearances in the last five editions of the race known as the Big Go.

Qualified: No. 10 (3.930 E.T. at 322.27 MPH)

Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.934 E.T. at 325.14 MPH defeated Cruz Pedregon 3.919 E.T. at 319.98 MPH
E2: Foul, hit a timing block, defeated by Austin Prock

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

1	Matt Hagan	938
2	Jordan Vandergriff	931
3	Ron Capps	926
4	J.R. Todd	916
5	Jack Beckman	864
6	Austin Prock	771
7	Chad Green	755
8	Alexis DeJoria	737
9	Dan Wilkerson	615
10	Spencer Hyde	610