Drag RacingNHRA Team News

Ron Capps Motorsports Pre-Race Report: Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals

scmotorsportsmedia ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals
Event 14 of 20
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park
Indianapolis
Sept. 4 – 7, 2026

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

Driver Information:

RON CAPPS
Driver of the Carlyle Tools Funny Car

NHRA U.S. Nationals Event Highlights:

  • Two-time event champion (2022, 2023)
  • Three-time runner-up (2017, 2021, 2024)
  • Two-time No. 1 qualifier (2022, 2023)

2025 NHRA U.S. Nationals Event Recap:
Qualified third; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Spencer Hyde in E1; defeated by Blake Alexander in E2)

Last Event (Brainerd):
Qualified 10th; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Cruz Pedregon in E1; defeated by Austin Prock in E2)

2026 Statistics:
13 races; three wins, one runner-up finish, two No. 1 qualifiers

Career Statistics:
681 races; 80 wins, 39 No. 1 qualifiers

Noteworthy:

  • Enters the weekend from the No. 3 position and within striking distance of reclaiming the No. 1 spot, a ranking he previously occupied through nine of the first 13 races thanks to his three wins in four final round appearances
    • Capps is 12 points (less than one 30-point round of competition) out of first
    • Including Capps, four drivers are within 22 points of clinching the regular season championship (Matt Hagan, Jordan Vandergriff, J.R. Todd)
  • Capps will match his Top Fuel teammate Maddi Gordon this weekend, as he’ll hit the track in a venom green Carlyle Tools scheme
  • In addition to pursuing his fourth 75th anniversary diamond Wally, the two-time U.S. Nationals champ will compete in the Funny Car All-Star Callout specialty race on Sunday, an event he won in 2022
  • Seeking his fifth U.S. Nationals final round appearance in six years after securing back-to-back wins from the pole in 2022 and ‘23, and a runner-up finish in 2021 and ‘24
    • Campaigned a special Don Prudhomme Army tribute livery in 2024 one year after winning the series’ flagship event in the Hot Wheels car, which also honored his former boss. Capps’ 2023 triumph in the ‘Snake’ Hot Wheels car came 50 years after Prudhomme won the 1973 NHRA U.S. Nationals in Funny Car
    • Capps’ 2022 triumph – his first at the Big Go – came after more than two-and-a-half decades of attempting to achieve a U.S. Nationals win
    • Capps’ 2024 final round outing in Indianapolis was the 150th of his career
  • The Ron Capps Motorsports team is headquartered in nearby Brownsburg

Fan Events:

  • Friday, 2:40 p.m., Capps and Gordon will join the Wes Buck Show, broadcasting live from the Nitro Alley stage
  • Friday, 5:00 – 5:30 p.m., Ron Capps Motorsports driver autograph session, Carlyle Tools Outlaw trailer
  • Saturday, 10:30 – 11:00 a.m., Ron Capps Motorsports driver autograph session, Carlyle Tools Outlaw trailer
  • Saturday, 11:30 a.m., Capps, Gordon, and Carlyle Tools’ Joe Sabo join Hannah Rickards for a Q&A on the Nitro Alley stage
  • Sunday, 9:30 – 10:00 a.m., Funny Car All-Star Callout driver autograph session, Mission Foods midway display
  • Sunday, 10:00 – 10:30 a.m., Ron Capps Motorsports driver autograph session, Carlyle Tools Outlaw trailer

Quotable:
“It’s incredible to think how far our Ron Capps Motorsports organization has come this year since adding the Top Fuel team. If you would’ve told me at the beginning of the season that we’d be rolling into the U.S. Nationals with the success we’ve had, I don’t know that I would’ve believed it. Obviously, three diamond Wally trophies with the Funny Car team, including our double-up with the Carlyle Tools Top Fuel team and the Night Under Fire win and runner-up, is beyond what I thought we’d accomplish by this point in the year.

“Leading the points for as many races as we did, and having the success is all great, but it doesn’t mean a whole lot when you’re rolling into Indy, especially with this being a points-and-a-half race. There will be huge fields this weekend, regular-season championships on the line, and we’re excited about it. We’ve got a great Funny Car and get to break out the Carlyle Tools paint scheme again. Nothing would be better than to park both Carlyle cars in the winner’s circle at the end of the weekend. It’s a tall order, of course, but we’ve done it before, and we’d love to do it again at the U.S. Nationals.”

MADDI GORDON
Driver of the Carlyle Tools Top Fuel Dragster

Last Event (Brainerd):
Qualified second; Event runner-up (defeated Scott Palmer in E1, Tony Stewart in E2, Leah Pruett in E3; defeated by Doug Kalitta in E4)

2026/Career Statistics:
13 races; one win, one runner-up finish

Noteworthy:

  • Begins the weekend carrying the momentum from a runner-up finish from the No. 2 qualifying position at the Brainerd event. It was Gordon’s second career final round through the first 13 races of her rookie season. Gordon also powered to a runner-up finish at the Norwalk Night Under Fire match race last month
  • The Rookie of the Year contender begins the weekend ranked fifth in the Top Fuel standings. She has the potential to move up one position to fourth, as she currently sits less than one competition round behind No. 4 ranked Antron Brown
  • Will compete in the final Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the year on Saturday
  • Gordon and teammate/team owner Ron Capps will sport matching Carlyle Tools liveries during the weekend as they seek to capture their second double-up as an organization
  • Won her first-ever NHRA Wally trophy at Indianapolis Raceway Park while competing in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the 2024 Cleetus and Cars regional event
  • The Ron Capps Motorsports team is headquartered in nearby Brownsburg

Fan Events:

  • Friday, 2:40 p.m., Gordon and Capps will join the Wes Buck Show, broadcasting live from the Nitro Alley stage
  • Friday, 5:00 – 5:30 p.m., Ron Capps Motorsports driver autograph session, Carlyle Tools Outlaw trailer
  • Saturday, 9:30 – 10:00 a.m., Mission #2Fast2Tasty driver autograph session, Mission Foods midway
  • Saturday, 10:30 – 11:00 a.m., Ron Capps Motorsports driver autograph session, Carlyle Tools Outlaw trailer
  • Saturday, 11:30 a.m., Capps, Gordon, and Carlyle Tools’ Joe Sabo join Hannah Rickards for a Q&A on the Nitro Alley stage
  • Sunday, 10:00 – 10:30 a.m., Ron Capps Motorsports driver autograph session, Carlyle Tools Outlaw trailer

Quotable:
“We have an action-packed weekend coming up. It’s Indy, the Big Go, the U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend. It’s actually pretty crazy to think we’re already at this point in the season, because it doesn’t feel like that long ago that we were on our way to Florida for our first race of the year in Gainesville. I’m excited because we’re racing in Brownsburg this weekend, home of Ron Capps Motorsports and home to all of our team members. I know how special home races are, and it makes me so happy that the guys will have their family and friends out there showing support this weekend. It’s also the last regular-season race of the year, with points-and-a-half, and the final time we’ll see a Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in 2026. We’re pumped up to be part of that.

“I’m very excited about the fact that our entire Ron Capps Motorsports team will all be decked out in Carlyle Tools’ black and venom green all weekend. It’s a four-day race, tons of exposure, lots of fans, so we want to make sure we show up and show out for them.

“I’ve raced at Indy a couple of times, and I can tell you, Indy is magical, it is special, it’s different. The feeling is different, the fans are amazing, and I can’t wait for Q1 with all the fans under the lights; it’s going to be awesome. But that being said, the race car knows no different. The race car doesn’t know it’s Indy, the race car doesn’t know it’s the biggest race of the year, so for us as a team, we’re focused on doing what we’ve done all year long, and that’s stay grounded, stay focused, keep our heads down, work on the task at hand and take it one round at a time on race day.”