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Ron Capps Motorsports Pre-Race Report: Rockingham

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NHRA Nationals at The Rock
Event 16 of 20
Countdown Event 2 of 6
Rockingham Dragway
Rockingham, N.C.
Sept. 25 – 27, 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: 4th (-63 points)

Last Event (Michigan):
Qualified seventh; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Chad Green in E1; defeated by Jack Beckman in E2)

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

Career Statistics:

  • 683 races: 80 wins, 40 No. 1 qualifiers
  • Career-best E.T.: 3.821 seconds (Pomona 2, 2024)
  • Career-best speed: 339.37 mph (Martin, Mich. 2026)

Noteworthy:

  • The three-time Funny Car world champ begins the inaugural event ranked fourth in the NHRA Mission Food Series standings and will be looking to close the gap on the 63-point deficit separating him from the No. 1 ranked driver
  • Enters the weekend after having clocked a new career-best speed of 339.37 mph during last weekend’s Martin, Mich. event, the first of three consecutive races that kick off the six-race 2026 Countdown to the Championship playoffs
  • Capps will feature SKF branding on his car throughout the weekend as part of a NAPA supplier partnership. Since 1907, SKF has been developing innovative bearings, seals, lubrication systems, condition monitoring solutions, and services designed to reduce friction. 

Fan Events:

  • Thursday, 6:30 – 7:15 p.m., NHRA NitroFest driver autograph session, Harrington Square, downtown Rockingham
  • Friday, 12:00 – 12:30 p.m., Ron Capps Motorsports driver autograph session, Carlyle Tools Outlaw trailer
  • Saturday, 10:00 – 10:30 a.m., Ron Capps Motorsports driver autograph session, Carlyle Tools Outlaw trailer

Quotable
“It’s funny how time flies and if you paid attention to any of the talk with the drivers and the teams whenever we spoke about the NHRA playoffs, we all discussed how quickly things can happen with a three-in-a-row to start the Countdown to the Championship. We saw everything thrown at us at our first race in Michigan, but low and behold, here we are coming up on the second of three. We’re headed out to Rockingham, North Carolina, which has a great amount of NHRA history, as well as history for me, personally. The first time I drove there was during my rookie year with Don Prudhomme. It’s such an iconic race, and it kind of feels like everything’s coming full circle. The weather is going to be great this weekend, and obviously no one’s been on that track in quite some time in a nitro car.

“We didn’t start things off quite like we had hoped last weekend, so we’re looking forward to getting back on track to where both teams had been all season long. We’ve got a lot of things happening around us, which keeps us busy in our Ron Capps Motorsports pit area. We’ve got a couple of brand-new partners joining us for the weekend with NAPA Auto Parts, and some great store owners who will bring customers to spend the weekend with us. It usually bodes well for our teams when we’re able to show off in front of our NAPA and Carlyle partners.”

MADDI GORDON
Driver of the Carlyle Tools Top Fuel Dragster

Countdown to the Championship Ranking: 8th (-143 points)

Last Event (Michigan):
Qualified No. 13; First round exit (defeated by Shawn Langdon in E1)

2026/Career Statistics:

  • 15 races: one win, one runner-up finish
  • Career-best E.T.: 3.695 seconds (Brainerd 2026)
  • Career-best speed: 340.22 mph (Valdosta 2026)

Noteworthy:

  • The Rookie of the Year contender will begin the second event of the 2026 Countdown to the Championship from the eighth position on the Top Fuel leaderboard. She is within two competition rounds of the Top 5.

Fan Events:

  • Thursday, 6:30 – 7:15 p.m., NHRA NitroFest driver autograph session, Harrington Square, downtown Rockingham
  • Friday, 12:00 – 12:30 p.m., Ron Capps Motorsports driver autograph session, Carlyle Tools Outlaw trailer
  • Saturday, 10:00 – 10:30 a.m., Ron Capps Motorsports driver autograph session, Carlyle Tools Outlaw trailer

Quotable:
“After a weekend like Martin where we didn’t qualify as well as we had wanted and went out first round, I’m so glad we’re able to quickly put that race behind us and go straight into Rockingham this weekend. Hopefully, two days from now, it’ll be like Martin never even happened and we can start with a clean slate. I’ve been in Indy since we left Michigan, spending time at the shop and signing our new diecast cars, which I’m really excited about.

“I actually got to go to Rockingham earlier this year for a media tour, and let me tell you, on Saturday, when the dragsters run first, I’ll be hustling to the grandstands right after because they have the coolest stands right next to the race track. I will be there to watch race cars go down the race track, I can promise you that!

“We’re going to take the data from last weekend – the ‘dos and the do-not dos,’ and transfer it to this weekend, and hopefully, we’ll be further ahead. I go into every race with confidence feeling like we have a shot to win because our Carlyle Tools team truly is amazing, we just missed it last weekend. We’re going to go out there this weekend and do what we’ve been doing, which is to put our heads down and go to work.”