Monster Energy will support Gordon’s rookie Top Fuel campaign as Ron Capps Motorsports expands to a two-car program for the 2026 NHRA season

GAINESVILLE, FL – Monster Energy has joined NHRA Rookie of the Year candidate Maddi Gordon and the championship-winning Ron Capps Motorsports team in a multi-year partnership beginning with the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. Announced today at Gainesville Raceway ahead of qualifying for the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals, the partnership will see Monster Energy support Gordon’s rookie campaign competing in the sport’s premier Top Fuel class as a major associate-level partner.

“This is a huge weekend for us,” said RCM team owner and NAPA Auto Care Funny Car driver Ron Capps. “We’re debuting as a two-car team with Carlyle Tools, it’s Maddi’s first-ever Top Fuel race, the start of NHRA’s 75th anniversary season, and now the cherry on top – we get to announce a partnership with Monster Energy. It’s a brand that carries a lot of weight and has always backed some of the coolest, most extreme athletes in the world, and there’s not much more extreme than what we do, driving these nitromethane-burning beasts at 330 miles per hour. It’s an incredible brand to be aligned with, and I’m beyond proud that Ron Capps Motorsports gets to make this announcement today.” Continue reading →

Gainesville, FL – Maddi Gordon will make her professional debut aboard the Carlyle Tools Top Fuel dragster at the NHRA Gatornationals.  This marks the third-generation racer’s first time competing at Gainesville Raceway.

Maddi talks about Gainesville and the thrill of driving a top fuel car. “Getting back in my Carlyle Tools Top Fuel dragster yesterday after that first week of testing felt really good. I’m feeling more and more comfortable in the car each time I strap in, and every pass I make down the track, I learn something new and take something back with me.

The last test session was all about getting comfortable, doing my procedures, and overall, just getting acclimated and used to driving a Top Fuel car. This week, I’m more focused on cutting lights. I was .81 yesterday the first time I tried to cut a light, and I was happy with that. Obviously, I’m going to be working to improve but felt for my first time, that was pretty solid. The second pass I was late, and I knew it, and then on the third pass, I ran an .85. Continue reading →

BROWNSBURG, IN – Ron Capps Motorsports is proud to announce its partnership with Women in Motorsports North America (WIMNA), a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing opportunities for women across all sectors of the motorsports industry.

As part of the collaboration, the WIMNA logo will appear on the Carlyle Tools Top Fuel dragster driven by Rookie of the Year contender Maddi Gordon and on team owner Ron Capps’ NAPA Auto Care Funny Car throughout the 20-race 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. The partnership also includes coordinated social support and shared exposure opportunities designed to increase visibility for women competing and working in the auto racing industry.

“I’ve always taken pride in being able to both drive and work on a car,” said Gordon, who became the 100th woman to win an NHRA national event in 2024 during her first season competing in the Top Alcohol Funny Car class. “To represent Women in Motorsports North America is really cool and I feel honored that they have taken an interest in supporting me during my rookie year. I know firsthand that there are many ways to succeed out here. Whether it’s driving, fabricating, working on a crew, handling publicity, or supporting sponsors, there’s space for women at every level.” Continue reading →

GAINESVILLE, FL – After making her first-ever runs in a 12,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster last week during the PRO preseason test session at Gainesville Raceway, rookie driver Maddi Gordon has officially completed her Top Fuel licensing process, clearing the way for her professional NHRA debut with Ron Capps Motorsports at the upcoming 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season opener.

The third-generation racer and former Top Alcohol Funny Car standout completed the licensing process while gaining valuable on-track experience aboard a 330-mph, nitromethane-burning machine. With four days of testing behind her, Gordon shared her thoughts on the transition to the sport’s quickest class and what she’s learned so far as her Rookie of the Year campaign begins aboard the Carlyle Tools Top Fuel dragster next weekend at the NHRA Gatornationals. The team is led by crew chiefs Rob Flynn and Troy Fasching, with Chuck Grospitch serving as car chief.

Congratulations on earning your Top Fuel license. Who signed off on it?
Maddi Gordon: Thank you, No. 100 TF! Brittany Force, Clay Millican, Shawn Langdon, and of course Ron Capps. Shawn was up there every single run, giving me advice so that was really cool. On our final licensing pass, we ran a 3.834 at 318.09; that was my first time going over 300 miles per hour. Continue reading →

BROWNSBURG, IN – NHRA team owner/driver Ron Capps is pleased to announce the addition of crew chief Rob Flynn to his expanding Ron Capps Motorsports organization. Flynn has been named lead tuner of the Carlyle Tools Top Fuel dragster, which will be driven by Maddi Gordon in 2026 when she embarks on her rookie season competing in NHRA’s professional ranks.

In April, Capps revealed he had plans to expand his single-car operation to a two-car team and had selected Gordon, a second-year, third-generation Top Alcohol Funny Car pilot, as the driver of his team’s first Top Fuel entry. At the SEMA show earlier this month, Capps and Gordon broke the news that Carlyle Tools had signed on to back the future Rookie of the Year candidate as the team’s primary partner.

“It really feels like everything is starting to come together now,” said Capps, who just wrapped his fourth year as an NHRA team owner. “We have the driver, we recently announced the sponsor, we’ve started acquiring assets, and now with the addition of Rob, it feels like we’ve got all the major items in place and can start to fill in the blanks and really proceed full speed ahead with our 2026 plans. Continue reading →

LAS VEGAS – Carlyle Tools, the private label hand tool brand of longtime Ron Capps Motorsports (RCM) partner NAPA Auto Parts, will back NHRA drag racer Maddi Gordon as she embarks on her rookie season competing in the sport’s professional Top Fuel ranks, it was announced today at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas.

In April, fourth-year NHRA team owner/driver Ron Capps confirmed that he would expand his single-car operation into a two-car team in 2026 and had selected Gordon as the driver of his organization’s first Top Fuel entry. Capps, a three-time Funny Car world champion and 31-year veteran of the sport, has enjoyed a nearly 19-year partnership with NAPA Auto Parts. On Tuesday at the SEMA show, Gordon revealed the black-and-venom-green Carlyle Tools Top Fuel dragster that she will pilot at all 20 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series events in 2026, starting with the series’ season-opener in March.

“This is definitely a pinch-me moment,” said Gordon, a third generation drag racer who grew up traveling the NHRA tour with her family’s Top Alcohol Funny Car operation and became the 100th woman in NHRA history to win a national event when she scored her first victory aboard the family entry in 2024. Continue reading →