Wed, 04 Mar 2026, 12:11 PM Ron Capps Motorsports Preview

Courtesy of Allison McCormick, ABM Communications

AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
Event 1 of 20
Gainesville Raceway
Gainesville, Fla.
March 6-8, 2026

Noteworthy:
Ron Capps Motorsports will debut as a two-car team for the first time with former Top Alcohol Funny Car standout Maddi Gordon piloting the Carlyle Tools Top Fuel dragster

RON CAPPS
Driver of the NAPA Auto Care Funny Car

NHRA Gatornationals Event Highlights:
• Four-time event winner (2006, 2007, 2015, 2020)
• Three-time runner-up (2000, 2016, 2025)
• Two-time No. 1 qualifier (2021, 2023)

2025 NHRA Gatornationals Recap:
Qualified third; Event runner-up (defeated John Smith in E1, Bobby Bode in E2, Alexis DeJoria in E3; defeated by Chad Green in E4)

Career Statistics:
668 races; 77 wins, 37 No. 1 qualifiers

Noteworthy:
• 2026 marks Capps' fifth year as an NHRA team owner (and 32nd season competing in the nitro ranks). Capps is seeking his second Funny Car title as an owner and fourth overall after winning the 2022 championship during Ron Capps Motorsports' rookie season
• Looking to tie former boss Don Prudhomme's five Gainesville Funny Car wins, which would make him tied for the second-winningest Funny Car driver in the track's history
• Returns as the event runner-up after powering to his first of five final round appearances in 2025

Quotable:
"On a scale of one to 10, pretty much everything around us seems like it's been at an 11. And usually, I love 11, but you go into the offseason and with everything we had to do as an organization with adding the Carlyle Tools Top Fuel team and putting that group of guys together in such a short amount of time, it's just been hectic, but its finally here and we're excited to run as a two-car team.

"It's the NHRA's 75th anniversary and we're leading it off with the Gatornationals, an event that has so much history. We tested here last month and again yesterday, and it's been great. We got Maddi her license in the Carlyle Tools Top Fuel dragster, and Guido (crew chief Dean Antonelli) and our NAPA Auto Care team had a great test as well. Conditions look like they're going to be typical for Gainesville this weekend - warm and tricky, and this is one of those race tracks where teamwork is so important. We're going to have a good weekend, I can feel it. We have a lot of support coming in with the Carlyle and NAPA folks, and it's going to be a lot of fun."

MADDI GORDON
Driver of the Carlyle Tools Top Fuel Dragster

Noteworthy:
• Making her professional debut aboard the Carlyle Tools Top Fuel dragster
• The Gatornationals marks the third-generation racer's first time competing at Gainesville Raceway

Fan Events:
• Wednesday, 7 p.m., Fanfest at Burnyzz Speed Shop (1 Aspen Rd., Ocala) driver autograph session
• Saturday, 9 a.m., Q&A with Hannah Rickards, Nitro Alley Stage

Quotable:
"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.

"It's going to be so cool rolling into the track on Friday morning when the pits are fully set up and seeing the RCM hospitality tent and the whole RCM empire; it's just going to be very surreal. I've driven through the pro pits my whole life and have always admired how professional it looks, and to now be able to have my name on one of those banners and my face on one of those trailers is so cool. There's just so many things that are going to be a totally new experience for me this weekend. For example, I've never done driver intros, I've never raced E1 on a Sunday morning, so, it's hard to pinpoint what all I'm looking forward to the most.

"This weekend is all about racing our own race. We're not out there running in the 60s yet. I have no doubt we'll get there, but right now we've got so many new parts and pieces that we're focused on making full runs and getting down the track, getting me more comfortable in the car, getting our guys used to the routine, and gathering data. We're going to do the best that we can and I've got all the confidence that we'll be competing with the best of them on Sunday."