GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — It’s an hour after Maddi Gordon lost in the semifinals of the NHRA season opener, and fans are packed five or six deep at her hauler. They’re holding T-shirts, promotional cards and scraps of paper. They have cellphones at the ready and don’t seem to care that dark clouds are rolling in.
Rain and lightning are on the way. So is Maddi Gordon, and she’s even more electric and seemingly worth the risk.
The 21-year-old Top Fuel rookie delighted crowds and dazzled colleagues at the Gatornationals, becoming a fan favorite after just a few passes in the Florida sun. Her passion and excitement shined in the garage, in the cockpit and in interviews. And it was more than youthful exuberance.
It felt like hope.
Gordon could be the jolt the series needs as it tries to replace 16-time Funny Car champion John Force as the face of drag racing. Force formally retired in November, nearly 18 months after sustaining a traumatic brain injury in a terrifying crash in Richmond, Virginia. Force hasn’t raced since, and his youngest daughter also stepped away after last season to start a family.
The opener in Gainesville marked the first NHRA season without a Force on the entry list since 1976 — a nearly 50-year run in which Force, along with his racing daughters, rose to prominence and welcomed the spotlight.
Three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart and wife Leah Pruett are racing in the same class as Gordon and provide a season-long storyline. Stewart and Pruett are arguably the most popular drivers in the garage, but they also are seasoned vets focused on their own family and other ventures.
Gordon, meanwhile, is a third generation drag racer who has spent the better part of her life working on dragsters and trying to find ways to go faster.
And she seems poised to take center stage.
“It really is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Gordon told The Associated Press. “I say it changed my life, but it really, really did. Everything in my life is different — except for where I live and my family — and I’m just enjoying the heck out of it.”
Gordon’s first two Top Fuel races were epic
Gordon’s high-octane, postrace interviews turned heads during qualifying. But what she did in eliminations really grabbed everyone’s attention.
She upset second-seeded and 2013 Top Fuel champion Shawn Langdon in the opening round and then stunned eight-time champ Tony Schumacher, the No. 7 seed, in the next.
Suddenly, the No. 15 qualifier was in the semifinals — and just about everyone was rooting for her. Pruett gave her a shoutout on TV, and Stewart and others stopped by her dragster for words of encouragement.
Gordon responded to all the adulation by taking a victory lap of sorts when she rode a golf cart past the grandstands after the first victory.
“I have never, ever, ever seen a crowd like that,” she said. “They were standing up, clapping, cheering, and I was just so amazed. It was more than I could ever have imagined. We were really, really happy with the results.”
She has a chance for an encore at the Arizona Nationals beginning Friday. No one would be surprised to see the Californian accomplish more.
Gordon won seven division championships driving a junior dragster. She earned her Top Alcohol Funny Car license at age 19 and spent the last two years driving her family’s entry in a Top Alcohol Funny Car.
Her father, Doug, is a three-time champion in the division. Her grandfather, Mike, raced for seven years. And her sister, Macie, competes in Super Comp and Top Dragster.
Ron Capps followed Maddi Gordon’s career for years
Car owner Ron Capps has known the Gordon family for decades but seeing the sisters doing most of the pit-crew work on Doug’s dragster in 2020 caught his eye.
“Doug went out and won the whole race, and these two girls were working on the car,” Capps recalled. “One on the engine, the other on the clutch. That was just so cool to watch. So I’ve kept my eye on Maddi ever since.”
And when Capps started making plans to add a second car at Ron Capps Motorsports, Maddi Gordon was the first — and only — choice. He asked Doug’s permission, and Maddi got the news while riding motorcycles with her family.
“You guys told me this while I’m riding a motorcycle?” she quipped. “I’m going to wreck this thing before I get to live this experience.”
Capps, a three-time champion in the Funny Car class, used his longstanding ties with Napa to land Carlyle Tools as Gordon’s primary sponsor. Monster Energy has since jumped aboard, believing Gordon might be the next big thing in motorsports.
“I told everybody who would listen: ‘You’re going to find out what I already know pretty soon,’” Capps said. “She’s done everything right. I haven’t had to say anything more than once as far as advice in the car. And she went out and was perfect.”
Not quite. Gordon lost to defending Top Fuel champion Doug Kalitta in the semifinals. She handled the loss gracefully — another display of her plus personality that drew comparisons to Force’s magnetism.
She eventually emerged from a lengthy debrief with her team to find dozens of fans waiting for her in the rain. Capps even brought over some of his diecast cars for Gordon to sign for the throng. Much like she did on the track, she didn’t disappoint.
From there, she went back to the starting line to watch the finals — where she expects to be soon.
“That’s my favorite place on Earth,” she said. “I just love the racetrack. I love working on cars. I love being around cars. I love being a fan. I just love the racetrack. I would seriously have to try to not be enthusiastic at the track.
“I watch people do interviews after they get out of the car, and they’re all chill and calm, and I’m like, ‘Man, I don’t know how they do that.’ I could never.”
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
