Ron Capps, Maddi Gordon Target NHRA U.S. Nationals Double For RCM

Ron Capps Motorsports has already proven it can put both of its nitro cars in the winner’s circle on the same weekend. Doing it again at the NHRA U.S. Nationals would take that accomplishment to an entirely different level.

Ron Capps and rookie Top Fuel driver Maddi Gordon will roll into Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park with matching Carlyle Tools black-and-venom-green machines and plenty to race for. Capps is only 12 points away from the Funny Car lead and will also compete in the Funny Car All-Star Callout, while Gordon arrives fifth in Top Fuel points following her second final-round appearance of the season at Brainerd.

Capps Is Right In The Middle Of The Funny Car Championship Fight

If you enjoy tight championship battles, Funny Car is the category to watch at the U.S. Nationals.

Capps enters Indy third in points, but he’s only 12 points behind leader Matt Hagan. Jordan Vandergriff and J.R. Todd are also part of a four-driver group separated by just 22 points. At a normal NHRA event, that would already make things interesting, Indy makes it even crazier.

The U.S. Nationals pays points-and-a-half, making each elimination-round victory worth 30 points. That means Capps enters the weekend less than a single round behind Hagan. Capps spent nine of the first 13 races sitting atop the Funny Car standings, powered by three victories in four final-round appearances. Now he has a chance to reclaim that position when it matters most and potentially leave Indianapolis as the regular-season champion.

“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.”

Capps Has Become An Indy Final-Round Regular

It took Capps more than two-and-a-half decades to finally win the U.S. Nationals. Once he figured it out, he couldn’t stop going to the final.

Capps earned his long-awaited first U.S. Nationals Funny Car victory in 2022, winning from the No. 1 qualifying position. He returned in 2023 and did exactly the same thing, qualifying on the pole and winning the race.

That second victory carried plenty of history with it. Capps raced a Hot Wheels Funny Car honoring his former team owner, Don “The Snake” Prudhomme. The victory came 50 years after Prudhomme won the 1973 U.S. Nationals Funny Car title.

Capps continued the Prudhomme theme in 2024 with a special Army tribute livery and reached the final round again. That appearance was the 150th final round of Capps’ career. Add his 2021 runner-up, and Capps enters 2026 seeking his fifth U.S. Nationals final-round appearance in the last six years.

The Funny Car All-Star Callout Adds Another Opportunity

Capps won’t have to wait until Monday eliminations to chase a major Indy trophy. The two-time U.S. Nationals winner will compete Sunday in the Funny Car All-Star Callout, a specialty event he won in 2022.

That gives Capps multiple opportunities to make some noise during an already important weekend. There’s the Callout trophy. There’s a potential third U.S. Nationals victory. There’s the Funny Car regular-season championship. And there’s an opportunity to collect his fourth special diamond Wally during NHRA’s 75th anniversary season.

Maddi Gordon Brings Brainerd Momentum To Indy

On the other side of the Ron Capps Motorsports pit, Gordon is putting together an impressive rookie Top Fuel campaign.

She enters Indianapolis fifth in the standings after qualifying second and advancing to the final round at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals. It was Gordon’s second final-round appearance through the first 13 races of her rookie season. She also reached the final at the Night Under Fire match race at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk last month.

Gordon has an opportunity to improve her championship position before the Countdown begins. She sits less than one competition round behind fourth-place Antron Brown, putting another position within reach during the points-and-a-half U.S. Nationals.

“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.”

Gordon Gets One More Shot At The #2Fast2Tasty Challenge

Before the main U.S. Nationals eliminations begin, Gordon will have another chance to collect hardware.

She’ll compete in Saturday’s final Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the 2026 season. The specialty race gives Gordon another opportunity to build momentum while earning valuable championship bonus points ahead of the Countdown.

For a rookie driver already sitting fifth in Top Fuel, every additional competitive pass matters. Indy also offers more qualifying runs than a typical national event, giving Gordon and her team opportunities to gather data before the biggest elimination day of the regular season.

It’s easy to forget just how much has changed for Ron Capps Motorsports in a relatively short period. The organization entered its fifth season by expanding into Top Fuel with Gordon. Thirteen races later, both cars are inside the top five in points, both have won races, and they have already shared a winner’s circle.

Capps is 12 points away from the Funny Car lead and chasing his third U.S. Nationals victory. Gordon is fifth in Top Fuel and coming off her second final round. Both will have opportunities to win specialty events before the main eliminations even begin.