Gordon Charges to Second Career Final Round at NHRA Brainerd Nationals

NHRA Rookie of the Year contender Maddi Gordon raced to her second career Top Fuel final round Sunday afternoon at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, losing a close race to two-time and reigning world champion Doug Kalitta. Gordon and her Carlyle Tools team put together one of their best weekend-long performances of the season, as Gordon earned a slew of championship bonus points in qualifying, set a new career-best E.T., and left the starting line first in all four Sunday matchups. It’s all coming together at just the right time for Gordon and the upstart Ron Capps Motorsports Top Fuel program, as just one race remains before the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs begin. Gordon now sits fifth in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel points standings.

Gordon, who raced to victory in her first career final round to double-up with team owner Ron Capps earlier this summer, made her match race debut between the Seattle and Brainerd races. She won the Top Fuel shootout at Summit Motorsports Park’s 49th annual Night Under Fire in early August. That sent her to the ‘King of Nitro’ final round, where she powered to a runner-up finish to Capps in his NAPA Auto Care Funny Car.

Gordon’s Night Under Fire momentum carried into Brainerd. Her Carlyle Tools dragster was on rails throughout qualifying. Crew chiefs Rob Flynn and Troy Fasching established a baseline with a 3.80-second pass at 327.98 mph in the first session to put Gordon fourth. She stepped up to a 3.725 E.T. at 336.15 mph in the second session to move up to second, earning two bonus points in the process. On Saturday, Gordon dipped into the 3.60-second zone with a 3.695 E.T. at 336.99 mph for the first time in her career. It was the second-quickest pass of the session, giving Gordon another two bonus points, and kept her in the No. 2 spot. In the final qualifying round, Gordon recorded the second-quickest numbers of the session once again, a 3.731-second pass at 330.80 mph. She wrapped up qualifying with six bonus points and the No. 2 position on the ladder.

Gordon went into race day as the second-most-picked driver to win the race by Drag Race Bracket Bonanza players. In a first-round matchup against veteran driver Scott Palmer, the third-generation racer took the starting line advantage and powered to a 3.752 E.T. at 336.32 mph to defeat Palmer. Gordon moved on to face 2025 regular season champion Tony Stewart for the sixth time this season. Gordon moved first and extended her winning record over Stewart to 4 – 2 using a 3.740 E.T. at 330.72 mph to Stewart’s 3.751 E.T. With that pass, Gordon set low E.T. of the round and moved around Stewart in points back into the top five. She also secured her spot in the final Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the season. With lane choice over Leah Pruett in the semifinals, Gordon left the starting line first once again and held the lead through the finish line, posting a 3.770 E.T. at 329.91 mph to narrowly defeat Pruett and her 3.776 E.T.

Appearing in her second career Top Fuel final round, Gordon led two-time and defending world champion Doug Kalitta off the starting line, but her 3.770-second pass at 328.78 mph wasn’t enough to reach the finish line first, and Kalitta won with a 3.743 E.T.

“We were just a tick behind Doug over the weekend, but for a brand-new team to be just a tick behind Doug Kalitta all weekend, that’s a super-big accomplishment,” said Gordon, who earned her Top Alcohol Funny Car license at BIR in 2023. “Behind the scenes, we’re trying a lot of different things, getting prepared for the Countdown, and it’s showing really good results.

“What’s so cool for me as a new driver is knowing I have such a proven team behind me,” Gordon added. “I read this quote earlier – ‘May your dreams stay big and your worries stay small’ – and I’m dreaming big. I go into every event dreaming, ‘I hope I can win this race,’ and my worries are so small because I have Rob and Troy and all of our guys in my corner. Every single time I get in the race car, I have confidence that it’s going to go down the racetrack. We have a shot to win whatever race it is, and our car’s going to be put together 10 out of 10 every single time. It’s just such a comforting feeling to have leaving Brainerd, going into Indy, and then going into the Countdown.”

Gordon will continue her whirlwind rookie season at the biggest race of the year, the NHRA U.S. Nationals, Sept. 4-7, at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Start / Finish: No. 2 / def. in final round
Points Standing / Total: No. 5 / 784 pts. (-448)

Next Race: September 4-7, NHRA U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis, Indiana
How to Watch or Listen: FS1, NHRA.TV

NAPA Racing:@NAPARacing
Maddi Gordon: @MaddiGordon_TF
Ron Capps Motorsports: @TeamRonCapps