Ron Capps Motorsports wasted no time in making a big impression at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals today at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. Not only did team owner Ron Capps power his NAPA Auto Care Funny Car to the top of the provisional qualifying order, but his teammate Maddi Gordon also made the best pass of her career, resetting the track’s Top Fuel speed record behind the wheel of her Carlyle Tools dragster.
Capps secured the provisional No. 1 spot in his first and only qualifying opportunity of the day. Expert crew chief Dean “Guido” Antonelli tuned Capps to an impressive 3.894-second run at 331.53 mph. If he holds on to the top spot through qualifying on Saturday, it will be the 42nd career No. 1 qualifier for the three-time Funny Car world champion.
“The track is going to be fast tomorrow, so we will need to improve if we want to stay on top,” said Capps. “The conditions are going to be really good. I’m just glad that we’re solidly in the field. That takes a lot of the pressure off.”
When Gordon got her shot at the track, the rookie standout wowed fans as she rocketed down the track in 3.679 seconds at 342.11 mph, the fastest pass in track history and the best pass of her career thus far. Her crew chief, Rob Flynn, had her 12,000-horsepower machine tuned to precision, and Gordon was traveling at over 300 mph by the time she crossed the eighth-mile mark on her way to the finish line. She is currently qualified second behind reigning Top Fuel world champion Doug Kalitta.
Inclement weather caused delays throughout the day and prevented the nitro categories from getting another shot at the track on Friday. This event is the last of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, which means championships are on the line and teams will be anxious to make some big moves when qualifying continues on Saturday.
Capps and fellow Funny Car driver Paul Lee will line up side by side in the first session scheduled for 11:30 a.m. tomorrow, sporting nostalgic liveries honoring the legendary 1976 Funny Cars of Don “The Snake” Prudhomme and Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen.
The post Ron Capps Leads Provisional Qualifying as Maddi Gordon Shatters Track Speed Record in Pomona first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
