INDIANAPOLIS — Ron Capps’ tenure as a team owner has been short, but extremely successful.
Starting his journey as an owner/driver with Ron Capps Motorsports in 2022, the California native snagged his third NHRA Funny Car championship along with a long-awaited U.S. Nationals Wally at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Now with three seasons under his belt and a winning formula built within RCM, expansion is imminent.
During the PRI trade show in Indianapolis, Capps visited the SPEED SPORT booth and discussed the team’s plans to field a Top Fuel car alongside his Funny Car.
“We haven’t announced it completely yet, but we’re gonna bring on a Top Fuel dragster in 2026,” Capps said. “We’ve already got the driver. She’s driving an Alcohol Funny Car now.
“It’d be fun to see her win a world championship. Her dad did in that very car two years ago. So, we have that on the horizon, we got a lot of fun sponsors and partners that want to be a part of it.
“With the women in drag racing, it’s going to be a lot of fun to bring out another car.”
While Capps didn’t name the driver, context clues lead to Maddi Gordon.
In July, she became the 100th female racer to score a Wally at an NHRA national event when she knocked out Brian Hough in the finals at Washington’s Pacific Raceways. She finished second in the standings.
As Capps alluded to, her father, Doug Gordon, won the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Top Alcohol Funny Car title in 2022. Gordon retired from drag racing that season following his third championship in four years in the series.
Adding an additional team, let alone a different type of race car, will be a steep task for Capps and RCM.
However, Capps was assured by his crew chief, Dean “Guido” Antonelli, that he was on board with the idea.
“But it’s all Guido. I wouldn’t do it without his blessing, first of all,” Capps said. “We don’t wanna bring out another Funny Car that’s gonna battle against our Funny Car. So, we feel like it’s a perfect opportunity to do that.”
The planning stages has been a whirlwind, however, Capps’ excitement level was apparent as he spoke about the bright future of his race team.
“You’d think I’d be smart enough to not want more that keeps me up at night and not let me sleep,” Capps laughed. “But, it looks like we’re going that route.
“But, I also think it’s going to be fun and exciting.”