Gordon, Capps finish huge day at Summit

NORWALK — They simply get no closer than that. Top Fuel rookie surprise Maddi Gordon thought her day may be over before it started. Her team had to scramble to get the dragster started as it sat on the line prior to Sunday's NHRA Summit Nationals in Norwalk. But the mechanical issue was fixed just in time — also thanks to opponent Spencer Massey waiting for Gordon — and she won the race in 3.854 seconds at 325.2 miles per hour to get the win. In just her 10th professional start, Gordon then rattled off victories against driving legend Tony Stewart and points leader Shawn Langdon to reach the finals. For the special 75th anniversary diamond Wally trophy, Gordon then topped another drag racing icon, Antron Brown, as she went 3.786 seconds at 333.2 mph for the win in her Caryle Tools/Monster Energy car. Brown left first, but Gordon quickly tracked him down to get the victory, finishing off a Ron Capps Motorsports sweep. In Funny Car, Capps beat Jack Beckman by just .004 of a second to add yet another Wally trophy to his star-studded career. To add to the moment, Gordon's father, Doug, also won in Top Alcohol Funny Car on Sunday. In the Media Center at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Gordon, 22, called it the best day of her young life. "It literally doesn't get any better than this," Gordon said. "We brought three race cars here; we came home with three trophies and three ice cream scoopers, and you all know me; you know I love ice cream, so that is like the cherry on top. "I remember backing up from the burnout, and I wanted that win so bad, so bad. For my dad to win and then Ron to win, it's like the pressure is on, right? I'm just so grateful for this opportunity." Gordon said Capps believed in her before she had won in the Top Alcohol class. "He signed my license in 2023, and I never imagined I would be sitting next to him in the media center," she said. "He could have thrown any driver in there, but he chose me, and I'm forever grateful for this opportunity. He changed my life in every way except for where I live." In Funny Car, Capps did his part for the first-ever nitro sweep for his team, finishing off a consistent day with a run of 3.969 at 328.54 mph in his signature NAPA Auto Care Toyota to power past Beckman. It gave the three-time world champion and the current points leader his milestone 80th career victory and his third this season, becoming the first driver in Funny Car to reach three wins in 2026. Capps, who qualified third, defeated Bobby Bode, J.R. Todd, and Alexis DeJoria to reach the final round, where he posted an impressive .048 reaction time that led to a thrilling wire-to-wire victory. It's a win Capps will always remember for a variety of reasons, including getting to share in the moment with Gordon and her family "I went over to her car before the final round, and I go, "Well, you got your head on straight, right?' and she's just smiling at me, that Maddi Gordon smile, and I actually asked her for advice," Capps said. "You lie in bed, and you dream about stuff like this. "I don't know how many final rounds I've been in, but it was fun, and I was just hoping we got the win. Once we got the win, I thought the odds were definitely going down with her dad and me getting a win, but this is crazy. We're just lucky." Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Richard Gadson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the 10th of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA season on Sunday. Knowing he needed to be nearly perfect on the starting line, Stanfield delivered in the final round, using a razor-sharp .002 reaction time to defeat Matt Hartford on a holeshot with a run of 6.626 at 208.75. It is Stanfield's second win this season and the 16th in his career. It was also his second victory in three seasons at Summit Motorsports Park. He scored a holeshot win to start the day against Erica Enders and then knocked off Cody Anderson and Kenny Delco to reach the final round. He held off Hartford by a mere .006 at the finish line to get the victory and give his team momentum heading into the second half of the season. "I definitely knew I was going to have to be pretty good on the tree, and the old hot rod did just enough to pull one off," Stanfield said. "Matt's been driving really well here lately, and he's had a fast race car. Every time Matt and I race, it's a good and tight race. "He does a great job driving the car, and they do a great job tuning their own car. It feels great as a driver whenever you're able to do your job and pull off a holeshot win like that." Hartford advanced to his third straight final round and the fifth this season thanks to wins against Eric Latino, Jeg Coughlin Jr., and points leader Dallas Glenn. Reigning world champ Glenn moved back into the lead and now has a 23-point advantage over Greg Anderson. For the second straight day, Gadson got the best of his Pro Stock Motorcycle teammate Gaige Herrera in the final round. Herrera went red for a second consecutive time, giving the points leader and reigning world champion his second victory this season. Gadson was stout in the final round, going 6.849 seconds at 197.36 mph en route to his sixth career victory and first at Summit Motorsports Park. A day earlier, Gadson won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge over Herrera when his teammate left too early, and he took advantage again on Sunday. The dynamic duo has now met in back-to-back final rounds, with Herrera in Bristol and Gadson Sunday in Norwalk. They hope it is a sign of things to come for the rest of the season in Pro Stock Motorcycle. "Obviously, I didn't lie yesterday when I told you it's pretty much 'Are you willing to red light situation?' and you know he's a tough competitor; he'll rebound, and it'll probably be hell for us all for the next couple races," Gadson said. "I'm really happy, and I don't know if you believe in energies, but I feel like Norwalk owed me one. "I got the ice cream scoop that I always hoped for, a double up with the Mission (challenge) win, and the overall win. It doesn't get much sweeter than this." Gadson said he previously had not given the Norwalk track its due for how good it's been to him. "This is the first overall win, but I've had a lot of success here now — two challenge wins and a final round last year. I love Norwalk. Mr. (Bill) Bader is amazing — this facility is amazing, the ice cream, the whole deal, the whole experience of being here. This is a special place." The NHRA series returns to action July 17-19 with the Denso Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway in Northern California near San Francisco.