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Maddi Gordon Shines with Strong Qualifying and Quarterfinal in Chicago
Highlights
- Maddi Gordon qualified second at Route 66 NHRA Nationals
- Set best time of 3.738 seconds at 334.90 mph
- Engine swap before eliminations due to parts failure
- Defeated Krista Baldwin but lost quarterfinal to Antron Brown
- Gordon ranks sixth in Top Fuel standings post-event
- Next races: Maple Grove and Potomac Nationals in May
Top Fuel rookie Maddi Gordon underlines her pace with a second-place qualifying and quarterfinal appearance at the Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, as the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods season intensifies.
Driving the Carlyle Tools dragster, Gordon logs 3.779s at 335.32 mph, then improves to 3.738s at 334.90, securing second overall as crew chiefs Rob Flynn and Troy Fasching dial in.
Friday yields five bonus points. Saturday brings tire issues in Q3, yet a .037 reaction and a 3.783 at 332.92 complete qualifying, placing Gordon P2 for eliminations.
Qualified second with a 3.738-second pass at 334.90 mph.
A first significant parts failure forces an engine change before Sunday’s eliminations, testing the team’s turnaround discipline under NHRA time constraints.
The replacement, nicknamed “The Lime,” is meaningful. Gordon helped assemble it with Dustin Minnick in Phoenix, adding personal investment to an already tight race-day program.
Gordon races with “The Lime,” an engine she helped build alongside Dustin Minnick.
Round one pairs Gordon against No. 15 Krista Baldwin in NHRA’s Marquee Matchup. A sharp launch helps; Baldwin leads early, then smokes the tires. Gordon advances with 3.813 at 329.58.
The quarterfinal features multi-time champion Antron Brown. Both leave together, but Brown edges clear downtrack to move on, ending Gordon’s day despite competitive execution.
Gordon defeats Krista Baldwin, then falls to Antron Brown in a tight quarterfinal.
Gordon departs Chicago sixth in Top Fuel points, a credible marker for a rookie with evident top-end speed and improving launch discipline.
She credits trust in the crew for calmer staging and sharper decision-making, a foundation for repeatable performance as conditions evolve.
Next, the team tackles the IHRA Triple Crown at Maple Grove over Memorial Day, then returns to NHRA for the Potomac Nationals, May 29–31, at Maryland International Raceway.
Qualifying pace is proven; race-day robustness remains the next step. Engine pool depth and clutch consistency will decide whether Gordon translates promise into late-round regularity.
Visual Summary
MADDI MANIA
🚦
Qualified
#2
(5 bonus pts!)
Best Elapsed Time
3.738s
Top Speed
335.3 mph
335.3 mph
Standings
6th
Top Fuel
🛠️
“The Lime” engine—hand-built by Maddi herself—makes its race debut!
“It’s really cool that I got to run with an engine I helped build.”
“It’s really cool that I got to run with an engine I helped build.”
Marquee Matchup vs
Krista Baldwin
Krista Baldwin
WIN 🏁
Maddi
3.813s
vs
A. Brown
(Winner)
Quarterfinal thriller: Neck and neck launch, Brown edges ahead
On to the Next:
Maple Grove
(IHRA Triple Crown)
(IHRA Triple Crown)
NHRA Potomac
May 29–31
May 29–31
The Maddi Mania ride isn’t slowing down!
🔥🚀🏁
🔥🚀🏁
Nicholas Rivera delivers NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car news, including eliminator-round results and reaction-time stats. He brings track-side interviews, contender profiles, and championship-point breakdowns straight from drag-racing’s biggest national events.
