Skip to content
https://shop.fervogear.com/cart
Maddi Gordon Sets Sights on Seattle After Sonoma Exit
Highlights
- Maddi Gordon qualified fourth with a 3.751-second pass at Sonoma.
- Oil spill disrupted second qualifying round, halting Gordon’s run.
- First-round loss to Leah Pruett due to tire smoke issues.
- Gordon ranked No. 6 qualifier entering Sonoma elimination rounds.
- Next event: NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, July 24-26.
Fresh from her first professional win in Norwalk, Top Fuel rookie Maddi Gordon arrives at the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals. Tire smoke then triggers a first‑round loss to Leah Pruett.
Friday qualifying underlines clear pace. Gordon clocks 3.751 seconds at 336.49 mph for fourth, in front of packed Sonoma stands as the event’s sellout status underscores local interest.
Gordon’s 3.751s at 336.49 mph secured fourth in Friday qualifying.
A major oil spill truncates Top Fuel Q2 that evening, denying Gordon a second representative attempt and crucial lane data as conditions evolve.
An oil spill ended Top Fuel Q2 early, denying a second attempt.
Saturday brings the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge against Shawn Langdon. Early tire smoke returns, halting progress and handing Langdon the round in a rematch of their Norwalk semifinal.
Despite setbacks, Gordon’s Friday marker holds her in the top half. She lines up sixth on race day and faces Pruett, a headline pairing for round one.
77% of Drag Race Bracket Bonanza entries backed Gordon to beat Pruett.
Gordon wins the start but encounters tire haze before halftrack, surrendering momentum as Pruett powers through. Margins reflect a car on edge rather than a fundamental deficit.
“The sport of drag racing should be called the sport of humbling,” Gordon says. “You’re going to lose a lot more than you win.”
“The sport of drag racing should be called the sport of humbling.”
She adds: “That Norwalk victory was big, but we have to keep moving forward. The first-round exit here was tough.”
“We tried some new things that didn’t pan out in qualifying,” she notes. “Losing to Leah, who is just ahead of us in points, hurt a bit more.”
“Still, the windshield’s bigger than the rearview mirror,” she adds. “Seattle has been good to my family, and we’re heading there with positive momentum.”
Her Norwalk victory with Carlyle Tools shows the ceiling. The Sonoma defeat instead highlights a setup window that narrows quickly when track grip and clutch application diverge.
Operationally, the Ron Capps Motorsports group maintains encouraging baseline speed. The priority now is stabilizing early‑run balance to preserve cylinder‑to‑cylinder consistency through the shake zone.
Attention turns to Pacific Raceways for the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals, July 24–26. Cooler evenings and a longer shutdown could reward a measured approach to power delivery.
Gordon and team target points consolidation within the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, where incremental gains across qualifying and first hits can unlock bracket‑beating Sundays.
Visual Summary
💨
Tire smoke ends Maddi Gordon’s Sonoma charge against her hero.
Started strong, faded fast.
Fans believed in Maddi: 77% picked her to advance
“The sport of drag racing should be called the sport of humbling. You’re going to lose a lot more than you win. That’s what makes winning special.”
– Maddi Gordon
Next up: Seattle ➡️
Windshield’s bigger than the rearview.
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.
