JOLIET, Ill. (May 17, 2026) – “Maddi Mania” continues to ripple across the country as the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series gets into the thick of its 2026 competition schedule. Top Fuel rookie Maddi Gordon piloted the Carlyle Tools dragster to an impressive qualifying performance, qualifying No. 2 at the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK. The energetic young phenom went on to reach a quarterfinal finish (with the first Top Fuel engine that she helped to build) on race day at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill.
Gordon launched to the top of the timing sheets as qualifying got underway on Friday afternoon. She made the best pass of the session, covering the track in 3.779 seconds at 335.32 mph and securing three valuable bonus points. In the second heat of the day, several Top Fuel competitors knocked Gordon down a few spots and by the time she made her burnout, she was sitting in seventh place. The Carlyle Tools team, led by crew chiefs Rob Flynn and Troy Fasching, answered with a blistering lap of 3.738 at 334.90, the second-fastest pass of the session and another standout performance for the rookie driver.
“Qualifying on Friday was a super good day,” said Gordon. “We were the lowest E.T. of the first session and the second lowest of Q2, which gave us five bonus points, which is great.”
While Saturday started with tire smoke in Q3, Gordon’s reaction time of .037 seconds was her best yet. The NHRA Rookie of the Year candidate made another solid pass in the final qualifying opportunity of the event, running a 3.783 at 332.92. In the process, the team experienced its first parts issue, leading to them needing to swap engines before competition began Sunday morning.
“On Saturday, we struggled a little bit,” recalled Gordon. “We actually had our first big parts failure, so we had to change engines. That was a bummer. But the guys got to learn. And I got to learn what it feels like to kick the rods out. The engine we used today for eliminations was the engine that I helped build. Dustin (Minnick) took time with me in Phoenix and taught me how to help him build the short block. So, we nicknamed it ‘The Lime’ because we love lime over here repping Carlyle Tools. We were hoping ‘The Lime’ was going to take us all the way, but it didn’t. It’s still really cool though that I got to run in Top Fuel with an engine that I helped to build.”
Gordon began race day from the No. 2 position, facing No. 15 qualifier Krista Baldwin in what was dubbed NHRA’s “Marquee Matchup.” It began as a solid side-by-side drag race. Gordon got the starting line advantage, but Baldwin edged ahead of her around the 330-foot mark. At the midpoint, Baldwin’s dragster began to lose traction while Gordon remained steady on the throttle to cross the finish line first with a 3.813-second pass at 329.58 mph.
Facing multi-time world champion Antron Brown in the quarterfinals, the duo left within five-thousandths of each other, putting on a great show for the fans as they powered down the track but at the stripe, it was Brown who turned on the win light to advance.
“I felt pretty solid coming into Sunday,” said Gordon, who departs Joliet ranked sixth in the Top Fuel standings. “We had a good car. It was really consistent. We just got beat in a good race. Obviously, we wanted to win this weekend and I thought we had a really good shot. I talked to Rob and Troy up in the lounge and something that I’m really grateful for is that I go up to the line every single time and I don’t have to stress. I’m not stressing about whether the car is going to get down the track, or if it’s going to blow up or put holes out. I can go up there and just have confidence in what our guys have done so I can focus on my job. And that’s something I think has really shortened my learning curve in a way because I can just focus on me, not wondering what the car’s going to do.”
The Carlyle Tools Top Fuel team, along with Capps and the NAPA Auto Care Funny Car team, will be competing for the next four weekends straight, hitting the IHRA Triple Crown Race at Maple Grove Raceway over Memorial Day Weekend and returning to NHRA competition when the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series rolls into Maryland for the NHRA Potomac Nationals, May 29-31 at Maryland International Raceway in Mechanicsville, Maryland.
Qualified: No. 2 (3.738 E.T. at 334.90 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.813 E.T. at 329.58 MPH defeated Krista Baldwin 4.347 E.T. at 192.96 MPH
E2: 3.804 E.T. at 333.82 MPH defeated by Antron Brown 3.774 E.T. at 332.18 MPH
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
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Gordon launched to the top of the timing sheets as qualifying got underway on Friday afternoon. She made the best pass of the session, covering the track in 3.779 seconds at 335.32 mph and securing three valuable bonus points. In the second heat of the day, several Top Fuel competitors knocked Gordon down a few spots and by the time she made her burnout, she was sitting in seventh place. The Carlyle Tools team, led by crew chiefs Rob Flynn and Troy Fasching, answered with a blistering lap of 3.738 at 334.90, the second-fastest pass of the session and another standout performance for the rookie driver.
“Qualifying on Friday was a super good day,” said Gordon. “We were the lowest E.T. of the first session and the second lowest of Q2, which gave us five bonus points, which is great.”
While Saturday started with tire smoke in Q3, Gordon’s reaction time of .037 seconds was her best yet. The NHRA Rookie of the Year candidate made another solid pass in the final qualifying opportunity of the event, running a 3.783 at 332.92. In the process, the team experienced its first parts issue, leading to them needing to swap engines before competition began Sunday morning.
“On Saturday, we struggled a little bit,” recalled Gordon. “We actually had our first big parts failure, so we had to change engines. That was a bummer. But the guys got to learn. And I got to learn what it feels like to kick the rods out. The engine we used today for eliminations was the engine that I helped build. Dustin (Minnick) took time with me in Phoenix and taught me how to help him build the short block. So, we nicknamed it ‘The Lime’ because we love lime over here repping Carlyle Tools. We were hoping ‘The Lime’ was going to take us all the way, but it didn’t. It’s still really cool though that I got to run in Top Fuel with an engine that I helped to build.”
Gordon began race day from the No. 2 position, facing No. 15 qualifier Krista Baldwin in what was dubbed NHRA’s “Marquee Matchup.” It began as a solid side-by-side drag race. Gordon got the starting line advantage, but Baldwin edged ahead of her around the 330-foot mark. At the midpoint, Baldwin’s dragster began to lose traction while Gordon remained steady on the throttle to cross the finish line first with a 3.813-second pass at 329.58 mph.
Facing multi-time world champion Antron Brown in the quarterfinals, the duo left within five-thousandths of each other, putting on a great show for the fans as they powered down the track but at the stripe, it was Brown who turned on the win light to advance.
“I felt pretty solid coming into Sunday,” said Gordon, who departs Joliet ranked sixth in the Top Fuel standings. “We had a good car. It was really consistent. We just got beat in a good race. Obviously, we wanted to win this weekend and I thought we had a really good shot. I talked to Rob and Troy up in the lounge and something that I’m really grateful for is that I go up to the line every single time and I don’t have to stress. I’m not stressing about whether the car is going to get down the track, or if it’s going to blow up or put holes out. I can go up there and just have confidence in what our guys have done so I can focus on my job. And that’s something I think has really shortened my learning curve in a way because I can just focus on me, not wondering what the car’s going to do.”
The Carlyle Tools Top Fuel team, along with Capps and the NAPA Auto Care Funny Car team, will be competing for the next four weekends straight, hitting the IHRA Triple Crown Race at Maple Grove Raceway over Memorial Day Weekend and returning to NHRA competition when the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series rolls into Maryland for the NHRA Potomac Nationals, May 29-31 at Maryland International Raceway in Mechanicsville, Maryland.
Qualified: No. 2 (3.738 E.T. at 334.90 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.813 E.T. at 329.58 MPH defeated Krista Baldwin 4.347 E.T. at 192.96 MPH
E2: 3.804 E.T. at 333.82 MPH defeated by Antron Brown 3.774 E.T. at 332.18 MPH
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals
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