Maddi Gordon

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[00:02:35] - [Speaker 1]
Save the girls, gear up in style. Hello, everyone. This is Melinda Russell with the Women's Motorsports Network podcast. And I have a very familiar face with me today and I'm so excited to have Maddie Gordon with me today. I followed Maddie for quite some time back before many of you knew who she was because I I follow kids and girls especially when they are first starting out racing, and and I had run across her name, and we just never had a chance to connect.

[00:03:09] - [Speaker 1]
But we're gonna talk today, and I'm glad it worked out this way, Maddie, because we've got a great story to share today with our listeners. So why don't you start by just sharing a little bit about yourself?

[00:03:20] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. So thanks for having me. I've been really excited about this. But, you know, Maddie Gordon, I'm from Paso Robles, California. I'm a third generation race car driver, both my sister and I, both third generation.

[00:03:33] - [Speaker 2]
My, you know, my grandfather drove, my dad drives, and then both me and my sister drive. You know, we're kinda the what I like to say, you know, just your racing family, you know. We love race cars. We we do it for fun and now for a living myself. So it's it's been an absolute blessing.

[00:03:54] - [Speaker 2]
We we have always been based in California. My family has a residential cabinet shop, here in town. It's a local business, and, they've been, in business for over fifty years, which is, very exciting. I worked there for four years and did sales prior to coming and becoming a professional race car driver. We've yeah.

[00:04:17] - [Speaker 2]
We love it. We got a here, we have we got a cat, which he's he's technically my cat, but we got a cat named Balsey and a dog named Gunnar, and those are our pride and joys here at home. So Okay. Yeah. That's kind of a little storybook of my, personal life.

[00:04:37] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. That's cool. And when you were a little girl growing up, Maddie, did you did you play with cars even when you were a little girl or did were you the typical Barbie doll girl or or how, you know, how did that all start with you loving cars?

[00:04:53] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. I don't think I ever actually owned a Barbie doll. That was never my thing. I was I was never into that. I we had a Barbie car that I could I used to drive around, like one of those electric cars and Uh-huh.

[00:05:11] - [Speaker 2]
It was a Barbie Jeep. And that's the car I drove around. And it's kinda funny because my sister actually had a truck and I had a little Barbie Jeep. And then when we got our first real cars at 16, I had a truck and she had a Jeep. So it was kind of funny.

[00:05:28] - [Speaker 2]
But it was always racing for us, you know. There's pictures of both my sister and I at the races when we're, you know, we're shorter than the race car and we're, you know, holding dad's trophy or, you know, sitting on the ground next to my papa on the floor or on the, you know, the asphalt just playing with rocks or, you know, there's a picture of me sitting on the floor in the trailer with a spark plug box that we still use today. You know, so it's definitely always been racing. It was never anything that was forced upon us by any means. We got to choose.

[00:06:03] - [Speaker 2]
We did regular sports growing up. We did the volleyball, softball, gymnastics, all the, you know, typical sports you do as a kid. And, then we also mixed in racing, but racing was always our heart.

[00:06:19] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. So what was the first thing that you drove?

[00:06:24] - [Speaker 2]
First thing that I

[00:06:25] - [Speaker 1]
As far as racing.

[00:06:26] - [Speaker 2]
Oh, as far as racing. A junior dragster. So we drove both my sister and I started racing in this little tiny red, junior dragster. It was a small thing. It had a yellow nose cone.

[00:06:41] - [Speaker 2]
It had, like, little flames on it and then a red race car. And, I started my career in that, and my sister started her career in that race car as well. And she did so good. I won a couple races in that race car. She absolutely killed it in that race car.

[00:06:59] - [Speaker 2]
One, she reset the points record her first year in the division, like, the points yeah. She got the highest points total by far ever in a junior drag racing league. And my papa said, there's no way we're selling that race car. So we didn't. We have it in a shadow box with there's a couple magazines that she was on the front cover of because she did so good.

[00:07:23] - [Speaker 2]
And, the magazine, I think it was called Red Hot or something like that. But we got it in a shadow box. It's up in the rafters at Morro Bay cabinets, and I don't think it's ever coming down.

[00:07:34] - [Speaker 1]
No. There's some things that I don't care how valuable they are maybe in in monetary dollars that are so much more valuable in memories and and all that that you just can't let go.

[00:07:48] - [Speaker 2]
You just can't let go. I mean, it's something that it started both of our careers. And, I mean, obviously, we hope to race the rest of our lives, and that was the beginning. And, yeah, it just my grandpa was like, there's no amount of money that you can pay Mm-mm. To get rid of this race car.

[00:08:05] - [Speaker 2]
So we still got it.

[00:08:07] - [Speaker 1]
That's so fun. And so you went from junior went from that car probably to a different junior dragster. Tell me the progression to get where you are today.

[00:08:17] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. So started out in that little red junior dragster and aged out of that race car and went to, let's see. What was that car? I believe that we jumped into or I jumped into a half scale race car, and I drove that for a couple years until my sister needed she needed a new car because she was aging out of that car. I mean, obviously, you know, we're kids.

[00:08:41] - [Speaker 2]
We're growing up and Right. There's only so long you can fit in this tiny car and you need a There's bigger nothing you could do about it, you know? Right. So at the time, I was always kind of bigger, broader shoulders than than Macy was. So the car that I was in, I was like, my shoulders were too wide to fit in the car.

[00:08:59] - [Speaker 2]
So she got the car I was racing and then I got a different car with a wider cage on it. And both those race cars that we were in, we actually finished out our junior careers in. So I believe I raced that next car. It was a Mike Boss car. I raced that car for I believe it was eight seven or eight years and then she had that half scale car for seven or eight years.

[00:09:26] - [Speaker 2]
And in the middle of that, when we both turned 14, we also got a junior comp car, which is a bigger it's like halfway it's a lot closer to a junior dragster, but it's about, like, halfway between a supercomp and a junior dragster kind of, but it's still a lot smaller than a supercomp car. And those have a our race cars had high boost engines in them, so they shifted five times in a eighth mile, which is a lot. Mhmm.

[00:09:52] - [Speaker 0]
But really cool. We we got to learn

[00:09:54] - [Speaker 2]
a lot about motorcycle engines and, you know, clutches and shifting and all that kind of stuff. And we were going faster too. So that was really cool. I raced those for about four years. And we actually sold we almost sold our whole operation to one family, which was pretty cool.

[00:10:12] - [Speaker 2]
We did sell one of our race cars, one of our four race cars to one to one family, and then three of our race cars and a lot of our parts went to another family, which was really cool because we've been able to track both all of our race cars and with families that we know pretty well. So that's been really cool to watch their progression. And we actually did some consulting for one of the families who kinda, you know, wanted to learn the race cars more and learn about bracket racing. So we got to kinda help them out. They were some young kids, and it was really, really cool to be able to help out the next generation of racers.

[00:10:48] - [Speaker 2]
But moving on, we went to supercomp, and I drove supercomp essentially sat out for about a year because I was training to get in the alcohol funny car. And in that time, my sister drove supercomp and we also got a top dragster as well. And then I jumped into the alcohol funny car, and that was, you know, just such a dream getting to race for my family, you know, drive a race car that I've been around my whole life and had, you know, been full time crewing on for four years prior to that. So, just a really very exciting, exciting career step and, you know, it really evolved my career because without that step, you know, I never could have made it to Top Fuel. And so, that was a really big deal and a lot of amazing memories made with my family, with the fans, our sponsors, some tough lessons too.

[00:11:50] - [Speaker 2]
Of course, you're gonna have. Right. Every day at the racetrack is is is a great day because there's nowhere else I'd rather be, but there are a lot of tough days out there too. That's still better than being home. Yeah.

[00:12:03] - [Speaker 2]
For sure.

[00:12:05] - [Speaker 1]
Let's let's stop let's stop there for just a second. What you know, when I interview gals, I always say it's the one sport that you know going in, you're gonna lose more than you're gonna win. Yeah. And so when you have those tough days, Maddie, and and I know you still have them. You're you're gonna have them all your life.

[00:12:23] - [Speaker 1]
That's just life, isn't it? What do you do? How do you handle that? How would you, tell another young girl that's going through some tough times? How do you handle that to to keep yourself motivated to keep going?

[00:12:37] - [Speaker 2]
Well, that's always something that I learned in junior dragsters. And, I mean, in full seriousness, we took junior drag racing just as seriously as we take alcohol funny car racing. I mean, we live, breathe, and ate for that. I mean, I I would get so nervous running the junior dragster when when we were going up for championships. I wouldn't even eat.

[00:12:57] - [Speaker 2]
Like, I would make myself sick because I wasn't eating and because I'm just so nervous. It means so much to me.

[00:13:02] - [Speaker 1]
And Yeah.

[00:13:03] - [Speaker 2]
So that's something that I really learned as a young kid through the junior drag racing program. And that's why it's so I speak so highly of it because it teaches you things that you can use through your entire career. Right. But the tough days, you know, it's part of it. I I mean, of course, we all wish it wasn't part of it, but it is.

[00:13:23] - [Speaker 2]
It's part of it. And that's what makes winning so special is those tough days and those tough moments. Like, everybody makes mistakes. I I I wish I was perfect. I'm not perfect, but I work I work so hard to be as perfect as I possibly can be.

[00:13:42] - [Speaker 2]
I don't know whose quote it was, and if I knew, I would quote them or say their name. But racing is a never ending strive for perfection, but you try to catch excellence along the way because you're never gonna be perfect. But you always wanna strive and catch that excellence. And for me, through it was in the alcohol funny car, and it was actually my mom who who taught me this. But I would always focus so much on the negative.

[00:14:10] - [Speaker 2]
On every run, I would come back and focus on what did I do wrong. What how can I do better? Like, I did this wrong and this wrong. And I would I really started to get down on myself. And my mom one day, she says, do you do anything right?

[00:14:25] - [Speaker 2]
And I'm like, well, I mean, yeah. Like, I shifted I shifted good and I I left with a good RPM. And she's like, okay. Do you ever focus on the good things? And I'm like, I never really thought about that.

[00:14:42] - [Speaker 2]
Because I was just too hyper focused on, like, I did this wrong. I need to do this better and this better. And it was honestly that moment that really helped. It was a big deal in my career because, of course, you know, on each run, it's never perfect, but I always wanna take a positive and a negative. I wanna diagnose the run, which I do, whether it's a qualifying run, whether it's a test run, whether it's a race day, whatever it is.

[00:15:06] - [Speaker 2]
I diagnose every single run. What was my light? Why did I have a good light or why did I have a bad light? You know, where was my head at? Was I distracted?

[00:15:15] - [Speaker 2]
Why was I distracted? How can I make myself better? Or I'll always say, okay, I'm happy with this. I'm happy with my reaction time, but I wish I worked on this. Or so I'm always trying to build myself up, but also give myself constructive criticism to kind of make myself a better driver.

[00:15:32] - [Speaker 2]
And I think that's really how I personally get through those tough days at the racetrack because I'm always finding a positive in every round because there is. There is always a positive. And if you can't find a positive, then the positive is that you got to race a race car. So, there's always a positive, and that's really how I get through those tough days. It's finding the good things in a potentially bad situation.

[00:15:54] - [Speaker 1]
See, I love that because as as a human, we tend to focus on the negative. Yes. About whatever the situation is. And so if we would all learn to find, you know, three or five positive things, the negative things don't seem to matter as much. Mhmm.

[00:16:13] - [Speaker 1]
Because you're like, oh, I did do these things right. Now I just need to work on this. And Yeah. And so I love that, Maddie. That's that's great.

[00:16:20] - [Speaker 1]
So, I don't know where we were at in the story, but just continue with whatever wherever you feel like going.

[00:16:28] - [Speaker 2]
Okay. Yes. I'll call funny car, you know, race with my family, driving for two years. So, I was full time crew up a full time crew member on my dad's car for six years, four years not driving, two years driving. And I'm just so grateful for the opportunities that they provided my sister and I and changed my life truly in the best way possible.

[00:16:51] - [Speaker 2]
And then 2026, this year is my first year as a professional race car driver, and my days at the racetrack look a lot different. Although, I'm still on a drag strip. They are much different. I used to be covered, I mean, fingertips to elbows to, you know, everywhere. Clutch dust, oil, you name it.

[00:17:13] - [Speaker 2]
I got it. You know? And my role has really changed, and I I don't have a primary role on the race car as far as working on it maintenance wise, but it is so important to me that I understand the race car, what's happening. I wanna understand every part, and it doesn't happen in a day. But Ron made it very clear to me in the beginning that as a professional race car driver, my priorities are different, and it's not having a maintenance job on the race car.

[00:17:43] - [Speaker 2]
There's a lot of other things I'm doing, and I am, like, slammed busy. But I always try to take that extra time when I have it to learn about the race car. And that's one thing that I'm so fortunate about, with our team. They understand how important it is for me to understand the race car that I'm driving and how much I love the mechanics. So anytime I have a spare minute, you will catch me either looking at the race car talking to somebody on our team in the race trailer, learning about a clutch, learning about the blower, in Rob's and Troy's lounge, learning about tune up, whatever it might be, because that is my heart.

[00:18:20] - [Speaker 2]
That is truly my heart is is not just in the driver's seat. Like, my heart and lies in the entire race car itself. From that front wing to the wheelie bar, that is my heart right there. It's not just the driver's seat. And, I've always said from the very beginning since I've been driving junior dragsters at eight years old, I never wanna just be a driver.

[00:18:42] - [Speaker 2]
I wanna be part of the team. And I I mean that fully, and I'm very grateful that my team, allows me that space to kind of be as involved as I possibly can be, you know, with all the other obligations that I have. And I I love my new role. I'm learning as I go. I absolutely love it.

[00:19:01] - [Speaker 2]
I truly do. There's so much to learn in this sport, and that's what I love because you're never done learning. So, yeah, love this new role that I get to do, and I also love that I get to learn about the race car when I have extra time. But, yeah. My first year as a professional, with, you know, Carlisle Tools, NAPA Auto Parts as our primary sponsors, and we got a lot of, you know, Monster Energy who helps us out.

[00:19:25] - [Speaker 2]
Of course, they've been absolutely wonderful to have. Mhmm. And, yeah, a lot of small partners that help, you know, get us to get us to where we are and gosh. It's been Yeah. It's been a wonderful season so far.

[00:19:37] - [Speaker 1]
Oh, you've had an amazing season. Why don't you share a little bit about, what successes you've had this season? Can you remember everything?

[00:19:47] - [Speaker 2]
Yes. I definitely can. I do not have memory loss when it comes to what happens at the racetracket. I have memory loss when it comes to what I ate yesterday, but Yeah. Not the racetrack.

[00:19:59] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. You know, it it's been a wonderful season to come out. Our first race down in Gainesville, making it to semifinals. That was monumental. You know?

[00:20:07] - [Speaker 2]
We we put together this team, you know, Ron Capps, of course, spearheading all of it. And, you know, we've got Rob Flynn, Troy Fasching, two very well known crew chiefs in our industry. So, I mean, it's been an absolute blessing to have them on board. We got Truck Grosspitch. He was the car chief at JFR, and, he's been just amazing to have.

[00:20:34] - [Speaker 2]
He was actually done drag racing. He he was done. He was getting out. I'm not sure what he wanted to do, but he was he was out of drag racing. And then we wrangled him back in, and I'm so glad that he decided to come back because he's been so wonderful to have, as well as everybody else on our team.

[00:20:56] - [Speaker 2]
We've got, a team of nine guys who, some of them brand new to Top Fuel racing, some of them experienced, from other teams, but, everybody gels and meshes so well together. I I just I love my team. We were I was gone for two weeks. You know, we had two weeks off. And by the first week, I'm like, man, I miss I miss my people.

[00:21:18] - [Speaker 2]
Like, these guys are my family, and I spend Right. I spend more time with them than I do my actual family. Yeah. And they really have become my family. And when I'm not with them, I miss them.

[00:21:31] - [Speaker 2]
Like, they're my people. And Yeah. So it's really cool to have that camaraderie, with with a team and Ron's team as well. I know he feels the same way, but but yeah. So it's it's been great.

[00:21:44] - [Speaker 2]
Of course, Norwalk was monumental.

[00:21:47] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[00:21:48] - [Speaker 2]
Getting the first win for myself as long as, you know, our first win together as a team. Right. Ron winning, so we have our first team double up and my dad. My whole family was there. It's like the the triple crown you could call it.

[00:22:04] - [Speaker 1]
It was perfect. It was just perfect.

[00:22:06] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. It was. Was just perfect. That's the way to put it.

[00:22:10] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Now, your family's still in California. They're obviously still running a business in that. So I know they can't be at every race. But do they still are they able to come to quite a few, or or do they have to watch you on TV like I watch you?

[00:22:26] - [Speaker 2]
So my dad runs 10 national events. And, of course, wherever my dad's racing, my family's there. You know, my mom, my dad, my sister, Jake, Macy's boyfriend, and then my grandma and my grandpa. They're they're the, you know, crew members on the dock all funny cars. So they run 10 national events.

[00:22:43] - [Speaker 2]
Of course, we're at all the national events, and then they run five regional events, which are separate, so separate races. And then my sister also drives, of course, too. So she runs six to eight, about eight, maybe ten, eight to 10 events a year as well. Two of them are nationals, and then the other eight are not nationals. So they have a full schedule as it is.

[00:23:07] - [Speaker 2]
And so they're at 12 of the races I'm at, and then eight of the races, eight to nine, they're not at. So Yeah. You know, about just a little less than half, they're not at. So I I couldn't have imagined winning our first race without my family there. Mhmm.

[00:23:28] - [Speaker 2]
So I'm very, very blessed and happy that they were there to, experience that with me.

[00:23:34] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. That that was like I said, it couldn't have been a more perfect day, the fact that they're they're there because I'm a Carson Hosomar fan. Of course, he he's from Michigan. He's from my town. I've known him since he was little, and his parents were not at Talladega when he won.

[00:23:53] - [Speaker 1]
Oh, no. His dad his dad was actually sick and was in bed asleep. You know? Oh. But, you know, and they go to so many races.

[00:24:05] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. But it's just, you know, so it could have been the same for you, but, you know, the fact that they're there and and such great memories. Isn't that just one of the things about being a racing family? You have so many memories. Going back to when you had that first red little little junior sprint with the yellow front.

[00:24:26] - [Speaker 1]
Right? Yeah. You can Yes. Think of so many things, and you'll have those forever. And that's just so special.

[00:24:33] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. No. I mean, definitely. That's you know, drag racing, I truly believe brings brings families together. It really does, and that's something that you see in the junior drag racing league a lot.

[00:24:44] - [Speaker 2]
You see you see families out there Mhmm. Competing. When when most kids want nothing to do not most, but but

[00:24:53] - [Speaker 1]
A lot.

[00:24:53] - [Speaker 0]
A lot

[00:24:53] - [Speaker 2]
of teenagers and kids are like, I don't wanna spend the weekend with my parents. Right. Like, I mean, you get them involved in junior drag racing and and what whatever it is, whatever sport it might be, what whatever volleyball, softball, whatever. Everything everything's great. I think it's in my opinion, I've heard my my parents say it a lot, and that's where I'm getting this from.

[00:25:14] - [Speaker 2]
But you just in my opinion, you want whoever it is, whether you're a kid, whether you're a teenager, whether you're 12, whatever age, you just wanna be passionate about something. You wanna have a Yes. Purpose. You wanna have a passion. You wanna have something to strive for.

[00:25:28] - [Speaker 2]
And for my family, it's always been drag racing. And that's you know, my sister and I, especially being from a small town, Morbid Cabinets is my family's company and we don't do any advertising. Everything is word-of-mouth. So my sister and I always took great pride in having the Gordon name. And we're at whether we were at the grocery store, whether we were at a prom or school, we always wanna represent ourselves the best because in return, it represents my family, and our company, and our last name, and and all that.

[00:26:01] - [Speaker 2]
So we always wanted to be good kids, but drag racing is also like that carrot, that dangling carrot. And it's kinda like, you gotta keep good grades. You gotta be a good kid. You gotta be polite because at the end of the day, if you're not, you're probably not gonna get to race. And that was like, oh my gosh.

[00:26:19] - [Speaker 2]
Like, just tunnel visioned on whatever we have to do to race. And so that was always our purpose and our passion, was was racing.

[00:26:29] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. And I have to give your parents kudos because, they they brought you upright in the fact that, you know, you have to be polite. You're representing our name, our business. And a lot of kids don't think about that. And maybe that's not a priority in their household to be taught that.

[00:26:50] - [Speaker 1]
But, that carries on a legacy for your family. And it's very important. And so, you know, good job. Give your parents a pat on the back for that for sure.

[00:27:02] - [Speaker 2]
I will. I'll let them know.

[00:27:04] - [Speaker 1]
So when you went, you went to school, what did other kids think about you and your sister racing? Did they think it was weird? Was it just something they always knew that you did? What was the reaction?

[00:27:16] - [Speaker 2]
You know, coming from a small town, Moe at least most of the, like, school faculty knew because we were gone a lot. And they really understood, and we made sure to keep everybody very involved as far as what we're doing, why we're doing it, what it's for. We're not skipping school to No. You know, go play at whatever at the park. You know, we're we're with our family.

[00:27:41] - [Speaker 2]
We're learning. We're, you know, all this stuff. We're advancing our careers. So at first, I think they were kinda like,

[00:27:49] - [Speaker 0]
I don't know about this.

[00:27:50] - [Speaker 2]
You're missing a lot of school. And, you know, we got the the sour bladders and all that kind of stuff, but we always had good grades. We were always I was a a to b student. Macy was a straight a student. And so we always had good grades.

[00:28:06] - [Speaker 2]
We, you know, we were always polite. We were never tardy. So in general, you know, the fact the staff really they all liked it. They really did. They thought it was cool and stuff like that.

[00:28:17] - [Speaker 2]
And the the kids and stuff, honestly, we didn't really talk about it all that much because I don't know. I I don't I was never the kind of person who wanted to like, you know, boast or, you know, hey, look at me. Look at my race car, all that stuff. I I kinda like to keep it a little bit low key and just kinda hang out with my friends and have a good time and then go race on the weekends. And, but most people knew that we did that because they're wondering why we're gone.

[00:28:50] - [Speaker 2]
And then I would, you know, I might post them every once in while on my Instagram or my social media. But but, yeah, everybody was very supportive. They thought it was cool, and, we just were the kids that that raced. It was not that it was normal, but, everybody was very supportive.

[00:29:06] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. And really, for you guys, it was normal because it'd been going on for so long. Yeah. Excuse me. That by the time you got into school, you were already had a pattern of racing.

[00:29:18] - [Speaker 1]
And so it was just what you did on the weekends. Like, some people have a boat and they go to the lake. Right? Yeah. It's just kinda what you did.

[00:29:25] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah.

[00:29:25] - [Speaker 2]
It's just kinda what we did. It was our thing, and, you know, we're done since we were eight years old, so we didn't really know any different.

[00:29:31] - [Speaker 1]
No. No. That's for sure. So if you had to choose one thing, and I know this is hard, one thing about racing and how it's changed you as a person. Can you think?

[00:29:46] - [Speaker 1]
And it it could be more than one thing. But how has being involved in racing changed you that maybe wouldn't have happened had you not been involved?

[00:29:55] - [Speaker 2]
Oh gosh. I I don't even imagine my life without racing.

[00:30:03] - [Speaker 0]
Okay. I really don't. It's kind

[00:30:06] - [Speaker 2]
of funny, like, it wasn't but a couple weeks ago that my mom and I were at lunch and we were talking about racing, and my mom is abundantly supportive. She is so supportive. She didn't she doesn't drive race cars. She just never wants to drive a race car. She didn't do this as a kid.

[00:30:25] - [Speaker 2]
She essentially like married my dad and got into racing because of my dad. But, you know, when this Top Fuel ride came about, it was you know, it was a year and a half in the works and Ron never wavered on if it was going to happen. He's like, this is going to happen and we're gonna figure out how to do it. And but when we got signed contracts, my mom my dad told my mom to prepare. He said, hey, prepare yourself because this is really gonna happen now.

[00:31:04] - [Speaker 2]
And she had a tough time with it. She really did. And I didn't know this. I had no idea till a couple weeks ago. But she basically, you know, she's a mom, of course, and and wants the best for me.

[00:31:15] - [Speaker 2]
And there's there could be potential negative just because you're in a public light and, you know, there you know, of course, there's haters and everybody everybody's entitled to their own opinion, and they're more than welcome to have their own opinion. And that's okay. But it can be tough, you know, at times

[00:31:30] - [Speaker 0]
if you

[00:31:30] - [Speaker 2]
don't have thick skin. And so my mom, you know, got, you know, got, you know, really nervous about that kind of stuff. But she said that, you know, she really thought a lot and she's like, man, you know, you were born to race. She said, since you were a kid, all you've cared about is racing. It's and it has never wavered.

[00:31:55] - [Speaker 2]
She's like, you get in that race car and there's a different look in your eye. Like, I know you she's like, I I know you in every aspect of your life. I know you at the lake. I know you at the house. I know you on the road.

[00:32:07] - [Speaker 2]
I know you in your race car. And she's like, you are the happiest person in the world. Whoops. The

[00:32:13] - [Speaker 0]
dog's broke.

[00:32:13] - [Speaker 1]
That's okay.

[00:32:15] - [Speaker 2]
You're the happiest person in the world in your race car. And so to answer your question, I mean, racing has shaped me into into the person that I am today. I I I don't know I don't know where I would be or who I would be without it. I racing is a part of me, and it's formed me into how I act on a regular day. You know?

[00:32:42] - [Speaker 2]
I I I don't really know how to answer that exactly, but it's it's it's part of it's part of me.

[00:32:47] - [Speaker 1]
Well and so that's interesting, and I love I love that about you, Maddie, because, you're the whole I don't wanna say package. You're the the whole person is about racing and and it's it's just like your mom said, it's it's in you. It's not about you. Somebody didn't write about it. Somebody didn't coerce you to do it.

[00:33:11] - [Speaker 1]
It's inside of you. Yeah. And what you do and how you share it with the big smile on your face and the eyes that light up. It's obvious the passion that you have for what you're doing. And if if people can't see that and they wanna be haters, let them be haters because

[00:33:28] - [Speaker 2]
I will see though. I would say I mean, I've been very fortunate. There has been so much positivity. I I really have been very fortunate. So that was something that my mom was nervous about in the beginning because we just didn't know how things were gonna go.

[00:33:44] - [Speaker 2]
Mhmm. But I will say, I've been very fortunate to have a lot of positivity. Yeah. Almost no hate if any. Yeah.

[00:33:53] - [Speaker 2]
People have been very, very supportive, and I am very grateful for that.

[00:33:57] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. And and I was gonna I was gonna say that because I I follow you closely, and I I don't see people picking on you or why you know, she's not she doesn't belong there, none of that because it's obviously, a sport that is part of you. You're gonna be successful at it for a long time ahead and this is just the beginning and I'm just so excited for you. I love when I see gals that I followed when they were younger, you know, or followed a little bit because you weren't in the spotlight like you are now, obviously, but yet I knew who you were and I was following and and would see how you were doing and then all of a sudden, it's like, oh my gosh, you know, Maddie's Maddie's right there. She's at the top and then you win.

[00:34:46] - [Speaker 1]
And it's just it it's like a a parent from afar, Maddie. You've gotta you've got a lot of support. You've got a lot of supporters.

[00:34:55] - [Speaker 2]
I appreciate that very much.

[00:34:56] - [Speaker 1]
That you don't even know, I think, for sure. So, you're, you know, social media is a big part of what you do as we talked about. What's the best place to follow how what you're doing, where you're gonna be racing, how things went.

[00:35:12] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. So we have Ron Capps Motorsports and myself, Maddie Gordon racing. We have it on Instagram and Facebook as well as x, Maddie Gordon t f, and then Ron Keppes Motorsports on that as well. And, that would definitely be the best places to follow us. We post race results through the weekends, and then, of course, some fun content in between.

[00:35:36] - [Speaker 2]
I know we got some, fun ideas coming up for Seattle.

[00:35:39] - [Speaker 1]
Oh, good.

[00:35:40] - [Speaker 2]
So check those out. Okay. Yep. So I got some fun stuff coming up and very active on our social media. Yeah.

[00:35:48] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. I know that you are. So I I know I promised you about thirty minutes because I know you're busy. So a couple things I wanna mention. One, Shannon Spake has a podcast.

[00:36:00] - [Speaker 1]
I think it's called sons and daughters or daughters and sons. One or the other. It's a great podcast and you were just on that. So, I wanna encourage everybody to to take a listen to that and then, the final thing I wanna ask you, I'm I'm working on a project that hasn't been announced yet but one of the things it's going to be is legacies. You know, women who leave a legacy.

[00:36:28] - [Speaker 1]
So, let's imagine, Maddie, it's one hundred years from now and some little girl is looking up how to how to who was successful in drag racing? And she finds your name. And she reads about you and what would be one of the things if you could say something to her, what would you say to her, you know, that would encourage her to become involved in racing?

[00:36:58] - [Speaker 2]
Oh, to be involved in racing?

[00:37:01] - [Speaker 1]
Or, you know, to or life, whatever. What what's something you would say to that little girl?

[00:37:06] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. I would say never dream too big because, I mean, any I I believe anything is possible if you work really hard, but you have to have, you know, good supportive people around you. That's so important. Because obviously, none of this is possible without Ron Capps taking in a a total, you know, a shot on me and Carlyle Tools, Napa Auto Parts, believing in me, Monster Energy, all of our amazing partners. None of this is possible without them and none of it's possible without our fans.

[00:37:43] - [Speaker 2]
Our fans, there's we couldn't be out here. There'd be no reason to be out here. I know. You know, so there's so much that's really important to get to this level, but never dream too big. I personally believe a dream is just a thought unless you put the work in for it.

[00:38:00] - [Speaker 2]
But, yeah, the world the world is your oyster. So you and you'll end it once.

[00:38:07] - [Speaker 1]
I've got a good quote to share with you, I I saw it on Brett Brad Kozlowski's page, but I'm not sure he was the one that said it. Says, if your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough.

[00:38:19] - [Speaker 2]
Yep. I've heard that too. That's a pretty good one. That's a really good one.

[00:38:23] - [Speaker 1]
I like that one. Well, Maddie, I'm so excited that we got to connect today. I just wanna wish you all the luck in the world, and we know it does take luck. It takes skill, and it takes hard work, and you've got all those going for you. And so congratulations on on what you're up to.

[00:38:41] - [Speaker 1]
What's your next race coming up so we can make sure we watch?

[00:38:44] - [Speaker 2]
Yep. We've got Seattle coming up here. We actually leave tomorrow morning. We fly out there. So the Pacific Northwest Nationals.

[00:38:52] - [Speaker 2]
So, yeah. So we'll be heading out there tomorrow and got some exciting stuff coming up. So Seattle's been good to my family and I, and so we're definitely hoping to channel some of that good energy and hopefully have a a good weekend.

[00:39:04] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. I hope you do too. I'll be watching. I'll be checking out to see what you're up to. So, any last words that you wanna share, Maddie, before we go?

[00:39:13] - [Speaker 2]
I think we covered a lot of it, and I appreciate you having me on. And, yeah, looking forward to the rest of the season for sure.

[00:39:19] - [Speaker 1]
Sounds good. We'll have to have you on after the season's over and and kinda do a recap.

[00:39:24] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. Sounds good.

[00:39:25] - [Speaker 1]
Alright. Thanks again, Maddie, and you have a great weekend.

[00:39:28] - [Speaker 2]
Thanks. You too.

[00:39:32] - [Speaker 1]
Your sponsors fuel your season, so show them some love with SendOutCards. Snap a race day photo, write a quick thank you, and send a digital card straight from your phone, tablet, or laptop. It's personal, professional, and just $10 a month for unlimited sins. Gratitude goes a long way, especially in racing. So get started at sendoutcards.com forward slash 53240.

[00:40:04] - [Speaker 1]
That's sendoutcards.com forward slash 53240.

[00:40:31] - [Speaker 0]
Track nights to the bride race