Carlyle Tools Finds Its Voice In Maddi Gordon

LAS VEGAS, NV – APRIL 11: Maddi Gordon prepares to warm up Ron Capps (28 FC) NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Funny Car prior to the first round of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Four-Wide Nationals on April 11, 2025 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Matthew Bolt/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

If you saw Maddi Gordon walking through an airport, you might mistake her for a social media influencer, the kind of person who knows which hotel lighting works best for a selfie and can pack an entire life into a carry-on. And you’d be right, sort of. But this same young woman can also rebuild an 11,000-horsepower nitro Funny Car engine, run it at 330 miles per hour, and do it all without flinching.

Welcome to the new face of NHRA drag racing, and to Carlyle Tools’ bold bet on a future where authenticity, technical skill, and accessibility collide.

Gordon, daughter of three-time NHRA Funny Car champion Ron Capps’ longtime friend and tuner Dean “Guido” Antonelli, isn’t trying to look the part. She just is the part, and the part has changed. Next season she will move up to the top rung in NHRA racing for Capps in a new Top Fuel entry for Ron Capps Motorsports.

“People see me on Instagram and assume I’m just doing the content side,” Gordon said. “But I’ve grown up in the pits. I can tear down an engine, and I understand what goes into every run. I love sharing that, because it’s what makes this sport so real. I want people, especially young girls, to see that and think, ‘I could do that too.’”

That authenticity is exactly what drew Carlyle Tools to her. After years of growing as the professional-grade tool brand within the NAPA Auto Parts family, Carlyle is being repositioned under the Genuine Parts Company umbrella as a standalone, tech-forward, aspirational nameplate; one built around accessibility and next-generation tradespeople. Maddi Gordon isn’t just a driver in that plan; she’s the embodiment of it.

Danny Huffaker, NAPA’s Senior Vice President of Product and Marketing, explained that connection. “What Maddi brings is this fusion of credibility and relatability,” he said. “She’s technically capable, she can work on the car, but she’s also someone younger fans and customers can connect with. She’s the kind of person who makes Carlyle relevant to a new audience.”

For Carlyle, this isn’t just a sponsorship; it’s a statement of intent. Racing has long been about exposure, slap a logo on a car and hope someone notices. But now, it’s about brand storytelling, and Maddi Gordon fits perfectly into that narrative.

When you see her in the Carlyle colors, it’s not a corporate arrangement; it’s a generational handoff. The company is still anchored in the NAPA ecosystem, but with Carlyle becoming its own identity, a high-performance brand for both professionals and automotive enthusiasts, Gordon is helping personify that shift.

“I’ve used Carlyle Tools growing up,” she said. “It’s not something that was handed to me for a shoot. It’s what’s always been in the toolbox. So when I’m working with them now, it feels natural. I want people to see that Carlyle is legit, that it’s not just for big teams or shops. It’s for anyone who loves working with their hands.”

That blend of authenticity and aspiration is the same formula that’s made social media influencers powerful brand partners; but this time, it’s grounded in real horsepower and grease under the fingernails. Gordon just happens to be fluent in both worlds.

She films and edits much of her own content, often after long days in the pits, creating short-form clips that bridge the gap between racing and lifestyle. “It’s not about showing off,” she said. “It’s about showing the process, what goes into making the car run. When people understand that they connect emotionally to it. And that’s what gets them hooked.”

Her new boss Ron Capps, who’s known Gordon since she was a kid, sees the same spark that once drove his own career, but now filtered through a new medium. “What’s cool about Maddi is she’s growing the sport without even trying to ‘sell’ it,” Capps said. “She’s just sharing her world, and that makes her authentic. That’s what makes sponsors and fans pay attention.”

Authenticity, there’s that word again. In an age where fans can sniff out marketing polish from a mile away, authenticity is the rarest and most valuable currency. And for Carlyle Tools, building its standalone identity, having someone like Gordon embody that value is priceless.

“She makes it look effortless,” Huffaker added. “But what she’s doing, merging content, performance, and technical knowledge, is incredibly hard. That’s the kind of voice we want representing the future of Carlyle.”

And make no mistake, Maddi Gordon is as competitive as she is creative. When she’s not working on her car or crafting content, she’s obsessing over performance data, track conditions, and reaction times. It’s all part of what she calls the “endless chase for perfect.”

“I’m never satisfied,” she said. “Every pass down the track, there’s something I want to improve. That’s the part people don’t always see, how much work goes into getting better every run.”

If that sounds like the mindset of a seasoned champion, it should. Gordon might be new to the professional ranks, but her understanding of what it takes to win, and to build a brand while doing it, already puts her ahead of the curve.

And that’s exactly what Carlyle Tools is banking on. Huffaker summed it up: “She’s part of the reason we’re excited about the future. We’re not just sponsoring a racer, we’re aligning with a mindset. Maddi represents where we want to go.”

It’s rare to see a company and a driver so cleanly mirror each other. Both are young, ambitious, and unwilling to fit into old molds. And if the past few years of motorsport marketing have taught us anything, it’s that the future belongs to those who can both perform and communicate.

Maddi Gordon just happens to do both. And does so beautifully.