MADISON, IL – SEPTEMBER 27: Ron Capps (28 FC) RCM 2023 Toyota GR Supra NHRA Funny Car driver prepares for an interview before the third round of qualifying for the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series 14th Annual NAPA Midwest Nationals, Saturday, September 27, 2025, at World Wide Technology Raceway Drag Strip in Madison, Illinois. (Photo by David Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
When Ron Capps talks about NAPA Auto Parts, it’s not with the measured tone of a driver reciting sponsor obligations. It’s the way most people talk about their hometown, or their parents’ old car. His partnership with NAPA is entering its nineteenth year, an almost extinct level of loyalty in modern motorsports. And it’s about to evolve again as Capps prepares to bring a new face into the blue-and-yellow fold: 21-year-old Maddi Gordon. Along with a new sponsor who is pinning their hopes on the future based on trust.
Capps didn’t just inherit this trust; he earned it, the old-fashioned way. By shaking hands, standing in auto parts stores, and learning how to connect the smell of nitromethane with the smell of brake cleaner.
“The key with Ron is that he’s never just been a logo on a car,” said Danny Huffaker, Senior Vice President of Product and Marketing for NAPA Auto Parts. “He’s been part of our culture. Whether it’s talking tools, meeting shop owners, or visiting stores, he’s one of us, and that’s rare.”
That mutual respect is why, when Capps made the leap from driver to team owner, NAPA didn’t hesitate. They followed him into Ron Capps Motorsports, backing not just a car but an identity built on faith and authenticity. “NAPA trusted me,” Capps said. “They knew I wasn’t going to change who I was. We’ve always approached it like a family… not a transaction.”
From Endorsement To Partnership
Capps’ relationship with NAPA started in 2007, when most sponsors still treated driver appearances as box-checking exercises. NAPA, though, wanted something more real, a spokesperson who could relate to customers and mechanics, not just executives. Capps fit the bill. He didn’t come from corporate America; he came from the garage.
Over the years, he became NAPA’s most visible motorsports ambassador, but also one of its most genuine. “Ron doesn’t need a script,” Huffaker said. “When he talks about the brand, it’s coming from a real place. That’s why fans believe it… because they know he does too.”
It’s easy to underestimate how hard it is to maintain a partnership that long in the modern sports landscape. Drivers switch sponsors like they switch fire suits. Brands move to where the eyeballs go. But Capps and NAPA have done something almost unheard of: they’ve grown together.
“It’s not about chasing trends,” Huffaker said. “It’s about consistency. NAPA’s core customer, the do-it-yourselfer, the small shop owner, they value authenticity. Ron represents that better than anyone.”
The Evolution Of A Brand
As Capps transitioned to team ownership in 2022, he carried that culture forward. The logo on his NHRA Funny Car still reads “NAPA,” but the meaning has deepened. It’s not just sponsorship; it’s stewardship.
That partnership is now expanding through Carlyle Tools, a NAPA brand that’s pushing for a new identity, one that resonates with a younger, more diverse audience through STEM and hands-on craftsmanship. The link between Capps’ long-standing credibility and Carlyle’s next-generation strategy is clear: both are built on doing, not posing.
LAS VEGAS, NV – APRIL 01: Ron Capps (1 FC) Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Dodge Charger NHRA Funny Car races down the track during the NHRA DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals on April 01, 2017 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Marc Sanchez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
And at the center of that next step stands Maddi Gordon, the 21-year-old rising star who looks more like she belongs on Instagram than in a Top Fuel cockpit, until you see her wrenching on an engine. She’ll drive Capps’ first Top Fuel entry starting in 2026, with NAPA and Carlyle backing her.
“We wanted someone who wasn’t just a face,” Huffaker explained. “We wanted someone who lived it. Maddi fits that perfectly. She’s part of a generation that still believes in getting their hands dirty. That’s the future of this brand.”
Capps agrees. “You can’t fake it in this sport,” he said. “Fans know when it’s real, and Maddi is as real as they come. She’s the perfect person to carry this forward.”
Built On The Long Game
The NAPA–Capps partnership works because both sides see value beyond the check. For NAPA, it’s not just national TV exposure; it’s about connecting the brand to the people who buy, fix, and love cars. For Capps, it’s about representing something that aligns with his own blue-collar ethos.
Huffaker says it’s that long-game mentality that’s kept the partnership strong. “You can’t measure everything in impressions and clicks,” he said. “Sometimes, it’s about trust. Ron built trust with our stores, our employees, and our customers. That’s the stuff you can’t buy.”
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
Even in a world where motorsports is increasingly about data and digital engagement, Capps still believes in the human side of the business: the handshake, the smile, the shared grease under the fingernails.
“It’s funny,” Capps said. “We live in this digital world now, but my best days are still the ones where I’m in a NAPA store talking about oil filters. That’s where this whole thing started, and that’s why it still works.”
Looking Ahead
As Capps prepares to expand Ron Capps Motorsports with his new Top Fuel operation, the NAPA partnership enters a new era, one that merges legacy and innovation. Huffaker sees it as the perfect embodiment of where NAPA is heading.
“Ron is our foundation,” Huffaker said. “Maddi is our future. Together, they show that no matter how the market changes, authenticity never goes out of style.”
For Capps, it’s personal. “When I see that NAPA logo,” he said, “it’s more than just a sponsor decal. It’s a reminder of where I came from, and the people who’ve been with me since the start. That’s what makes it special.”
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/gregengle/2025/11/04/ron-capps-and-napa-show-authenticity-still-sells-in-racing/
