#AskAGuru: 1994 Chevrolet S-10 Making Sucking Sound
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By NAPA
NHRA Rookie of the Year contender Maddi Gordon made her presence known Sunday at the NHRA Gatornationals when she raced to a semifinal finish at Gainesville Raceway. Gordon piloted her
link hidden, please login to view Top Fuel dragster out of the Ron Capps Motorsports camp to round wins over two of the most accomplished drivers in class history before tire smoke ended her run at the opening race of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. She leaves Gainesville ranked fourth in the points standings.
Gordon was the first Top Fuel driver to hit the track in Friday qualifying. Just a couple hours after announcing a multi-year major associate partnership with Monster Energy, Gordon posted a 3.861-second pass at 319.29 mph to take the provisional No. 11 position. She stepped up to a 3.793 E.T. at 321.35 mph in the Friday night session and ended the day in the No. 15 spot. On Saturday, Gordon encountered tire smoke on her third qualifying attempt but came back with a consistent 3.797 E.T. at 328.06 mph in the final qualifying session. It was the quickest pass of the round, netting Gordon three bonus points. She solidified the No. 15 slot going into race day and became the 591st driver and the 23rd woman to qualify for an NHRA Top Fuel field.
In her first-ever Top Fuel competition round, Gordon lined up against No. 2 qualifier and former world champion Shawn Langdon, who was recently named to NHRA’s Top 75 Drivers list. Crew chief Rob Flynn guided Gordon to her quickest pass of the event, a 3.762 E.T. at 334.48 mph, to get past a tire-smoking Langdon. The competition didn’t get any easier for Gordon, as she went on to face the winningest driver in the history of the class, eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher, when Top Fuel returned to the starting line for the quarterfinals. Gordon powered to a 3.783 E.T. at 331.53 mph to defeat Schumacher and his 3.863 E.T. That sent Gordon to the semifinals and earned her a spot in the first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the season, which will take place during Saturday qualifying at the NHRA Arizona Nationals.
The semifinals brought another battle of youth versus experience as Gordon faced her third “Top 75” driver, two-time and reigning world champion Doug Kalitta. Gordon started hazing the tires early and had to lift off the throttle as Kalitta advanced with his quickest pass of the day.
“That was just a really, really good weekend,” said Gordon, who became the 100th woman to win an NHRA national event when she drove her family’s Top Alcohol Funny Car to victory at the 2024 NHRA Northwest Nationals. “Of course, we all want to win the race, but I couldn’t have asked for much more in my debut. It was so cool to line up against Shawn in the first round. Rob was confident that the car would get down the track. When I heard (Langdon) blow the tires off in the other lane, I seriously spoke out loud, ‘That wasn’t me! We’re still going!’ Seeing that first win light was insane. I actually started to lose my voice after that one. It’s just been an amazing weekend.”
Gordon’s rookie campaign will continue at the NHRA Arizona Nationals, March 20-22, at Firebird Motorsports Park near Phoenix.
Start / Finish: No. 15 / def. in semifinals
Points Standing / Total: 4th / 74 pts. (-53)
Next Race: March 20-22, NHRA Arizona Nationals, Chandler, Ariz.
How to Watch or Listen: FS1,
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By Counterman
Being a part of your local community is one of the most rewarding benefits of operating any business. Our individual operations certainly take up most of our time and attention, family and other obligations occupy another significant portion, but many of us also manage to carve out the time and energy to share a part of ourselves with the people and organizations that make a ZIP code into a genuine community.
From serving as school or other organizational board members, coaching local youth sports, or being an active member of your church, friends and neighbors might come to know you both personally and professionally, and your business is often a reflection of those values you already hold dear. As a business, we are also often called upon for financial contributions to a variety of charities, benefits and other generally good causes. The larger the business model, the more these requests roll in, and “the asks” are also generally more substantial.
For any automotive business, there are also many requests from members of your local grassroots racing community seeking “sponsorship” for their individual racing interests. These come in many forms, from racers looking to obtain a discounted rate on parts purchases to financially supporting their teams over the course of a season, usually in return for some sort of advertising on the car. On the surface, these requests might seem no different than sponsoring a Little League team or donating items for a benefit auction. Look a bit deeper, though, and you may realize that these racing “sponsorships” really need to be more of a “partnership” to make financial sense
Too often, a “sponsorship opportunity,” as presented, is a one-sided request, with the team simply seeking assistance in pursuing their dream of competing in motorsports. In exchange for your merchandise or funding, you get… a sticker! When asked just what kind of return on investment you can expect from your sponsorship, the answer is very often stunned silence. If the answer is “free advertising,” then we must truly consider the value of
that advertising.
Most of us have an advertising budget, and use a variety of media to get individual messages out in front of potential customers. It is already increasingly difficult to connect with consumers using traditional print, radio and television advertising. Streaming services and satellite radio both allow consumers to avoid advertisements, and newspaper readership has been declining steadily for years. Having your company name on the fender of a car in front of a few hundred people on a Saturday night might seem like a decent investment, but this kind of individual sponsorship is dependent upon several variables. Failures, successes, team or driver reputations, and even the team’s ability to compete regularly can vastly affect the value of your investment. If you choose to pursue business relationships with individual drivers or teams, think carefully about how those relationships will be mutually beneficial to each party.
Being associated with the racing community is a great way to connect with your existing clientele, and to keep your name in front of those who might use your services in the future. To maximize your advertising efforts, consider spreading the wealth in a more effective way than through a series of smaller individual sponsorships.
Advertising at the track itself is a great way to participate without relying on being associated with the most popular or successful team. A trackside billboard is a literal sign of your support for the racing scene, visible no matter which cars are on-track during the various practices, heat races and features. Sponsoring a particular racing class, offering a contingency payment in return for displaying your decals, or even holding a special event on track night, all benefit more than just a few individuals, and partnerships like these also build relationships with the local track operators and their extended network of supporters.
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By Counterman
We all make mistakes. Nobody’s perfect, and despite our best efforts, things can (and will) go sideways when we least expect them to. Some mistakes are just minor errors that can easily be corrected, or situations that are resolved without too much fuss. Others are much more damaging to your brand and your reputation. These are the mistakes that cost you profitability, as well as customers.
These “big picture” mistakes go far beyond choosing the wrong year and model while cataloguing a customer’s parts request, or misquoting a price. Although some customers may be less than understanding when we make the little errors, most reasonable people are willing to overlook the occasional screw-up if their overall experience remains positive. Experience-killing mistakes tend to be more problematic because they are deeply rooted in poor customer service.
If you’re assuming that the woman at your counter isn’t knowledgeable about her vehicle, or that the scruffy-looking guy driving a 20-year old pickup doesn’t care about premium quality, you risk offending both of these potentially valuable customers.
Appreciation is important to all of us, customers and staff included. Overworked or overstressed employees may not feel as though management appreciates their contributions, or that their customers appreciate the assistance they are attempting to give them. For a customer, feeling unappreciated leads to an unfulfilling experience at your counter, and might make them think twice about future business with your company. Remember that your front-line workers may be juggling multiple tasks at any given moment, from restocking and housekeeping duties to fielding telephone calls or internet orders. When a real live customer needs assistance, they don’t want to be made to feel like an interruption, or that their requests are less important than any other task at hand.
Assumptions can come in many forms, and are rarely useful to providing good customer service. From the customer’s appearance or language skills, to the type of vehicle they’re servicing, we might make assumptions about their needs, or even about their purchasing power. Profiling or otherwise stereotyping a person based on these cues shortchanges both the customer and ourselves. If you’re assuming that the woman at your counter isn’t knowledgeable about her vehicle, or that the scruffy-looking guy driving a 20-year old pickup doesn’t care about premium quality, you risk offending both of these potentially valuable customers.
Listening to what the customer has to say is even more important than telling them what you think. It’s why we have two ears and only one mouth! Too often, people spend half of a conversation planning what they intend to say next rather than trying to understand what they are hearing. This not only leads to potentially misunderstanding the customer’s needs, but also leaves us open to making those smaller mistakes related to vehicle and parts identification. When we believe that we know exactly what a customer wants before they’ve even had a chance to tell us, we’re probably already halfway down the wrong path. That only means everyone must regroup and start from scratch, wasting the customer’s time and yours.
Responding effectively to your customer’s questions or concerns requires a wide range of skills, depending on the situation. It is often said that there is no such thing as a “dumb question,” but I’ve certainly heard some dumb answers. Giving vague or indifferent replies only shows your customer that either you don’t know or don’t care enough to help them solve the problem at hand. Conversely, using jargon or unnecessarily technical terminology may make the customer feel like you’re talking down to them or judging their abilities. When it comes to resolving a problem or addressing a complaint, it is important that the customer feels both heard and understood before any progress can
be made.
Many of the most common practical mistakes made at the counter can be prevented by providing your staff with proper technical training and a strong emphasis on attention to detail as a customer service skill. Avoiding those mistakes which affect a customer’s overall experience (and their opinion of your organization) requires an even greater degree of dedication to getting it right the
first time.
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By Counterman
We all make mistakes. Nobody’s perfect, and despite our best efforts, things can (and will) go sideways when we least expect them to. Some mistakes are just minor errors that can easily be corrected, or situations that are resolved without too much fuss. Others are much more damaging to your brand and your reputation. These are the mistakes that cost you profitability, as well as customers.
These “big picture” mistakes go far beyond choosing the wrong year and model while cataloguing a customer’s parts request, or misquoting a price. Although some customers may be less than understanding when we make the little errors, most reasonable people are willing to overlook the occasional screw-up if their overall experience remains positive. Experience-killing mistakes tend to be more problematic because they are deeply rooted in poor customer service.
If you’re assuming that the woman at your counter isn’t knowledgeable about her vehicle, or that the scruffy-looking guy driving a 20-year old pickup doesn’t care about premium quality, you risk offending both of these potentially valuable customers.
Appreciation is important to all of us, customers and staff included. Overworked or overstressed employees may not feel as though management appreciates their contributions, or that their customers appreciate the assistance they are attempting to give them. For a customer, feeling unappreciated leads to an unfulfilling experience at your counter, and might make them think twice about future business with your company. Remember that your front-line workers may be juggling multiple tasks at any given moment, from restocking and housekeeping duties to fielding telephone calls or internet orders. When a real live customer needs assistance, they don’t want to be made to feel like an interruption, or that their requests are less important than any other task at hand.
Assumptions can come in many forms, and are rarely useful to providing good customer service. From the customer’s appearance or language skills, to the type of vehicle they’re servicing, we might make assumptions about their needs, or even about their purchasing power. Profiling or otherwise stereotyping a person based on these cues shortchanges both the customer and ourselves. If you’re assuming that the woman at your counter isn’t knowledgeable about her vehicle, or that the scruffy-looking guy driving a 20-year old pickup doesn’t care about premium quality, you risk offending both of these potentially valuable customers.
Listening to what the customer has to say is even more important than telling them what you think. It’s why we have two ears and only one mouth! Too often, people spend half of a conversation planning what they intend to say next rather than trying to understand what they are hearing. This not only leads to potentially misunderstanding the customer’s needs, but also leaves us open to making those smaller mistakes related to vehicle and parts identification. When we believe that we know exactly what a customer wants before they’ve even had a chance to tell us, we’re probably already halfway down the wrong path. That only means everyone must regroup and start from scratch, wasting the customer’s time and yours.
Responding effectively to your customer’s questions or concerns requires a wide range of skills, depending on the situation. It is often said that there is no such thing as a “dumb question,” but I’ve certainly heard some dumb answers. Giving vague or indifferent replies only shows your customer that either you don’t know or don’t care enough to help them solve the problem at hand. Conversely, using jargon or unnecessarily technical terminology may make the customer feel like you’re talking down to them or judging their abilities. When it comes to resolving a problem or addressing a complaint, it is important that the customer feels both heard and understood before any progress can
be made.
Many of the most common practical mistakes made at the counter can be prevented by providing your staff with proper technical training and a strong emphasis on attention to detail as a customer service skill. Avoiding those mistakes which affect a customer’s overall experience (and their opinion of your organization) requires an even greater degree of dedication to getting it right the
first time.
The post
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