​NHRA Top Fuel Dragster rookie racer Maddi Gordon ready for business.Courtesy of Ron Capps MotorsportsIn Part 1 of our interview series with NHRA sensation Maddi Gordon, we discussed how she balances driving her Top Fuel Dragster with fan and sponsor commitments, her sudden and unexpected exposure as an NHRA media celebrity, her fears, her personal life and more. Here, in Part 2, Gordon transitions to what it’s like to pilot a race car at 340 mph, how she drives on the highway, her boss Ron Capps, why women tend to do better in drag racing than in other motorsports series and having to pee on a drag-race run. Following are edited excerpts from a longer conversation.Jim Clash: Most of the population, including IndyCar, NASCAR and Formula 1 racers, will never experience what it’s like to drive a car at 340 mph. Tell us about that.Maddi Gordon: Well, this is kind of a joke but it’s true. I’ve driven forklifts before. They steer from the back, the rear wheels. When our Top Fuel Dragster is at 340 mph, the tires are never fully hooked up to the track, there’s never full contact. The back tires are always spinning. If you watch from a straight-on view, the front of the race car is typically pointed straight. But the rest of the car is pivoting sideways, sashaying around like crazy. It feels like you’re steering from the back. It’s gets really crazy at about 400 feet down the track when the clutch locks up. You can hear the engine rpms drop, and the car takes off again. It’s almost like a two-stroke motorcycle.Clash: So when you’re driving on the highway, are you still “Maddi the Baddie”?Gordon: I wouldn’t say I’m a total grandma. I’m kind of like your average driver, not in the fast line the whole time, but not in the slow lane, either. Knock on wood, I’ve never gotten a speeding ticket [laughs]. I’m a pretty slow driver, believe it or not. I have a Toyota Tacoma.NHRA Top Fuel drag race rookie Maddi Gordon watches her father competing live in the top alcohol category.Jim ClashClash: Ron Capps really took a chance on you. What’s he like as a boss?Gordon: I call him “boss man” but he’s much more than that, more of a mentor. He took me through the ropes of media, how to handle it, fan interaction, etc. This whole life I’m in now is totally new to me. He’s also a friend. We’ve known each other for years.Clash: IndyCar, NASCAR and Formula 1 have sporadically had women in their series, but none have really excelled. In NHRA, women compete with men and routinely beat them. Why do you think that is?Gordon: Honestly, I don’t know. The race car does not know whether it’s a boy or a girl in it, though. I love that we get to compete against all the boys. I don’t want any handicap. I want to race heads-up. What’s really special about drag racing is how many ways you can get involved. I can take my Toyota out to the track at Pomona and race with the exact same Christmas Tree, scoreboard and on the same asphalt tha