JOLIET, Ill. (May 18, 2025) – Justin Ashley and the SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel dragster team secured their second consecutive runner-up finish Sunday at the Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway. In Funny Car, Daniel Wilkerson in the SCAG Ford Mustang as well as Dave Richards and the BlueBird Turf / Versatran team had first round exits.
In his first final round at Route 66 Raceway, Ashley lined up against motorsports legend Tony Stewart for the sixth time in their careers, first time in a final round. It was a clean drag race from the start with Ashley getting the slight starting line advantage. Ashley had a solid 3.818-second pass at 324.12 mph, but it wouldn’t be enough for Stewart, who got his first Top Fuel win two events ago in Las Vegas. He pulled away for a 3.777 run at 329.10 for the win.
“It was a great weekend. We would have loved to seal the deal for everyone at SCAG Power Equipment and Metalcraft of Mayville, but super happy with how things went and feel like things are definitely trending in the right direction. Very proud of our whole team,” Ashley said. “Going rounds like this is super important. A few final rounds, back-to-back runner-up finishes. It’s really good to get momentum. It’s kind of two-fold. The better you do, the more momentum you have. At the same time, the better you do, the more laps you make and the more data you get. All-in-all, it’s good. Once the race is done though, you have to put it in the past, but it’s nice to get some momentum going forward.”
Ashley and the SCAG Toyota dragster kicked-off race day from the No. 5 qualifying position thanks to a 3.697-second pass at 337.50 mph that was briefly the track speed record and now stands as the second fastest Top Fuel run in Route 66 Raceway history. Ashley lined up against two-time world champion Brittany Force in the first round.
Ashley, known for his precision on the starting line, left first in an impressive .018 seconds and crossed the finish line in 3.706 at 336.49 mph to get the win after Force smoked the tires to a 5.149 run at 142.84. The SCAG team’s efforts would put them against reigning world champion and Toyota teammate Antron Brown in the quarterfinals.
The SCAG dragster would depend on its wheelie bar against Brown as the front end kicked up several inches and Ashley pedaled his way to a 4.407 at 295.53 for the win. Brown’s dragster also struggled going only 7.178 at 113.87. In the semifinals, Ashley faced former world champion and Toyota teammate Doug Kalitta.
Kalitta smoked the tires for a 4.803-second run at 178.42 mph that just wasn’t enough for Ashley and the SCAG Toyota dragster’s 3.816 at 326.87 that was enough to send him to the finals. Ashley is now fifth in the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series Top Fuel points standings.
“We’re really happy with everything today. Obviously, would’ve loved to finish it off with a win. But when you look at the gauntlet of people we had to go through today – Brittany Force in the first round, Antron Brown in the second round and Doug Kalitta in the third round, then falling just a little bit short to Tony Stewart in the finals. Speaks volumes to the high-level competition and we feel like we’re right there with everybody,” Ashley said. “Continuing to learn, continuing to grow and continuing to make the necessary changes that’ll help us improve down the road. Super happy and proud of our SCAG Power Equipment Toyota team and we’ll pack it up and get after it in Epping.”
In Funny Car, Dave Richards and the BlueBird Turf / Versatran team entered race day from the No. 16 qualifying spot after running a 4.085-second pass at 311.49 mph. Richards matched with Funny Car veteran Jack Beckman in the first round. Beckman, who failed to make the final qualifying run of the weekend due to a malfunction, had a clean pass going 3.880 at 331.04 mph bettering Richards 4.250 at 234.57 after he had to shut the BlueBird hot rod off near half-track.
“We didn’t get the round one win, but we found a lot with our tune-up that’s very promising, and that is the truth,” Richards said. “That was as smooth as it’s been in a long time. We just missed it a little bit and it started to spin the tires. It sucks and we hate to lose, but that was finally a run where everything we put together worked really well. We got some really promising data and we feel like it will pay dividends heading into the rest of the year.”
Daniel Wilkerson and the SCAG Power Equipment Ford Mustang team had an eventful first round. Starting from the No. 12 qualifying spot after a 3.998-second pass at 319.22 mph, Wilkerson line up against fellow Ford teammate Bob Tasca III.
Following the burnout, a clutch malfunction delayed Wilkerson’s starting line routine and caused the SCAG machine to immediately go up in tire smoke at the hit. Wilkerson would cross the line at 9.021 seconds and 92.78 mph. Tasca pedaled his way to a 4.586 at 268.65 for the win.
“We were pretty embarrassed this morning. We had a malfunction that happens to us probably once every three years, and, of course, it has to happen in the first round of the biggest race of the year for SCAG Power Equipment,” Wilkerson said. “I was pretty down in the dumps, but I went back to hospitality, and I had maybe 100 people telling me to keep my chin up. Saying they’re having a ball. It was really kind of a reality check. When I think I can’t feel worse, everybody from SCAG, Metalcraft of Mayville and the other teams are super supportive.
“So, overall, the weekend, we’re heroes on Friday and zeros the rest of the weekend, but everybody that came enjoyed themselves,” Wilkerson continued. “They’re proud of us and I know when we get to the next one, we’re going to make them even more proud, because we got a good car.”
The SCAG Racing team will take on the NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway, race seven of 20 on the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series schedule, May 30-June 1.
