MADISON, Ill. (September 24, 2025) – Dave Richards and the BlueBird Turf / Versatran Ford Mustang Funny Car team are heading into the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway with growing confidence.
As the third of six races in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, this event marks a critical opportunity for Richards and his team to build on their recent progress following a solid performance at the NHRA Four-Wide Carolina Nationals.
“We’re going to be building from Charlotte,” said Richards who qualified No. 15 and had a first quad exit. “The BlueBird Turf car really started responding to what we were telling it to do. It’s really positive feedback that the team is headed in the right direction, what we’ve been working on is working, slowly but surely. We just need to keep at it. Three races in a row has offered an opportunity to build some momentum, so we plan to start the first qualifying session off on the right foot and let that flow through into race day.”
With the BlueBird Turf / Versatran Ford Mustang showing promising signs of improvement, Richards and his crew are focused on maintaining their steady progress. Richards sits 13th in the points standings. With sights set on a top 10 finish for 2025, the BlueBird team is only 75 points away from achieving their goal.
Competition at this weekend’s NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals starts with four rounds of qualifying, Friday at 5 and 7 p.m. and Saturday at 12:15 and 3 p.m. Eliminations are slated for Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of the event will be FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with a qualifying show Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET and eliminations show to follow at 3 p.m. ET.
