INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Sept. 08, 2026) – SCAG Racing wrapped up the NHRA regular season at the U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Monday, with Justin Ashley and Daniel Wilkerson both advancing to the second round of eliminations as the team turns its attention to the NHRA Countdown to the Championship.
Ashley qualified No. 8 in the Top Fuel field with a 3.781-second pass at 331.12 mph, putting the SCAG Power Equipment dragster in the top half of one of the season’s toughest fields. Ashley opened eliminations with a .031-second reaction time and a 3.750-second pass at 329.58 mph to defeat Shawn Reed, who posted a .035 reaction time and a 4.358 at 258.37 mph.
Ashley then faced points leader Shawn Langdon in the second round. Ashley posted a .034-second reaction time but lost traction early in the run, and he was forced to lift, finishing with a 4.533 at 181.74 mph. Langdon recorded a .053 reaction time and a 3.791 at 323.19 mph to advance.
“We’re moving in the right direction. That’s back-to-back races qualifying in the top half of the field leading into the Countdown,” said Ashley. “Now it’s go time. Championship teams are at their best when it matters most and that begins in Martin, Michigan. One round. One race. One blade of grass at a time for our SCAG Power Equipment team. A special thanks to everyone who joined us this weekend on behalf of SCAG Power Equipment, Midwest Equipment, and Bluebird Turf.”
Will Smith qualified No. 14 in the Bluebird Turf Top Fuel dragster with a 3.828-second pass at 325.45 mph. Smith got off the starting line first against No. 3 qualifier Doug Kalitta in the opening round, recording a .041-second reaction time to Kalitta’s .047. Smith finished with a 3.812-second pass at 331.20 mph, but Kalitta pulled ahead down the track with a 3.681 at 341.68 mph.
“Not the way we wanted to end the U.S. Nationals, but there’s a lot to be proud of this weekend,” said Smith. “We qualified in one of the toughest fields of the year, then went up against Doug Kalitta in the first round. I got off the starting line first, but we just didn’t have enough to hold him off. Our Bluebird Turf team will keep digging, keep working, and come back ready to fight in Martin, Michigan next weekend. Most importantly, it was another great weekend getting to spend time with our incredible dealers and customers. Thank you all for coming out and supporting us. We appreciate you more than you know.”
In Funny Car, Daniel Wilkerson qualified No. 9 with a 3.942-second pass at 324.59 mph. Wilkerson opened eliminations with a .081-second reaction time and a 3.942 at 324.59 mph to defeat Cruz Pedregon, who recorded a .156 reaction time and a 5.071 at 145.63 mph. Pedregon hazed the tires around 400 feet into the run, allowing Wilkerson to pull away for the win.
Wilkerson then lined up against No. 1 qualifier Ron Capps in the second round. Wilkerson left first with a .059-second reaction time, but the SCAG Power Equipment Ford Mustang went up in smoke early in the run. He finished with a 7.835 at 98.32 mph, while Capps posted a .086 reaction time and a 3.989 at 320.97 mph to advance.
“First round we were able to tiptoe towards our strategy I mentioned from yesterday,” said Wilkerson. “We smashed together our front half from Sunday and our back half from Friday and Saturday to make some nice runs. Second round, we did everything we could to slow her down, but something is definitely plaguing us currently. I believe I have the best group of distinguished gentlemen out here to try to figure out what that problem is. We’re still gonna try and haunt them in the Countdown.
“Randy Gloede said it best to me today. We didn’t get to bring home any trophies, but we certainly won in the tent. We had a ton of dealers and distributors have the time of their lives today, and a ton of first-timers this weekend. So even though we didn’t get the results we wanted, we had a blast.”
Dave Richards did not qualify for the 16-car Funny Car field, ending his U.S. Nationals weekend during qualifying.
“Certainly not how we wanted our weekend to go. We’ll just keep digging and building as a team, keep our heads held high, and keep fighting. We’re not giving up. We’re proud of the effort everyone put in this weekend, and we’ll take what we learned here and carry it into the Countdown.”
SCAG Racing will return to action Sept. 18-20 at US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan, for the first race of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship.
