READING, Pa. (Sept. 10, 2025) – Daniel Wilkerson and the SCAG Power Equipment Ford Mustang Funny Car team are ready to tackle the NHRA Reading Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, the opening event of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship.
Sitting seventh in the points standings, just 77 points behind the leader, Wilkerson is poised to make a strong statement in the six-race playoff series as he chases his first career Funny Car win.
“Reading is a beautiful place to race, but it’s also the place I have raced at the least on our schedule,” said Wilkerson. “The great thing about drag racing is that as a driver Reading, Maple Grove, throws you no curve balls, it’s a great track, so not much experience is needed. It’s also one of the most important races of the year as far as points go. No matter what position you and your team are in, a win at Reading changes the game. Seems like a great place for our first one of the year.”
While Daniel doesn’t have much of a history at Maple Grove Raceway, his father and crew chief, Tim, had a victory at the facility in 2003. Last year, Daniel qualified 10th and had a first-round exit to veteran Cruz Pedregon. It was the last first-round loss of 2024 for Daniel who moved up three points positions through the Countdown to finish the season seventh.
With the NHRA Countdown to the Championship resetting the stage for the title fight, Wilkerson and his SCAG Power Equipment team are focused on capitalizing on the opportunity to climb the standings. Wilkerson’s 2025 season has been highlighted by a runner-up finish at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals, two Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge wins in Richmond and Norwalk, and a career-best elapsed time of 3.855 seconds at the Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals.
Competition at the Reading Nationals begins with four qualifying runs Friday at 3:30 and 6 p.m. and Saturday at 1:30 and 4 p.m. with eliminations slated for Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Sunday with a qualifying show at noon ET followed by eliminations coverage at 2 p.m. ET. Fans can catch all the action live on nhra.TV NHRA’s streaming service.
