LAS VEGAS (Nov 02, 2025) – Daniel Wilkerson and the SCAG Power Equipment Ford Mustang Funny Car team raced to another impressive semifinal finish Sunday at the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Justin Ashley and the SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel dragster advanced to the quarterfinals, while Dave Richards and the BlueBird Turf / Versatran Ford Mustang had a first-round exit.
Wilkerson, who qualified No. 7 with a 3.919-second run at 329.02 mph, powered through the first two rounds of eliminations. In round one, he took down Paul Lee who dropped a cylinder to go only 4.009 at 315.49, Wilkerson was able to pull away, laying down a 3.912 second pass at 331.12 mph. In the second round he took down former world champion Jack Beckman on a holeshot with a solid .057 reaction time and 3.932 pass at 320.58 mph to Beckman’s .098 reaction time and 3.909 pass at 330.88.
In the semifinals, Wilkerson faced off against championship contender and eventual race winner Matt Hagan. Wilkerson took an early lead and was ahead about 300 feet out before his SCAG Mustang smoked the tires, slowing to a 4.695-second pass at 213.43 mph. Hagan took the round win with a 3.912 at 327.43 mph.
“I really thought today was our day in the semis. As soon as I hit the gas that thing felt like it was the fastest it had been all weekend and I was positive we were going to win right up until it smoked the tires,” Wilkerson said. There’s about 17 other people that wish they had the weekend that we had here. I’m proud of my boys and how they got this thing together, per usual: no leaks, no stupid mistakes. We had about 50 SCAG dealers that left today all saying they had the time of their life, not one person mentioned the loss. It was fun to see Randy, Maria and the whole gang excited for a couple round wins today.”
Justin Ashley and the SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel team qualified No. 6 with a 3.744-second pass at 333.41 mph. Ashley opened race day with a win over Josh Hart, clocking a 3.752-second run at 331.10 mph to Hart’s 3.782 at 327.51. In the second round, Ashley matched up with Shawn Langdon. Both drivers left nearly even, but Ashley’s 3.809 at 326.75 wasn’t enough for Langdon’s 3.751 at 332.60 mph.
“This weekend was a win in so many ways. We would’ve loved to turn on a few win lights and continue our quest for the world championship, but that’s okay. We’re moving forward with a great car and an opportunity to make more test laps tomorrow,” Ashley said. “Tommy DeLago and Jason McCulloch are an excellent team. It’s so much fun watching them go to work on turning this program into everything they envision it can be. Thank you to each and every SCAG Power Equipment dealer, distributor and guest that joined us in Las Vegas. We are grateful.”
Dave Richards and the BlueBird Turf / Versatran Ford Mustang team qualified No. 14 with a 4.047-second pass at 316.81 mph. In the opening round, Richards faced veteran Jack Beckman. The BlueBird Turf machine made it about 300 feet before hazing the tires and shutting off. Richards coasted to a 5.430 at 133.84 after hazing the tires near half-track. Beckman laid down the second quickest run of the session at 3.912 and 331.12 to take the win.
“Smoking the tires is not the way you want to go out, but qualifying really looked promising. We learned some things for the Pomona Finals, and we really just want to close out the season on a high note. We’ll do some testing tomorrow and just keep on improving,” Richards said. “Huge thank you to SCAG and all the dealers and distributors that came out this weekend. They always make the weekend a win.”
The 2025 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series comes to a close with the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, Nov. 14-16, in Southern California.
