BRAINERD, Minn. (August 25, 2026)— SCAG Racing continued to build momentum at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals, with Justin Ashley advancing to the semifinals at Brainerd International Raceway.
Ashley qualified No. 5 in the SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel dragster with a 3.743-second pass at 333.99 mph. In the first round of eliminations, Ashley posted a .058 reaction time and a 3.743 at 333.99 mph to defeat Antron Brown, who recorded a .064 reaction time and a 3.763 at 330.55 mph. Ashley advanced to the semifinals after defeating Clay Millican in the second round with a .046 reaction time and a 4.001 at 252.61 mph. Millican recorded a .056 reaction time and a 4.336 at 190.65 mph. In the semifinals, Ashley had the starting-line advantage with a .039 reaction time against Doug Kalitta’s .064. Kalitta ultimately took the win with a 3.747 at 329.18 mph, while Ashley recorded a 3.805 at 327.74 mph.
“This was a nice get-healthy weekend for our SCAG Power Equipment team,” Ashley said. “I’m very grateful for the opportunity to represent all of the dealers, distributors, owners and users in attendance. We established consistency and gave ourselves a window that we can work with moving forward. We also tested on Monday to get ourselves ready for the big go. I am enjoying the new open cockpit car. It’s an adjustment, but more comfort will come in time. Can’t wait to keep going.”
Will Smith qualified No. 11 in the BlueBird Turf Top Fuel dragster with a 3.777 at 328.30 mph. Smith faced Leah Pruett in the opening round of eliminations, where he had the starting-line advantage with a .046 reaction time to Pruett’s .072. Smith posted a 3.726 at 330.47 mph, but Pruett’s 3.702 at 341.08 mph gave her the win.
“We came up a little short first round, but we set a career best ET for our team, and a personal best for me,” Smith said. “We had the car running great this weekend. I made great runs in qualifying and a great first round, just came up short to Leah’s low ET of the round. We did some testing on Monday. Indy is coming up in two weeks, and we’re really excited for the progress we’ve made here and the way the car is running. We’re just gonna keep getting quicker and faster. It’s been a great weekend for SCAG Racing here, and we’ve had a great time with all of our dealers and customers this weekend.”
In Funny Car, Daniel Wilkerson qualified No. 4 with a 3.902-second pass at 322.81 mph, giving the SCAG Power Equipment team another strong starting position heading into eliminations. Wilkerson faced Bobby Bode in the opening round and got the advantage off the starting line with a .052 reaction time compared to Bode’s .092. However, Wilkerson’s car went up in smoke immediately at the hit, forcing him to click it off. Wilkerson recorded a 7.925 at 101.02 mph, while Bode posted a 4.483 at 206.99 mph to take the win.
“One of the most frustrating parts about drag racing is when you drag the thing up there, trying to go a low to mid 3.90, not like we were trying to go 3.85, and it just laughs in your face,” Wilkerson said. “It’s just frustrating when you have such a good car all weekend long, and you take it up there, similar to how it’s been, and it flips you the bird. But our team had a strong weekend, and I know we’ve got something for them at Indy. We’re going to make a couple adjustments to make our window a little bit bigger, and the whole SCAG Power Equipment team will be something to be feared.”
Dave Richards qualified No. 9 in Funny Car with a 3.924-second pass at 327.66 mph. Richards faced Alexis DeJoria in the opening round and posted a .104 reaction time, while DeJoria left with a .075. Richards went up in smoke early and clicked it off, recording a 5.358 at 135.63 mph. DeJoria posted a 3.927 at 328.14 mph to advance.
“Not the results we wanted first round,” Richards said. “We stayed Monday to make a couple test laps to be ready for Indy. I’m still super confident and excited for the future and for the next race with this team. We’re really progressing well, and it’s been an amazing weekend here with another packed SCAG tent as well as all the military members still coming and signing these cars.”
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action September 2-7 for the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
