EPPING, N.H. (June 08, 2026) — SCAG Racing wrapped up the NHRA New England Nationals with a tough outing as all four cars ran into early trouble in Sunday eliminations. After a solid effort in qualifying, the team couldn’t quite turn it into round wins, but will regroup quickly with Bristol up next.
Justin Ashley qualified No. 8 in Top Fuel after posting a 3.780-second pass at 309.77 mph. Ashley lined up against No. 9 qualifier Clay Millican in the opening round of eliminations. Both drivers encountered tire smoke and were forced to pedal their cars, but Ashley was unable to recover as his SCAG Power Equipment dragster got out of the groove and crossed the center line. Millican advanced with a 4.441-second run at 265.06 mph, while Ashley recorded a 5.068 at 156.99 mph.
“Throughout the course of a 20-race season, there are going to be ups and downs,” Ashley said. “That’s the nature of the sport. The key is to stay even-keeled rather than ride the emotional roller coaster, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. We are going to start winning soon. When you surround yourself with good people, good things happen, and everything will come together. I love our guys and I love this team. Thank you to everyone at SCAG Power Equipment, KPM, and all the great Northeast fans. We are grateful for your support.”
Dave Richards qualified No. 9 in his Bluebird Turf Funny Car with a 3.974-second pass at 331.53 mph. Richards was slated to face No. 8 qualifier Chad Green in the opening round of eliminations, but the team encountered a mechanical issue at the starting line and was unable to get the car fired. As a result, Green advanced by default and went on to post a 3.951-second run at 319.07 mph.
“Not how we wanted first round to go today,” said Richards. “We made a decent run in qualifying and showed some potential, but we just made a mistake and weren’t where we needed to be for eliminations. Sometimes these things happen in drag racing. We’ll figure out what went wrong, reset, and move on to Bristol. I’ve got a great group of guys behind me and really appreciate all the support from SCAG Power Equipment and our partners. We’ll be ready to bounce back.”
Daniel Wilkerson qualified No. 11 in his SCAG Power Equipment Ford Funny Car with a 3.988-second pass at 320.20 mph. Matched up against No. 6 qualifier Ron Capps in the opening round of eliminations, Wilkerson’s SCAG Power Equipment Ford Mustang lost traction immediately off the starting line and smoked the tires. Capps drove to a 3.948-second run at 324.05 mph, defeating Wilkerson’s 8.349-second pass at 119.34 mph.
“Well, today sucked,” Wilkerson said. “But when I got my firesuit off and walked outside our pit, there was a huge group of fans waiting for autographs and pictures. That kind of puts things in perspective. I’ve got a great group of guys in the pits and excellent support from SCAG Power Equipment, Summit Racing Equipment, and Ford Racing. We’ll get our heads out of the clouds and bring it to them in Bristol.”
Will Smith and the Bluebird Turf Top Fuel team qualified No. 13 with a 3.848-second pass at 326.48 mph. Smith faced No. 4 qualifier Doug Kalitta in the first round of eliminations. Smith lost traction early in the run and smoked the tires, slowing to a 6.911-second pass at 88.56 mph. Kalitta advanced with a 3.747-second run at 333.16 mph.
“Obviously, not the result we were looking for as we smoked the tires in the opening round today,” Smith said. “The good news is that our BlueBird Turf team continues to make progress. We’ve won rounds the last couple of races, and we’re building a stronger foundation every time we roll up to the starting line. Sometimes the scoreboard doesn’t show all the work that’s happening behind the scenes, but I’m proud of the effort from everyone on our team. We had a great group of dealers, customers, and guests here with us this weekend, and we appreciate all of their support. We’re going to take what we learned, keep working, and get ready for Bristol next week. The momentum we’ve been building is still there, and I’m confident we’ll turn it into bigger results in Bristol.”
The SCAG Power Equipment and Bluebird Turf teams will regroup and focus their efforts on next weekend’s NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee, where the first three-race swing of the 2026 season will conclude.
