GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 9, 2026) — The 2026 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season opened this weekend at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. The four-car SCAG Racing lineup saw Daniel Wilkerson advance to the second round of eliminations, while Justin Ashley and Dave Richards suffered first-round exits. Will Smith narrowly missed the field and did not qualify for Sunday eliminations.
Wilkerson and the SCAG Power Equipment Ford Mustang Funny Car qualified No. 7 after posting a strong 3.961-second pass at 323.19 mph during a nighttime Q2 session on Friday. That effort paired him with No. 10 qualifier Hunter Green in the opening round. Wilkerson held a slight advantage at the starting line with a .078-second reaction time and powered down the track to a 4.027-second run at 317.79 mph, advancing to the second round after Green lost a cylinder. In round two, Wilkerson faced JR Todd but lost a cylinder during the run and could not keep pace. Wilkerson posted a 4.154-second pass at 267.43 mph to Todd’s 4.033-second run at 326.95 mph, ending his weekend.
“As usual, the SCAG Power Equipment team had a phenomenal car in the heat on Saturday so I was very excited for the first race day of the season,” said Wilkerson. “We didn’t quite show our full hand first round. We kind of chickened out with the sun peeking out of the clouds, so I really thought we had something for them the rest of the day. Unfortunately, when you put nitro in the tank, sometimes these things are unpredictable. I’m still excited because it seems like we picked up right where we left off at the end of last year. It was also great getting to spend time with all the SCAG dealers who came out this weekend and support what we’re doing. Can’t wait to get to Phoenix.”
Ashley and the SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel dragster qualified No. 11 with a 3.762-second pass at 334.73 mph during the opening qualifying session on Friday. He faced No. 6 qualifier Doug Kalitta in the first round of eliminations. Ashley left the starting line first, but both dragsters lost traction early in the run. Ashley was unable to recover while Kalitta managed to inch ahead for the win. Ashley crossed the finish line in 4.586 seconds at 221.27 mph to Kalitta’s 4.338-second pass at 237.96 mph.
“I’m really proud of our entire team,” Ashley said. “We made meaningful progress with our program and I’m grateful for the hard work everyone continues to put in. Our guys are the best in the business and they never stop pushing. Of course we didn’t get the result we were hoping for today, but there’s a lot to be encouraged about. We’re learning, we’re improving, and most importantly, we appreciate all the support we received throughout the weekend from each and every SCAG dealer in attendance.”
Richards and the BlueBird Turf / Versatran Funny Car team entered race day from the No. 15 qualifying position after sneaking into the field with a 4.127-second pass at 320.28 mph during the final qualifying session on Friday. He faced No. 2 qualifier JR Todd in the opening round but ran into trouble early in the run, slowing to a 5.788-second pass at 133.24 mph as Todd advanced with a 4.509-second pass at 268.49 mph.
“It was good just getting the BlueBird Turf / Versatran car into the show, but obviously we wanted to do more on Sunday,” Richards said. “We had a tough draw against JR Todd and ran into issues early in the run. This team never stops working, and there’s a lot of determination here. I had a great time with Florida Outdoor’s SCAG dealers this weekend. We’ll regroup and come back stronger in Phoenix.”
Smith, driving the BlueBird Turf Top Fuel machine in his first full-time season, landed the No. 18 qualifying position with a 4.248-second run at 228.15 mph and did not advance into Sunday’s elimination rounds.
“Missing the field is never the result we want, but this was still a valuable weekend for my team and me,” Smith said. “Every run down the track is experience, and I’m learning a lot from this SCAG Racing team. The goal is to keep improving each race, and I’m confident we’ll get this Top Fuel car where it needs to be. All in all, it was a great debut weekend with all of the SCAG dealers at the track supporting us.”
The SCAG Racing teams will now shift their focus to the next stop on the 2026 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series schedule, March 20–22 at Firebird Motorsports Park for the NHRA Arizona Nationals.
