SONOMA, Calif. (July 19, 2026) — Daniel Wilkerson and his SCAG Power Equipment Funny Car team turned in one of their strongest performances of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season so far on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, driving the Ford Mustang Funny Car to a runner-up finish to lead SCAG Racing at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
Wilkerson qualified No. 3 with a 3.899-second pass at 327.66 mph before putting together an impressive race day that included the quickest reaction times in Funny Car eliminations and victories over Hunter Green, Spencer Hyde and Jack Beckman to advance to the final round.
In the first round, Wilkerson posted a 3.945-second pass at 324.90 mph with a class-best .053-second reaction time. Green left early and red-lit, giving Wilkerson the win from the starting line. Wilkerson followed that with a 4.255 at 217.88 mph to defeat Spencer Hyde’s 4.327 at 250.92 mph in the second round before surviving a tire-smoking semifinal matchup against Jack Beckman. Wilkerson expertly pedaled his SCAG Power Equipment Ford Mustang to a 5.159 at 299.33 mph while Beckman crossed the stripe in 5.793 seconds at 205.19 mph, sending Wilkerson to his second final round of the season. Facing Jordan Vandergriff in the final, Wilkerson left first once again with a .057 reaction time but came up just short, running 3.950 at 301.33 mph to Vandergriff’s 3.900 at 330.72 mph.
“Today was another phenomenal day for this team,” said Wilkerson. “After the struggles we went through at the beginning of the year, it felt really good to get four rounds in today even if the end didn’t come out like we wanted. We happen to be going to a place that Tim Wilkerson’s pretty good at racing at. So I don’t like anyone else’s chances at Seattle either. Very appreciative of everyone at Metalcraft of Mayville that’s stuck behind us through our struggles. I think we’re gonna make them proud in the back half of this year.”
Justin Ashley qualified No. 11 in Top Fuel with a 3.799-second pass at 320.74 mph and faced No. 4 qualifier Tony Stewart in the first round of eliminations. Ashley delivered the quickest reaction time of the entire Top Fuel field on race day with a .035 light. Ashley crossed the finish line in 3.826 seconds at 320.74 mph, but Stewart’s 3.712-second run at 336.91 mph was enough to advance.
“We’re disappointed we fell short in the first round, but there’s a lot to feel good about leaving Sonoma,” said Ashley. “We made three consistent runs down the racetrack. That’s important for us. Now we can take this information and tinker with it to get us where we’d like to be. There are three races before the countdown. It’s critical that we use this time to get our Scag Power Equipment dragster running well when it matters most. That’s our goal for all of the SCAG dealers, distributors, and employees who support us.”
Dave Richards qualified his Bluebird Turf Funny Car No. 11 with a 3.966-second pass at 329.50 mph and was set to face No. 6 qualifier Spencer Hyde in the first round. After completing his burnout, Richards’ Funny Car was unable to engage a gear, resulting in a timeout before he could stage. Hyde advanced by default.
“This one definitely stings because our Bluebird Turf team had a race car capable of making some noise today,” said Richards. “Sometimes this sport throws things at you that are completely out of your control, and unfortunately today it happened at the worst possible time. I hate it for everyone on this team because they work incredibly hard, along with all of our SCAG dealers who were here supporting us all weekend. We’ll put this behind us, get back to work, and show up in Seattle ready to race.”
Top Fuel rookie Will Smith qualified No. 13 with a 3.840-second pass at 326.32 mph and was scheduled to race No. 2 qualifier Shawn Langdon in the opening round. However, an ignition issue developed Sunday morning in the pits, forcing the Bluebird Turf team into a frantic thrash that ultimately included an engine change. Despite the team’s efforts and assistance from teammates across the SCAG Racing organization, Smith was unable to make the call for first-round eliminations, allowing Langdon to advance.
“Tough day here in Sonoma,” said Smith. “Unfortunately, we missed first round this morning after chasing an ignition issue that developed in the pits. Our Bluebird Turf team worked relentlessly trying to diagnose the problem, and when we made the decision to swap engines at the last minute, we simply ran out of time.
“It’s a huge disappointment because everyone on this team pours their heart into giving us the best chance to compete. I can’t thank our entire Bluebird Turf crew enough for never giving up, and a big thank you to all of our SCAG Racing teammates who dropped what they were doing to come help us thrash. That’s what being part of this SCAG organization is all about. To all of our SCAG dealers, customers, and fans who came out to Sonoma, I’m truly sorry we weren’t able to put on a show for you. We appreciate all of your support, and we are proud to have you on the team.
“We’ll take what we learned, regroup, and get ready for Seattle in a few days. We’ll be back.”
SCAG Racing now heads directly to Pacific Raceways for the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals, where the team will look to build on Wilkerson’s runner-up finish and carry its momentum into the second race of the Western Swing.
