CHANDLER, Ariz. (March 22, 2026) — The second race of the 2026 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season at Firebird Motorsports Park has concluded, with the four-car SCAG Racing team seeing mixed results in the desert heat. Daniel Wilkerson led the way with a quarterfinal finish, while Justin Ashley, Dave Richards, and Will Smith were eliminated in the first round.
Wilkerson and his SCAG Power Equipment Ford Funny Car entered race day from the No. 15 qualifying position after posting a 4.165-second pass at 302.82 mph in the third qualifying session. In round one, he faced No. 2 qualifier Jack Beckman and delivered a strong 4.001-second run at 322.04 mph to defeat Beckman’s 4.021 at 273.88 mph. In the quarterfinals, Wilkerson matched up with No. 7 qualifier Ron Capps. In a close race, Wilkerson fell short with a 4.157-second pass at 307.30 mph to Capps’ 4.144 at 274.39 mph.
“We came into this weekend excited for the hot racetrack because that’s kind of our bag, and we tried a little too hard on the first qualifying run, so we got real chicken on the second run and went back too far,” said Wilkerson. “We were able to identify our mistakes, so I wasn’t worried for Saturday at all. We made a decent run to get in the show, and once you’re in, you can win. We proved that first round by making a really nice run. We thought we could whittle on in the heat and we were darn close, but we had a hole out early and it doomed us, which you’ll have that in this kind of weather. We’ll take our good race car to Pomona and try again. It was great seeing our friends from Pace and hanging with their SCAG dealers.”
Ashley and the SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel team qualified No. 7 with a 3.827-second pass at 327.35 mph from Friday’s second qualifying session, setting up a first-round matchup with No. 10 qualifier Josh Hart. Ashley posted a strong .035 reaction time to take the starting line advantage, but both cars lost traction near 600 feet. Hart recovered first and took the win with a 4.000 at 280.02 mph to Ashley’s 4.115 at 269.03 mph.
“I believe that when you’re focused on the outcome it can often be a distraction from the process,” said Ashley. “Our process is good which means the outcome will follow soon. I’d like to thank our team, the fans, and each SCAG Power Equipment guest who braved the heat to spend time with us this weekend. We are going to test tomorrow and get ourselves ready for a great race in Pomona. Super grateful for everyone’s support.”
Richards and the BlueBird Turf Funny Car qualified No. 11 with a 4.049-second pass at 324.12 mph during Friday’s opening session. He faced No. 6 qualifier Paul Lee in the first round. Richards’ BlueBird Turf machine lost power at half-track, resulting in a 4.672 at 186.05 mph, falling short to Lee’s 3.980 at 323.19 mph.
“Not the outcome we were hoping for today,” said Richards. “The BlueBird Turf car felt solid early in the run, but something let go around half track and that’s just part of this sport sometimes. It’s frustrating because we know we could have a competitive car, especially after qualifying, but we’ll go back, regroup, and come out stronger at the next one. The best part of the weekend was going fast on Friday and spending time with all of the SCAG dealers from Arizona and New Mexico that came out to support us.”
Smith and the BlueBird Turf Top Fuel team qualified No. 14 with a 4.196-second pass at 260.36 mph in Friday’s second session, setting up a first-round matchup with Doug Kalitta. Smith held a .068 reaction time advantage and made a clean, full 1,000-foot pass, clocking a 3.852 at 320.97 mph. However, Kalitta got around Smith with a 3.791-second pass at 331.94 mph.
“Although we didn’t win first round, I feel like we won the race,” said Smith. “I’m so happy for Glen, Scotty, and the entire BlueBird Turf team, as we had a last-minute engine change before round one. These guys have worked so hard and it’s so rewarding for us all to make such a great run and give the World Champ a great race, especially in front of the SCAG dealers.”
The SCAG Racing team now turns its focus to the third stop of the 2026 season, the NHRA Lucas Oil Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Pomona, California, April 9–12.
