Dave Richards Racing
DAVE RICHARDS AND BLUEBIRD TURF / VERSATRAN FORD MUSTANG SET FOR NHRA READING NATIONALS
INDIANAPOLIS – Dave Richards and the BlueBird Turf / Versatran Ford Mustang Funny Car team are ready to take on the crown jewel of 
the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park this weekend.
Richards is heading into the weekend with momentum and confidence after a productive test session following a No. 16 qualifying effort and first round exit to multi-time champion and veteran racer Jack Beckman at Brainerd International Raceway.
“I’m feeling really confident heading into this weekend’s U.S. Nationals,” Richards said. “We’ve been putting in a lot of work this year. We had a successful test session following Brainerd that has the whole team excited for the Big Go. We made four passes with three planned early shutoffs. Our early numbers were great, so I think we can look forward to some quality and consistency very soon.” Continue reading
JUSTIN ASHLEY AND SCAG TOYOTA WIN NHRA U.S. NATIONALS
INDIANAPOLIS – Justin Ashley and the SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel dragster team rallied to a dominate victory Sunday at the 
Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. It is Ashley’s first win at the ‘Big Go’, third of the 2025 season and 18th of his career. He wins the regular season finale 18 years after his father Mike Ashley won the prestigious event in Funny Car.
“I think I’m still processing everything. I’ve dreamed about this moment over and over and over again, and then to actually live it right now right here is truly special. you know, when you win Indy it’s just something that nobody can take away from you. The fact that my father won here 18 years ago and to have him here now and to win this event in Top Fuel, it really is special,” Ashley said. “It’s just different than any other race. I tried to do my best all day to just treat it as another race, because that probably is really the only thing you can do and not get caught up in the moment, but now, to step back, and to actually get that victory, you realize how truly incredible it actually is.”
Facing motorsports legend and regular season Top Fuel champion Tony Stewart in his sixth final of the season, Ashley, known for his exceptional skill on the Christmas tree, had a .027-second reaction time with a 3.839-second pass at 326.16 mph to defeat Stewart’s 3.815 pass at 321.88 and a .053 reaction time. Continue reading
DAVE RICHARDS AND BLUEBIRD TURF / VERSATRAN POSITIONED FOR SUCCESS AT NHRA U.S. NATIONALS
INDIANAPOLIS – Dave Richards and the BlueBird Turf / Versatran Ford Mustang Funny Car team are ready to take on the crown jewel of 
the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park this weekend.
Richards is heading into the weekend with momentum and confidence after a productive test session following a No. 16 qualifying effort and first round exit to multi-time champion and veteran racer Jack Beckman at Brainerd International Raceway.
“I’m feeling really confident heading into this weekend’s U.S. Nationals,” Richards said. “We’ve been putting in a lot of work this year. We had a successful test session following Brainerd that has the whole team excited for the Big Go. We made four passes with three planned early shutoffs. Our early numbers were great, so I think we can look forward to some quality and consistency very soon.” Continue reading
DANIEL WILKERSON AND SCAG MUSTANG HAVE QUARTERFINAL FINISH TO LEAD SCAG RACING AT BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
BRAINERD, MN – Daniel Wilkerson and the SCAG Power Equipment Ford Mustang team went to the quarterfinals Sunday at the Lucas Oil 
NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway. Teammates Dave Richards in the BlueBird Turf / Versatran Ford Mustang Funny Car and Justin Ashley in the SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel dragster each had first round exits.
Wilkerson and the SCAG Ford Mustang team started their day from the No. 9 qualifying spot thanks to a 3.934-second pass at 324.75 mph. Wilkerson lined up against Ford Performance teammate Bob Tasca III in the first round.
Wilkerson left the starting line first and never trailed rallying to his quickest pass of the weekend at 3.919-seconds at 332.34 mph for the win while Tasca III ran into tire smoke and had to shut off for a 4.780 at 180.04.
In the semifinal round, Wilkerson matched with veteran and former world champion Jack Beckman. The race was decided at the starting line with Wilkerson going -.013 red giving Beckman, who ran into tire smoke at the hit and coasted to a 7.659-second pass at 83.86 mph, the victory. Continue reading
DAVE RICHARDS AND BLUEBIRD TURF / VERSATRAN TEAM AIM HIGH AT BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
BRAINERD, MN – Dave Richards and his BlueBird Turf / Versatran Ford Mustang Funny Car team are ready to make their mark at this weekend’s Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.
Coming off a productive outing at the specialty Night Under Fire event in Norwalk, Ohio, Richards is eager to harness recent data and push his 12,000-horsepower BlueBird Turf machine toward a breakthrough performance. Richards and his team, in only their second full-time season, have their sights set on a top 10 points finish as the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series nears the Countdown to the Championship.
“Night Under Fire was an awesome event and more importantly, we were able to make four laps and learned some valuable information that we will use moving forward,” Richards said. “We’ll keep at it. We plan to test on Monday after Brainerd so looking forward to extra laps to hit the U.S. Nationals in stride. Our goal, get into the top 10.” Continue reading
SCAG RACING TO BRING TOP FUEL AND FUNNY CAR FIREPOWER TO NIGHT UNDER FIRE EXTRAVAGANZA
NORWALK, Ohio (Aug. 1, 2025) – SCAG Racing drivers Justin Ashley, Daniel Wilkerson, and Dave Richards are set to electrify the crowd at the Cornwell Tools Night Under Fire at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park this weekend.
The star-studded event, renowned for its high-energy racing and spectacular post-race fireworks, will feature Ashley in his SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel dragster, Wilkerson in his SCAG Power Equipment Ford Mustang Funny Car, and Richards in his BlueBird Turf / Versatran Ford Mustang Funny Car, all aiming to thrill nearly 40,000 fans while fine-tuning their programs for the continuation of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
Justin Ashley, currently third in the NHRA Top Fuel points with two wins in five final round appearances, including the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals competed at Summit Motorsports Park just a month ago, is no stranger to Night Under Fire’s electric atmosphere. Continue reading
JUSTIN ASHLEY AND SCAG TOYOTA HAVE QUARTERFINAL FINISH AT SONOMA NATIONALS
SONOMA, CA – Justin Ashley and the SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel dragster team led SCAG Racing with a quarterfinal finish Sunday at the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway. Funny Car teammates Dave Richards in the BlueBird / Versatran Ford Mustang and Daniel Wilkerson in the SCAG Ford Mustang exited in the first round.
Ashley and the SCAG Toyota team entered eliminations in the No. 8 spot off a 3.741-second pass at 332.43 mph setting them up for a first-round race against veteran Clay Millican. Ashley, known for his quick and consistent reaction times, picked up the win on a holeshot. His .035-second reaction time and 3.750-second pass at 331.04 mph was enough to defeat Millican’s .079 reaction time and 3.718 pass at 331.04.
In the quarterfinals, Ashley lined up against reigning world champion Antron Brown. It was a clean drag race with Ashley finishing in 3.817 seconds at 322.42 mph, but it wouldn’t be enough for Brown’s 3.740 at 336.15. Continue reading
DAVE RICHARDS AND VERSATRAN/BLUEBIRD FUNNY CAR TEAM AIM TO BUILD ON PROGRESS AT NHRA SONOMA NATIONALS
SONOMA, CA – Funny Car driver Dave Richards and his BlueBird / Versatran Ford Mustang Funny Car team are ready to hit scenic Sonoma 
Raceway for this weekend’s Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
As part of the SCAG Racing team and only in his second year racing full-time, Richards is building on a season of growth and learning, aiming to capitalize on the fast conditions at one of the NHRA’s premier tracks. In 2024, Richards made his Sonoma debut, qualifying 12th with a 4.012-second pass at 307.09 mph but fell in the first round to teammate Daniel Wilkerson. Despite the early exit, the team earned the Never Rest Award for their efforts in preparing the car after a mechanical failure in Seattle.
“I’m excited to get back to Sonoma. Last year was my first time ever being there; it’s a great facility, and the conditions can be perfect,” Richards said. “It’s going to be fast, especially that Friday night session, and I hope we capitalize on it. It’s such a great place to race. Like I’ve been saying, we’re building up our program, and we will continue to improve. We’re learning and building data, implementing what we learn, and keeping our heads up. It’s a process, but it’s coming around.” Continue reading
SCAG RACING WRAPS NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS WITH QUARTERFINAL APPEARANCES
KENT, WA – The Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways wrapped for the three-car SCAG Racing team 
with two quarterfinal appearances for Justin Ashley in his SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel team and Daniel Wilkerson in his SCAG Ford Mustang Funny Car team while Dave Richards and the BlueBird Turf Funny Car had a first round exit to his teammate.
Daniel Wilkerson started race day from the No. 5 spot on a 3.926-second pass at 327.51 mph setting him up with a first-round match up against No. 12 qualifier and teammate Dave Richards who made it in the show off a 4.026 at 311.05 on Saturday night. Wilkerson would have a clean pass to go 3.909 at 325.37 mph while the BlueBird Turf machine ran into issues to go 5.613 at 136.36.
“It was great weekend having all my family at the track. Our relatives from Canada came down, my wife and girls were here, it was great,” Richards said. “It felt great qualifying on that last run on Saturday, a little more suspenseful than I think we would have liked but it all worked out. We’re still working hard on our tune-up and our program but it’s all coming along. It’s going to start clicking real soon and I’m really looking forward to it.” Continue reading
DAVE RICHARDS AND BLUEBIRD TURF TEAM SET SIGHTS ON NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS
KENT, WA – Funny Car veteran Dave Richards and his BlueBird Turf / Versatran Ford Mustang Funny Car team are looking to make some 
fond memories at this weekends on Pacific Raceways at this weekend’s Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals.
After a two-week hiatus, Richards is eager to return to the track and build on the team’s ongoing pursuit of consistency. In his second full season driving the BlueBird / Versatran machine for SCAG Racing, Richards is looking to replace the memory of last year’s first round loss.
“I’m excited to get back on the track. Two weeks off seems like an eternity. Definitely looking to redeem ourselves from the wall incident last year at Pacific Raceways,” said Richards referencing his Funny Car smoking the tires and making an abrupt right turn into the wall during the first round of eliminations in 2024. “We’ve come a long way since then, a long way. I’m proud of this team. We’ve kept it together, worked hard, and it’s paying off—we see it in the little things. Now it’s about getting that to translate and come together on the racetrack.” Continue reading
