POMONA, Calif. (April 12, 2026)— SCAG Racing closed out the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip with a runner-up finish from Justin Ashley and the SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel Team after a race day full of delays.
Entering Sunday eliminations from the No. 9 qualifying spot with a 3.826-second pass at 327.98 mph, Ashley and his SCAG Power Equipment team faced rookie Top Fuel driver Maddi Gordon, who qualified No. 8, in the opening round. Ashley led the race from the start with a .025-second reaction time, crossing the finish line in 3.714 seconds at 332.43 mph to defeat Gordon’s 3.744-second pass at 334.15 mph.
Carrying that momentum into the second round, Ashley defeated No. 1 qualifier Leah Pruett with a holeshot win after another .025-second reaction time, clocking a 3.720-second run at 336.07 mph to Pruett’s quicker 3.703-second effort at 334.73 mph.
Staying consistent in the semifinals against Doug Kalitta, Ashley posted his third .025 reaction time of the day. In a side-by-side 3.705-second race, Ashley secured another holeshot victory to advance to the final round.
Lining up against Tony Stewart from the opposite side of the ladder in the final round, Ashley made a strong 3.714-second pass at 328.54 mph but fell just short to Stewart’s 3.683-second winning run at 332.51 mph.
“This weekend we took a few major steps in the right direction,” said Ashley. “The thing that makes me happiest is seeing the hard work come to fruition for our SCAG guys. They deserve to see a few win lights so I’m glad we were able to do that today. Our expectation is always to win the race so it’s okay to be a little disappointed when it’s so close. But that’s the competitive nature of what we do. We’re already looking forward to getting back at it again in Charlotte. A special thanks to everyone at SCAG Racing, SCAG Power Equipment, Metalcraft, and BlueBird Turf for all that you do.”
Will Smith and his BlueBird Top Fuel team qualified No. 10 with a 3.870-second pass at 322.42 mph, setting up a first-round matchup with No. 7 qualifier Tony Stewart. With several full 1,000-foot passes under their belt, Smith and the team entered race day with added confidence. Smith had the advantage at the starting line with a .029 reaction time to Stewart’s .055, but lost traction around the 660-foot mark. Stewart went on to win with a 3.726-second run at 327.11 mph to Smith’s 4.209-second effort at 224.14 mph.
“Overall, it was a solid weekend for us here in Pomona,” explained Smith. “We would’ve liked to advance past the first round, but there’s a lot to be encouraged by. We made significant progress, and the car is really starting to come around. We put up some strong early numbers during E1, and we’re going to keep building on that momentum. It was also great having SCAG dealers and Pace out here supporting us. Looking ahead to Charlotte, we’re excited about the direction we’re heading. Proud of the effort from this team. Everyone continues to put in the work, and we’re going to keep pushing forward and getting better each time out!”
Daniel Wilkerson and the SCAG Power Equipment Ford Funny Car team secured their spot in the 16-car field during the final qualifying session on Saturday, landing in the No. 14 position with a 4.073-second run at 288.70 mph. Wilkerson faced No. 3 qualifier Jordan Vandergriff in the first round of eliminations. He won the starting line battle with a .064 reaction time to Vandergriff’s .079 but was unable to maintain the lead. Vandergriff advanced with a 3.894-second run at 334.57 mph to Wilkerson’s 4.841-second pass at 185.61 mph.
“If it isn’t one thing it is another,” said Wilkerson. “We got our motor figured out this morning and now we are definitely fighting with our new clutch package. First round was the first time we have seen really good track conditions for a while and we just have to make different moves in Charlotte. We did have a blast with a ton of great people from Pace this weekend watching my hero Justin Ashley go rounds today. Hopefully we can join him at Charlotte.”
Dave Richards and the BlueBird Funny Car team qualified No. 10 with a 4.010-second pass at 317.19 mph, pairing them with No. 7 qualifier Alexis DeJoria in the opening round. Richards lost traction early and finished with a 6.818-second run at 105.00 mph, while DeJoria advanced with a 3.906-second pass at 330.07 mph.
“Pomona didn’t go the way we wanted, but that’s part of the game,” said Richards. “We had a solid car in qualifying and felt good going into race day, but we just missed it on that first run and smoked the tires early. Having SCAG dealers and the Pace team here this weekend was special, they are always great support and that means a lot to us. The BlueBird team is working hard and we’re continuing to make gains every weekend. There’s a lot of potential here, and we’re focused on putting a full race day together in Charlotte. I’m proud of the effort from this group, and we’ll come back stronger.”
Following a progressive weekend, the four-car SCAG Racing team now turns its attention to the next event on the 2026 Mission Foods NHRA schedule: the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Concord, North Carolina.
The post JUSTIN ASHLEY DRIVES SCAG RACING TO FINAL ROUND AT NHRA WINTERNATIONALS appeared first on Justin Ashley Racing.
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Entering Sunday eliminations from the No. 9 qualifying spot with a 3.826-second pass at 327.98 mph, Ashley and his SCAG Power Equipment team faced rookie Top Fuel driver Maddi Gordon, who qualified No. 8, in the opening round. Ashley led the race from the start with a .025-second reaction time, crossing the finish line in 3.714 seconds at 332.43 mph to defeat Gordon’s 3.744-second pass at 334.15 mph.
Carrying that momentum into the second round, Ashley defeated No. 1 qualifier Leah Pruett with a holeshot win after another .025-second reaction time, clocking a 3.720-second run at 336.07 mph to Pruett’s quicker 3.703-second effort at 334.73 mph.
Staying consistent in the semifinals against Doug Kalitta, Ashley posted his third .025 reaction time of the day. In a side-by-side 3.705-second race, Ashley secured another holeshot victory to advance to the final round.
Lining up against Tony Stewart from the opposite side of the ladder in the final round, Ashley made a strong 3.714-second pass at 328.54 mph but fell just short to Stewart’s 3.683-second winning run at 332.51 mph.
“This weekend we took a few major steps in the right direction,” said Ashley. “The thing that makes me happiest is seeing the hard work come to fruition for our SCAG guys. They deserve to see a few win lights so I’m glad we were able to do that today. Our expectation is always to win the race so it’s okay to be a little disappointed when it’s so close. But that’s the competitive nature of what we do. We’re already looking forward to getting back at it again in Charlotte. A special thanks to everyone at SCAG Racing, SCAG Power Equipment, Metalcraft, and BlueBird Turf for all that you do.”
Will Smith and his BlueBird Top Fuel team qualified No. 10 with a 3.870-second pass at 322.42 mph, setting up a first-round matchup with No. 7 qualifier Tony Stewart. With several full 1,000-foot passes under their belt, Smith and the team entered race day with added confidence. Smith had the advantage at the starting line with a .029 reaction time to Stewart’s .055, but lost traction around the 660-foot mark. Stewart went on to win with a 3.726-second run at 327.11 mph to Smith’s 4.209-second effort at 224.14 mph.
“Overall, it was a solid weekend for us here in Pomona,” explained Smith. “We would’ve liked to advance past the first round, but there’s a lot to be encouraged by. We made significant progress, and the car is really starting to come around. We put up some strong early numbers during E1, and we’re going to keep building on that momentum. It was also great having SCAG dealers and Pace out here supporting us. Looking ahead to Charlotte, we’re excited about the direction we’re heading. Proud of the effort from this team. Everyone continues to put in the work, and we’re going to keep pushing forward and getting better each time out!”
Daniel Wilkerson and the SCAG Power Equipment Ford Funny Car team secured their spot in the 16-car field during the final qualifying session on Saturday, landing in the No. 14 position with a 4.073-second run at 288.70 mph. Wilkerson faced No. 3 qualifier Jordan Vandergriff in the first round of eliminations. He won the starting line battle with a .064 reaction time to Vandergriff’s .079 but was unable to maintain the lead. Vandergriff advanced with a 3.894-second run at 334.57 mph to Wilkerson’s 4.841-second pass at 185.61 mph.
“If it isn’t one thing it is another,” said Wilkerson. “We got our motor figured out this morning and now we are definitely fighting with our new clutch package. First round was the first time we have seen really good track conditions for a while and we just have to make different moves in Charlotte. We did have a blast with a ton of great people from Pace this weekend watching my hero Justin Ashley go rounds today. Hopefully we can join him at Charlotte.”
Dave Richards and the BlueBird Funny Car team qualified No. 10 with a 4.010-second pass at 317.19 mph, pairing them with No. 7 qualifier Alexis DeJoria in the opening round. Richards lost traction early and finished with a 6.818-second run at 105.00 mph, while DeJoria advanced with a 3.906-second pass at 330.07 mph.
“Pomona didn’t go the way we wanted, but that’s part of the game,” said Richards. “We had a solid car in qualifying and felt good going into race day, but we just missed it on that first run and smoked the tires early. Having SCAG dealers and the Pace team here this weekend was special, they are always great support and that means a lot to us. The BlueBird team is working hard and we’re continuing to make gains every weekend. There’s a lot of potential here, and we’re focused on putting a full race day together in Charlotte. I’m proud of the effort from this group, and we’ll come back stronger.”
Following a progressive weekend, the four-car SCAG Racing team now turns its attention to the next event on the 2026 Mission Foods NHRA schedule: the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Concord, North Carolina.
The post JUSTIN ASHLEY DRIVES SCAG RACING TO FINAL ROUND AT NHRA WINTERNATIONALS appeared first on Justin Ashley Racing.
Continue reading...
