KENT, Wash. (July 27, 2026) — SCAG Racing wrapped up the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways with a Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory by Daniel Wilkerson on Saturday and a pair of first-round victories during Sunday’s eliminations from Justin Ashley and Dave Richards.
The weekend also marked another successful stop for SCAG Racing’s “Simply The Brave” program as veterans and active-duty military members visited the team’s pits to sign the patriotic race cars and share their stories with the drivers and crews. Following the incredible response from fans and service members alike, SCAG Racing will continue running the military-themed wraps through the NHRA Nationals at the Rock in Rockingham, North Carolina.
Ashley led the SCAG Racing Top Fuel lineup with a first-round win over No. 4 qualifier Shawn Langdon after qualifying No. 13 with a 3.752-second pass at 333.25 mph. Ashley left first with a .042 reaction time and drove to a 3.732-second pass at 334.07 mph to defeat Langdon’s 4.259 at 190.16 mph. In the quarterfinals, Ashley again showcased his starting line power with the quickest Top Fuel reaction time of race day, a .040 light, but came up short against Leah Pruett running a 3.806 at 307.58 mph to Pruett’s 3.692 at 330.80 mph.
“There’s a lot of positives to come out of this weekend,” said Ashley. “The car has been consistent and our round one win taught us a few things. We’ll work on stacking a few more of those as we get closer the countdown. I am loving this team and all that we have the opportunity be a part of both on and off the racetrack. We’re all very much looking forward to Brainerd. We’ll race there and test Monday. Thanks to all of Scag Nation and our Scag Racing partners for everything that you do.”
Richards qualified No. 14 with a 4.083-second pass at 320.28 mph before pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the opening round. Richards left with a .116 reaction time and drove his Bluebird Turf Funny Car to a 4.540 at 269.89 mph to defeat No. 3 qualifier Alexis DeJoria, who smoked the tires and slowed to a 7.125 at 90.01 mph. Richards’ day ended in the quarterfinals after tire smoke forced him to coast to a 6.726 at 95.23 mph against Prock’s 4.065 at 270.48 mph.
“It was amazing for our entire team to get the first round win today,” said Richards. “We missed it in round two but we’ll be ready come Brainerd. It’s been another amazing weekend with our Simply The Brave program. It’s been great to see all of the veterans and hear their stories. A highlight of my weekend was getting to give a mower to my honorary crew chief. I’m so blessed to be able to be apart of a team that can give back.”
Fresh off his Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Funny Car Challenge victory on Saturday, Wilkerson qualified sixth with a 3.924-second run at 327.98 mph. Facing reigning world champion Austin Prock in first round, Wilkerson gained the starting line advantage with a .064 reaction time to Prock’s .067, but both Funny Cars overpowered the track. Wilkerson pedaled his SCAG Power Equipment Ford Mustang to a 6.936 at 120.01 mph, while Prock recovered for a 4.899 at 269.46 mph to advance.
“After our #2Fast2Tasty win, we had a lot of confidence going into race day,” said Wilkerson. “Unfortunately, we thought the racetrack was a little better than it actually was. To add insult to injury, as I was peddling the car, I got it to recover, but we wound up breaking some stuff in the process. Not my best job but, we’ve got a good race car to take to Brainerd, and I see no reason why we can’t be a pain in their butts there. I’m proud to be part of this SCAG Racing team.”
Smith continued to build momentum in his rookie Top Fuel campaign, qualifying No. 12 with a career-best 3.742-second pass at 330.88 mph. Matched up against No. 5 qualifier Leah Pruett in the opening round, Smith left the line with a .044 reaction time before the Bluebird Turf dragster encountered tire shake. Smith pedaled the car to a 4.444 at 307.51 mph but was unable to chase down Pruett’s 4.403 at 261.07 mph.
“We shook the tires in the first round, and I pedaled it and got it to recover nicely, but we just came up a little short,” said Smith. “That’s racing. The encouraging part is that we’re continuing to make real progress, and we’re leaving Seattle with a new career-best ET. The car has responded well to the changes we’ve been making, and it’s exciting to see all of the hard work starting to pay off.
“One of the highlights of the weekend was having so many veterans and active-duty military members stop by to sign our Simply the Brave car. Thank you to each and every one of you for your service—it was an honor to meet you and have you be part of our weekend.
“It was also great spending time with SCAG dealers and customers. We are all so thankful for all of you and what you do for us, and we are proud to have you all on the team!
“We’re headed in the right direction, and I’m looking forward to getting back on track at the next one.”
SCAG Racing will return to action Aug. 13-16 at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, the final event before the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship begins.
The post SCAG RACING CLOSES OUT WESTERN SWING AT NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS appeared first on Justin Ashley Racing.
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The weekend also marked another successful stop for SCAG Racing’s “Simply The Brave” program as veterans and active-duty military members visited the team’s pits to sign the patriotic race cars and share their stories with the drivers and crews. Following the incredible response from fans and service members alike, SCAG Racing will continue running the military-themed wraps through the NHRA Nationals at the Rock in Rockingham, North Carolina.
Ashley led the SCAG Racing Top Fuel lineup with a first-round win over No. 4 qualifier Shawn Langdon after qualifying No. 13 with a 3.752-second pass at 333.25 mph. Ashley left first with a .042 reaction time and drove to a 3.732-second pass at 334.07 mph to defeat Langdon’s 4.259 at 190.16 mph. In the quarterfinals, Ashley again showcased his starting line power with the quickest Top Fuel reaction time of race day, a .040 light, but came up short against Leah Pruett running a 3.806 at 307.58 mph to Pruett’s 3.692 at 330.80 mph.
“There’s a lot of positives to come out of this weekend,” said Ashley. “The car has been consistent and our round one win taught us a few things. We’ll work on stacking a few more of those as we get closer the countdown. I am loving this team and all that we have the opportunity be a part of both on and off the racetrack. We’re all very much looking forward to Brainerd. We’ll race there and test Monday. Thanks to all of Scag Nation and our Scag Racing partners for everything that you do.”
Richards qualified No. 14 with a 4.083-second pass at 320.28 mph before pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the opening round. Richards left with a .116 reaction time and drove his Bluebird Turf Funny Car to a 4.540 at 269.89 mph to defeat No. 3 qualifier Alexis DeJoria, who smoked the tires and slowed to a 7.125 at 90.01 mph. Richards’ day ended in the quarterfinals after tire smoke forced him to coast to a 6.726 at 95.23 mph against Prock’s 4.065 at 270.48 mph.
“It was amazing for our entire team to get the first round win today,” said Richards. “We missed it in round two but we’ll be ready come Brainerd. It’s been another amazing weekend with our Simply The Brave program. It’s been great to see all of the veterans and hear their stories. A highlight of my weekend was getting to give a mower to my honorary crew chief. I’m so blessed to be able to be apart of a team that can give back.”
Fresh off his Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Funny Car Challenge victory on Saturday, Wilkerson qualified sixth with a 3.924-second run at 327.98 mph. Facing reigning world champion Austin Prock in first round, Wilkerson gained the starting line advantage with a .064 reaction time to Prock’s .067, but both Funny Cars overpowered the track. Wilkerson pedaled his SCAG Power Equipment Ford Mustang to a 6.936 at 120.01 mph, while Prock recovered for a 4.899 at 269.46 mph to advance.
“After our #2Fast2Tasty win, we had a lot of confidence going into race day,” said Wilkerson. “Unfortunately, we thought the racetrack was a little better than it actually was. To add insult to injury, as I was peddling the car, I got it to recover, but we wound up breaking some stuff in the process. Not my best job but, we’ve got a good race car to take to Brainerd, and I see no reason why we can’t be a pain in their butts there. I’m proud to be part of this SCAG Racing team.”
Smith continued to build momentum in his rookie Top Fuel campaign, qualifying No. 12 with a career-best 3.742-second pass at 330.88 mph. Matched up against No. 5 qualifier Leah Pruett in the opening round, Smith left the line with a .044 reaction time before the Bluebird Turf dragster encountered tire shake. Smith pedaled the car to a 4.444 at 307.51 mph but was unable to chase down Pruett’s 4.403 at 261.07 mph.
“We shook the tires in the first round, and I pedaled it and got it to recover nicely, but we just came up a little short,” said Smith. “That’s racing. The encouraging part is that we’re continuing to make real progress, and we’re leaving Seattle with a new career-best ET. The car has responded well to the changes we’ve been making, and it’s exciting to see all of the hard work starting to pay off.
“One of the highlights of the weekend was having so many veterans and active-duty military members stop by to sign our Simply the Brave car. Thank you to each and every one of you for your service—it was an honor to meet you and have you be part of our weekend.
“It was also great spending time with SCAG dealers and customers. We are all so thankful for all of you and what you do for us, and we are proud to have you all on the team!
“We’re headed in the right direction, and I’m looking forward to getting back on track at the next one.”
SCAG Racing will return to action Aug. 13-16 at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, the final event before the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship begins.
The post SCAG RACING CLOSES OUT WESTERN SWING AT NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS appeared first on Justin Ashley Racing.
Continue reading...
