ADEL, Ga. (April 30, 2026) — SCAG Racing heads to South Georgia Motorsports Park for this weekend’s NHRA Southern Nationals, marking a historic moment for both the facility and the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. The 2026 event will be the first time the NHRA has hosted a national event at the Adel track, ushering in a new era for the Southern Nationals after years at Atlanta Dragway.
As the season continues to build, SCAG Racing’s four-car lineup remains focused on progress, consistency, and turning performance gains into race-day results. While the team is still searching for its first win of the 2026 season, there is confidence across all four teams as they continue to make strides each weekend. With strong support from SCAG Power Equipment, BlueBird Turf, and Versatran dealers, distributors, and customers, the Southern Nationals presents an opportunity to break through in front of a passionate regional fanbase.
Coming off a strong and steadily improving start to the season, Justin Ashley and his SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel team enter the weekend focused on adapting quickly to a brand-new facility. With no prior national event data at South Georgia Motorsports Park, Ashley and his team will look to maximize each run while building on the momentum they’ve developed early in the year.
“There are a few interesting things that stand out to me about this race,” said Ashley. “Of course, South Georgia Motorsports Park is new to the schedule, which means collecting data throughout the weekend is at a premium. But it also means an opportunity to spend time with fans who have been patiently waiting for the NHRA Southern Nationals to return. I would expect a very engaged crowd. It’s also our first back-to-back of the season. There are a lot of benefits in that because it allows for teams like ourselves to get into a rhythm. Tommy and Jason have been dialed into getting this new combination right. They’ve done a lot of really impressive things early on. I’m confident that’s going to continue moving forward for our SCAG Power Equipment team. We have three distributors this weekend, and I look forward to spending time with them and all of their amazing dealers and customers.”
Focused on continued growth and consistency, Dave Richards and his BlueBird Turf / Versatran Funny Car team are looking to capitalize on the opportunity presented by a new racetrack on the schedule. With each race providing valuable data, Richards is aiming to turn progress into performance this weekend in Adel.
“We’re really looking forward to getting to South Georgia Motorsports Park and seeing what this place is all about,” said Richards. “With it being a new stop on the schedule, everyone is starting fresh, and that creates a lot of opportunity. I feel like we’ve been chipping away at it each weekend and learning more about our combination, which gives us confidence going into this race. We have multiple distributors and a lot of SCAG dealers and customers joining us this weekend, and with the strong racing fanbase in Georgia, it should be a great crowd. We’d love to put together a solid weekend for all of them, go some rounds on Sunday, and keep moving in the right direction.”
Daniel Wilkerson and his SCAG Power Equipment Ford Funny Car team head into Adel motivated to build on early-season gains. With a strong foundation and continued development, the team is focused on finding consistency and performance as they look for a breakout result.
“I actually got my alcohol funny car license at South Georgia Morotorsports Park,” said Wilkerson. “So I am excited to return and race there for the first time in competition. This is also the first SCAG Southwest race of the year so I can’t wait to see some friends from down this way and do some catching up.”
In the early stages of his rookie Top Fuel campaign, Will Smith continues to gain valuable experience behind the wheel of the BlueBird Turf dragster. Smith and his team have shown steady improvement and remain focused on translating recent performance gains into stronger results on race day.
“The Southern Nationals is considered my home race,” said Smith. “I always look forward to racing in front of my family and friends, as well as all of our great SCAG Power Equipment and BlueBird Turf distributors, dealers, and customers. It’s going to be a special weekend for all of our guests, and we’re really excited to host everyone. My team and I feel great about the progress we made in Charlotte last week. We’ve got a better understanding of the changes we need to keep moving forward and getting quicker and faster. We definitely gained some momentum, and the plan is to keep building on that—improving our personal best elapsed time and speed, and turning on win lights on Sunday.”
The NHRA Southern Nationals at South Georgia Motorsports Park begins with four qualifying sessions scheduled for Friday at 3:00 and 5:30 p.m. and Saturday at 12:30 and 3:00 p.m. ET. Final eliminations are slated to begin Sunday at 11:00 a.m. ET. Television coverage will air on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), with qualifying coverage Saturday from 9:30–11:00 p.m. ET and Sunday from 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET, followed by eliminations coverage Sunday from 7:00–10:00 p.m. ET.
The post SCAG RACING HEADS TO SOUTH GEORGIA MOTORSPORTS PARK FOR RETURN OF NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS appeared first on Justin Ashley Racing.
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As the season continues to build, SCAG Racing’s four-car lineup remains focused on progress, consistency, and turning performance gains into race-day results. While the team is still searching for its first win of the 2026 season, there is confidence across all four teams as they continue to make strides each weekend. With strong support from SCAG Power Equipment, BlueBird Turf, and Versatran dealers, distributors, and customers, the Southern Nationals presents an opportunity to break through in front of a passionate regional fanbase.
Coming off a strong and steadily improving start to the season, Justin Ashley and his SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel team enter the weekend focused on adapting quickly to a brand-new facility. With no prior national event data at South Georgia Motorsports Park, Ashley and his team will look to maximize each run while building on the momentum they’ve developed early in the year.
“There are a few interesting things that stand out to me about this race,” said Ashley. “Of course, South Georgia Motorsports Park is new to the schedule, which means collecting data throughout the weekend is at a premium. But it also means an opportunity to spend time with fans who have been patiently waiting for the NHRA Southern Nationals to return. I would expect a very engaged crowd. It’s also our first back-to-back of the season. There are a lot of benefits in that because it allows for teams like ourselves to get into a rhythm. Tommy and Jason have been dialed into getting this new combination right. They’ve done a lot of really impressive things early on. I’m confident that’s going to continue moving forward for our SCAG Power Equipment team. We have three distributors this weekend, and I look forward to spending time with them and all of their amazing dealers and customers.”
Focused on continued growth and consistency, Dave Richards and his BlueBird Turf / Versatran Funny Car team are looking to capitalize on the opportunity presented by a new racetrack on the schedule. With each race providing valuable data, Richards is aiming to turn progress into performance this weekend in Adel.
“We’re really looking forward to getting to South Georgia Motorsports Park and seeing what this place is all about,” said Richards. “With it being a new stop on the schedule, everyone is starting fresh, and that creates a lot of opportunity. I feel like we’ve been chipping away at it each weekend and learning more about our combination, which gives us confidence going into this race. We have multiple distributors and a lot of SCAG dealers and customers joining us this weekend, and with the strong racing fanbase in Georgia, it should be a great crowd. We’d love to put together a solid weekend for all of them, go some rounds on Sunday, and keep moving in the right direction.”
Daniel Wilkerson and his SCAG Power Equipment Ford Funny Car team head into Adel motivated to build on early-season gains. With a strong foundation and continued development, the team is focused on finding consistency and performance as they look for a breakout result.
“I actually got my alcohol funny car license at South Georgia Morotorsports Park,” said Wilkerson. “So I am excited to return and race there for the first time in competition. This is also the first SCAG Southwest race of the year so I can’t wait to see some friends from down this way and do some catching up.”
In the early stages of his rookie Top Fuel campaign, Will Smith continues to gain valuable experience behind the wheel of the BlueBird Turf dragster. Smith and his team have shown steady improvement and remain focused on translating recent performance gains into stronger results on race day.
“The Southern Nationals is considered my home race,” said Smith. “I always look forward to racing in front of my family and friends, as well as all of our great SCAG Power Equipment and BlueBird Turf distributors, dealers, and customers. It’s going to be a special weekend for all of our guests, and we’re really excited to host everyone. My team and I feel great about the progress we made in Charlotte last week. We’ve got a better understanding of the changes we need to keep moving forward and getting quicker and faster. We definitely gained some momentum, and the plan is to keep building on that—improving our personal best elapsed time and speed, and turning on win lights on Sunday.”
The NHRA Southern Nationals at South Georgia Motorsports Park begins with four qualifying sessions scheduled for Friday at 3:00 and 5:30 p.m. and Saturday at 12:30 and 3:00 p.m. ET. Final eliminations are slated to begin Sunday at 11:00 a.m. ET. Television coverage will air on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), with qualifying coverage Saturday from 9:30–11:00 p.m. ET and Sunday from 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET, followed by eliminations coverage Sunday from 7:00–10:00 p.m. ET.
The post SCAG RACING HEADS TO SOUTH GEORGIA MOTORSPORTS PARK FOR RETURN OF NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS appeared first on Justin Ashley Racing.
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