MECHANICSVILLE, Md. (June 01, 2026) — SCAG Racing closed out the inaugural NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Potomac Nationals at Maryland International Raceway with both Top Fuel cars earning first-round wins, while both Funny Cars came up short in the opening round. With Will Smith advancing to the second round, he now has two first-round wins in the Top Fuel class under his belt.
Justin Ashley and his SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel team finished qualifying in the top half of the field with a 3.815-second run at 326.40 mph. Starting from the No. 8 position for eliminations, Ashley faced No. 9 qualifier Antron Brown in the first round on Sunday, with the pair selected as the NHRA Top Fuel marquee matchup. Ashley got the jump at the starting line with a .036-second reaction time, matching his average elimination reaction time for the 2026 NHRA season, compared to Brown’s .057. The two raced side-by-side down the track until Ashley pulled ahead at the 660-foot mark and took the first-round win with a 3.995-second pass at 276.52 mph to Brown’s 4.030-second run at 283.85 mph. Advancing to the second round against No. 1 qualifier Shawn Langdon, Ashley was first off the starting line once again with a .053-second reaction time to Langdon’s .070. He could not hold the advantage for long, however, as Langdon powered to a 3.791-second winning pass at 331.45 mph. Ashley’s race day came to an end after a 5.901-second run at 114.27 mph.
“My hats off to Maryland International Raceway,” said Ashley. “They executed their first NHRA race seamlessly. They’re seasoned professionals. We enjoyed competing here and accomplished a few important goals along the way. We’re continuing to build a championship foundation through the information we’re learning each weekend. Our team will stop at nothing to turn on win lights for all the SCAG Power Equipment dealers, distributors, owners, and users that show their support.”
Will Smith and his Bluebird Turf Top Fuel team made progress throughout qualifying, running a 3.844-second pass at 306.53 mph in the final qualifying session to secure the No. 11 qualifying position. That set up a first-round matchup against No. 6 qualifier Maddi Gordon on Sunday. Smith got off the line first with a .044-second reaction time to Gordon’s .097 and continued leading down the track. On their best pass of the weekend, Smith ran a 3.802 at 327.03 mph and crossed the finish line first in a close race against Gordon’s 3.805 at 330.07 mph to advance to the second round of eliminations. Lined up against No. 3 qualifier Leah Pruett in the second round, Smith got off the tree first again with a .046-second reaction time to Pruett’s .126. He could not maintain the advantage, however, and fell behind early, ultimately losing with a 4.499-second pass at 206.29 mph while Pruett ran a 3.786-second pass at 330.80 mph.
“It was another solid race weekend for us here at Maryland International Raceway,” said Smith. “We had a car that was capable of going the distance today, we just didn’t have her backed down quite enough out there. We smoked the tires second round, but it was a great day. Got another win light for the team, for the SCAG Racing organization, and for all our dealers and distributors that were here with us. We had a great weekend. We’re excited, we’re making progress, and we’re onto Epping next week. We’ll build on what we learned this weekend and try to turn on more win lights next week.”
Dave Richards and his Bluebird Turf Funny Car team qualified No. 13 with a 4.066-second pass at 318.32 mph, setting up a first-round matchup against Jordan Vandergriff, the No. 4 qualifier, on race day. Richards left the starting line with a .125-second reaction time to Vandergriff’s .081, but his run came to a quick halt while Vandergriff continued down the track to a 3.988-second pass at 322.27 mph. The Bluebird Funny Car crossed the finish line in 14.327 seconds at 64.45 mph, resulting in a first-round loss.
“It was a tough day for our Bluebird Turf Funny Car team, but overall a good weekend. We had a solid qualifying effort, but we just couldn’t get the run we needed on race day. KPM is our distributor here, and they’ll be back with us again next weekend in Epping, so it’ll be great to have them at two back-to-back events. I enjoyed racing in Maryland, and it brought back a lot of memories of my dad racing here. It also made the weekend a little more special knowing it was my mom’s birthday. We’ll regroup, take a hard look at the data, and come back focused on improving next weekend.”
Daniel Wilkerson and the SCAG Power Equipment Ford Funny Car team qualified No. 14 with a 4.066-second pass at 318.32 mph, setting up a first-round matchup against No. 3 qualifier Spencer Hyde on Sunday. Wilkerson got the advantage off the starting line with a .043-second reaction time to Hyde’s .102, but he came up short at the finish line as Hyde advanced with a 4.171-second run at 277.89 mph while Wilkerson recorded a 4.303-second pass at 216.20 mph.
“Obviously we didn’t get the results we wanted today, and honestly not the results I expected,” said Wilkerson. “But I can tell you that no one in SCAG Racing has any quit in them and we will not let this hunk of chrome-moly, aluminum, and carbon fiber beat us. We will figure this thing out, hopefully in Epping.”
SCAG Racing now turns its attention to the NHRA New England Nationals, taking place June 5–7 at New England Dragway in Epping, N.H. The team will continue a three-race, back-to-back-to-back swing as they look to build on the progress made in Maryland and carry momentum into the next stop on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule.
