Drag Racing Season Opens at Historic Gainesville Dragway

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GAINESVILLE — The 2026 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season opened this weekend at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. T

The four-car SCAG Racing lineup saw Daniel Wilkerson advance to the second round of eliminations, while Justin Ashley and Dave Richards suffered first-round exits. 

Will Smith narrowly missed the field and did not qualify for Sunday eliminations.

Wilkerson and the SCAG Power Equipment Ford Mustang Funny Car qualified No. 7 after posting a strong 3.961-second pass at 323.19 mph during a nighttime Q2 session on Friday. That effort paired him with No. 10 qualifier Hunter Green in the opening round. Wilkerson held a slight advantage at the starting line with a .078-second reaction time and powered down the track to a 4.027-second run at 317.79 mph, advancing to the second round after Green lost a cylinder. In round two, Wilkerson faced JR Todd but lost a cylinder during the run and could not keep pace. Wilkerson posted a 4.154-second pass at 267.43 mph to Todd’s 4.033-second run at 326.95 mph, ending his weekend.

“As usual, the SCAG Power Equipment team had a phenomenal car in the heat on Saturday so I was very excited for the first race day of the season,” said Wilkerson. “We didn’t quite show our full hand first round. We kind of chickened out with the sun peeking out of the clouds, so I really thought we had something for them the rest of the day. Unfortunately, when you put nitro in the tank, sometimes these things are unpredictable. I’m still excited because it seems like we picked up right where we left off at the end of last year. It was also great getting to spend time with all the SCAG dealers who came out this weekend and support what we’re doing. Can’t wait to get to Phoenix.”

Ashley and the SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel dragster qualified No. 11 with a 3.762-second pass at 334.73 mph during the opening qualifying session on Friday. He faced No. 6 qualifier Doug Kalitta in the first round of eliminations. Ashley left the starting line first, but both dragsters lost traction early in the run. Ashley was unable to recover while Kalitta managed to inch ahead for the win. Ashley crossed the finish line in 4.586 seconds at 221.27 mph to Kalitta’s 4.338-second pass at 237.96 mph.

“I’m really proud of our entire team,” Ashley said. “We made meaningful progress with our program and I’m grateful for the hard work everyone continues to put in. Our guys are the best in the business and they never stop pushing. Of course we didn’t get the result we were hoping for today, but there’s a lot to be encouraged about. We’re learning, we’re improving, and most importantly, we appreciate all the support we received throughout the weekend from each and every SCAG dealer in attendance.”

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