Story By: SARA SLAUGHTER / SCAG RACING – MADISON, IL – Dave Richards and the BlueBird Turf / Versatran team enter this weekend’s NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway feeling more capable than ever as they fight to get into the top ten of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship.
Richards and the BlueBird Turf team sit 13th out of the 13-championship eligible Funny Car teams. It is their first time racing in the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six race playoffs, an opportunity they were granted for racing their first full Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season. To reach the top 10 currently, Richards needs to make up 68 points. With four races remaining, their goal is not out of reach.
“We’ve enjoyed racing these three back-to-back events. We wish they would have been a little better to us, but, and I know I keep saying it, I know that we’re so close to turning the corner and running with the rest of the pack,” Richards said. “I’m excited to get back in the BlueBird Turf car after the last pass we made Sunday at the Carolina Nationals. I feel the most comfortable I’ve been in a longtime inside the car. Even though I’ve only been to World Wide Technology Raceway once, I’m feeling good and I’m really looking forward to a longer Sunday this weekend.”
Richards and the BlueBird / Versatran team left last weekend’s Carolina Nationals on a high note when they made a clean A to B pass in the first round of eliminations. Although it wasn’t enough to get past reigning world champion Matt Hagan, it was their best run of the weekend and a solid step in the right direction.
The NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway will kickoff with four rounds of qualifying on Friday and Saturday at 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Eliminations are slated for Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with qualifying shows Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET and an eliminations show on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET.