By: SCAG Racing
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 05, 2025) – Competing in the second full Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season of his career, Dave Richards and the BlueBird / Versatran Funny Car team are ready to show off their progress with win lights at this weekend’s Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.
After testing at Bradenton Motorsports Park and participating in the SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout specialty event, there’s no denying the BlueBird team is leaps and bounds ahead of where they were last year at this time. Richards handled the BlueBird hot rod to a pair of three-second passes, a mark they didn’t meet until late in the 2024 season, and recorded an unofficial career best speed of 320.28 mph during qualifying at the specialty event.
“Last year was definitely a building year for us. I do feel we’ve come a long way. The results didn’t show on paper as much as we’d like but this year is going be great. Testing went good at Bradenton and we’re testing a bit again before the Gatornationals get started at Gainesville Raceway,” Richards said. “The Gatornationals is a big race, the history and all that but also kicking off the 2025 season. I have high expectations for our team and for myself as a driver this year. I feel really confident in our team. The round wins are coming, the bonus would be winning one of these events.”
At the 2024 Gatornationals, Richards just missed qualifying for race day, one of only four races the BlueBird team wasn’t in competition for eliminations. Richards hopes to set the tone for the season this weekend with a strong qualifying performance and win lights on Sunday.
“I plan on making the top ten and being in the championship chase,” said Richards who finished 12th in points in 2024. “We have the best equipment and the best corporation behind us in SCAG Racing. The 2025 season is going to be our best year yet.”
The Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals weekend starts with four rounds of qualifying Friday at 2 and 4:30 p.m. and Saturday at 12:30 and 3 p.m. Eliminations are scheduled to being Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with a qualifying show Saturday at 8 p.m. ET and eliminations Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET.
