Funny Car veteran Dave Richards and his BlueBird Turf / Versatran Ford Mustang Funny Car team are looking to make some fond memories at this weekends on Pacific Raceways at this weekend’s Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals.
After a two-week hiatus, Richards is eager to return to the track and build on the team’s ongoing pursuit of consistency. In his second full season driving the BlueBird / Versatran machine for SCAG Racing, Richards is looking to replace the memory of last year’s first round loss.
“I’m excited to get back on the track. Two weeks off seems like an eternity. Definitely looking to redeem ourselves from the wall incident last year at Pacific Raceways,” said Richards referencing his Funny Car smoking the tires and making an abrupt right turn into the wall during the first round of eliminations in 2024. “We’ve come a long way since then, a long way. I’m proud of this team. We’ve kept it together, worked hard, and it’s paying off—we see it in the little things. Now it’s about getting that to translate and come together on the racetrack.”
This season The BlueBird Turf team, currently 14th in the points standings, has made two semifinal appearances, first at the Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas and at the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee. Richards is coming off a No. 14 qualifying performance from the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk Ohio where he defeated Alexis DeJoria before a quarterfinal loss to three-time world champion Ron Capps.
With renewed determination, Richards and his team are ready to channel their progress into a strong performance in Seattle, aiming to climb the points standings and make a statement on race day.
“We’re sticking to our plan, gaining consistency. Consistency is key to our goal to keep improving,” Richards said. “We’ve got some work to do, and we need to start stacking some points to get back on track.”
Competition at the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Nationals at Pacific Raceways begins with four qualifying session Friday at 9:15 p.m. and Saturday at 12:30, 2:45 and 5:00 p.m. Eliminations are slated to begin Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Television coverage of the event will begin with qualifying shows Saturday at 10 p.m. ET and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and conclude with an eliminations show Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX Broadcasting Network (FOX).
This story was originally published on July 17, 2025. 
