Dave Richards and his BlueBird Turf / Versatran Funny Car team are set to make a statement at the 65th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
The Winternationals, the third race of the 20-event 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, offers Richards a prime opportunity to build on a productive test session following a first-round exit at the NHRA Arizona Nationals. With technical kinks ironed out and a cohesive crew clicking, Richards is poised to turn on winlights at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
“Testing went great for this BlueBird / Versatran team. We simulated a race day for timing, going all the way to the finals. It was good to make four laps in one day, I’ve never done that before. We definitely learned a lot,” Richards said. “We made full pulls in the hot and slimy conditions. We know we’ll have it different this weekend but most importantly we 100% have the parachute gremlin figured out. We have a couple new guys this year and they all did a great job assembling the car all four runs. It really has us feeling confident heading into the weekend. We’re excited to turn the corner and show what we’re made of.”
In 2024, Richards first full-time season, the BlueBird / Versatran team qualified 14th for the Winternationals race day but came up short to Bobby Bode in the first round. They’ll look to make definitive progress as they head into this weekend’s competition.
Racing action at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip begins Friday with two rounds of qualifying at 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. PT, followed by two more on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. PT. Eliminations kickoff Sunday at 11:00 a.m. PT. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with qualifying shows Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET and Sunday at Noon ET and eliminations Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
This story was originally published on March 27, 2025. 
