NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Jumping into a loaded Top Fuel field is never easy, but Will Smith couldn’t be more thrilled with the opportunity, and he’s starting to make the most of it heading into this weekend’s 13th annual NHRA New England Nationals presented by bproauto at New England Dragway.

This year marks the first chance at a full-time ride for Smith, who had raced eight previous times in the category before jumping into the Bluebird Turf dragster for Scag Racing in 2026.

It hasn’t been easy, and it’s a steep learning curve going against a wealth of talented drivers, but Smith has shown solid signs of improvement. He continues to be a standout on the starting line, and the team has picked up round-wins at each of the past two races.

Those mark the first two round-wins of his Top Fuel career and a big step forward for Smith and his team, which only adds to his confidence heading to this weekend’s race in Epping.

“We’re excited to head to Epping this weekend. The last two races have both resulted in round-wins for our team, and it’s encouraging to see the progress we’re making,” Smith said. “Our Bluebird Turf team has been working so hard, and we look forward to carrying our momentum into the weekend and taking another step forward. The goal is to keep improving, put together a strong qualifying effort, and give everyone who comes out to support us something to cheer about on Sunday.

“We’ll have a large group of Scag dealers, customers, and guests joining us throughout the weekend. It’s a great opportunity to spend time with the people who support our brands, and we always enjoy being able to share the NHRA experience with them.”

Smith saw nothing but positives from last weekend’s race in Maryland. Taking on fellow rookie Maddi Gordon in the first round, Smith picked up the victory before falling to Leah Pruett a round later. Round-wins are tough to come by in the Top Fuel ranks, with the standout class led by points leader Shawn Langdon, who has rolled to three straight wins.

Then, there’s the likes of reigning world champion Doug Kalitta, racing legend Tony Stewart, Pruett, Gordon, four-time champ Antron Brown, Clay Millican, and Smith’s teammate, Justin Ashley. It’s a tall order for anyone, but Smith is feeling good about what his team accomplished in Maryland and is eager to get right back in the car during this stretch of three straight race weekends.

“We had a great weekend. We’re excited, we’re making progress, and we’re onto Epping this week. We’ll build on what we learned this weekend and try to turn on more win lights this week,” Smith said.

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying features two rounds at 5 and 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, June 5 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, June 6 at 12:30 and 3 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, June 7. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 8 p.m. ET on Friday and 12 p.m. on Sunday, followed by eliminations from 3-6 p.m. ET on Sunday on FOX.

To purchase tickets to the NHRA New England Nationals presented by bproauto, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. Children 12 and under are free in general admission with the purchase of an adult ticket