Justin Ashley claimed the Top Fuel points lead on Sunday at Texas Motorplex, winning the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals. He edged out Clay Millican in the final round, marking his third victory in Dallas in four years.
Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won at the event, which was the 18th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and the fourth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Ashley posted a time of 3.773 seconds at 327.99 mph coupled with a .026 reaction time to defeat Millican, who recorded a quicker 3.762 at 328.40. This victory is Ashley’s fourth of the season and the 15th of his career, as he previously outpaced Antron Brown, Shawn Langdon, and Tony Schumacher.
He qualified 12th after only making a single qualifying pass due to Yom Kippur. With this win, Ashley now holds a 44-point lead over Brown with two races remaining in the season.
“This just speaks volumes of the kind of team we have,” Ashley said. “When I went up to them and told them my plan, the team rallied around me, and we rallied together as a group. We’re one team and one family, and for them to understand my principles and have only one lap down the racetrack – I don’t think we had lane choice once today; our backs were against the wall, but Mike (Green, crew chief) and Tommy (DeLago) did an awesome job.
“It’s not over until it’s over; that much is for sure. You just have to keep swinging, and it’s best for us to not even look at the points. If we don’t take care of our business, it’s not going to matter anyway. It’s important to enjoy it, but once we leave here our focus has to immediately shift to Vegas. No matter what, this is far, far from over. We took a major step today, but it’s going to become more and more difficult. Just like it always does, it’s going to come down to Pomona.”
Millican advanced to the finals for the third time this season, defeating Doug Kalitta, Shawn Reed, and Steve Torrence.
Defending Funny Car champion Matt Hagan won for the second consecutive year in Dallas, defeating Ron Capps with a run of 3.943 seconds at 327.65 mph. This marks his third victory of the season and 52nd overall, moving him to third in points, 168 behind leader Austin Prock.
After qualifying second, Hagan eliminated Bobby Bode, Cruz Pedregon, and Daniel Wilkerson to reach the finals, utilizing a .064 reaction time to hold off Capps’ quicker run of 3.934. Hagan expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance, especially after recent struggles.
“I was really on the chip,” Hagan said. “To get this win for Jason Johnson and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage was huge.”
“I was really on the chip, and I love Capps to death, but I was ready to cut his head off,” Hagan said. “You’re going in like a gladiator. You get to get on this crazy machine, and you never know what it’s going to do, but this is one of the cool things we get to do, drive something so unpredictable.
“But that’s why we love doing it. To get this win for Jason Johnson and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage, to pull down the win was huge. Life is about the people and the relationships we build along the way; that’s what really matters. We’ve surrounded ourselves with really smart people and I believe in my guys and my crew. Those core group of guys really mattered and I’ve been lucky to keep my core group together for so long.”
Capps reached the finals for the fifth time this season and 152nd in his career, defeating Dave Richards, Blake Alexander, and Prock. Despite the loss, Prock maintains a substantial points lead heading into the final races.
In Pro Stock, Jeg Coughlin Jr. defeated rival Greg Anderson, securing his first victory at Texas Motorplex in over 20 years. Coughlin’s run of 6.592 at 208.10 in his Scag Power Equipment car brought him his fifth win of the season and the 69th of his career.
Coughlin advanced past Cory Reed, David Cuadra, and Matt Hartford before facing Anderson. He was excited for the team’s first double-up victory for Scag Power Equipment.
“This feels fantastic,” Coughlin said. “For us, the cherry on top was for Justin Ashley and me to get our first double together as Scag teammates. I’m really eager to go celebrate with our team. It should be a big one. This Wally is going back to Mark Ingersoll. It’s quite remarkable what he’s gone through He’s on a good path to recovery, and he’s as strong as an ox for sure. We miss having him out here and look forward to him coming back more.
“Greg has always been the pinnacle since he got behind the wheel of a Pro Stock program. Today, he had us outpaced, performance-wise, so we jokingly said we needed to pull a rabbit out of the hat before this final round – and fortunately, we did. I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded with some amazing teams, amazing people. I think this weekend is another testament to that. I saw that win light come on, and I couldn’t have been more excited.”
Anderson, the No. 1 qualifier, reached the finals for the fourth time this year but ultimately finished second. Dallas Glenn solidified his points lead by defeating Stanfield in the second round, maintaining a 54-point margin.
Herrera, the Pro Stock point leader, won for the second consecutive year at Texas Motorplex, defeating Matt Smith with a run of 6.816 at 200.56. This victory marked his 20th career win, the fastest accumulation in NHRA history.
Herrera has nine wins in 2024, leading Smith by 62 points as the season nears conclusion.
“Today means a lot,” Herrera said. “I had more luck on my side today than performance, for sure. I was sleeping on one of the lights and Chase went red, and in the final there, Matt would have had me. Luck was definitely on my side, and I’d rather be lucky than good any day. My bike ran well all day with the heat, considering. I made a few little mistakes, but all in all, I’m glad to go home with the win and another cowboy hat.
“This Countdown has been pretty tight. We all know there was some trash talk, so for us to not have the performance advantage and get the win, it means a lot to me. This season, it just means a lot more each round win we get. This year has been a lot more pressure for me as a rider. Each round and win means so much more this time. I’m kind of just showing my real side and not holding it in anymore.”
Smith reached his fifth final round of the season, having previously eliminated Malcolm Phillips Jr., Marc Ingwersen, and Hector Arana Jr.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series will continue from Oct. 31-Nov. 3 with the 24th annual Ford Performance NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
