The first time he saw it, Justin Ashley wanted to grab it and run out of the store with it under his arm. 

Ashley, who had won five Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge titles headed into Topeka, saw his likeness on a cardboard standup display, and didn't know exactly how to act. 

"The first thing I thought of was when I was eleven years old, that I started racing juniors and how crazy it actually is that fast forward just several years later, and to be in that position and actually be in a store representing NHRA and Phillips Connect and Mission Foods," said Ashley, who enters Brainerd as the points leader. "I'm really humbled. I'm really grateful for it. I think it's amazing. Part of me wanted to pick up that cardboard cutout and hug it or something like that. It was something I've been waiting for, so it's really exciting."

The second thing Ashley thought about, well, had nothing about thinking about how far he'd come. 

"I was hoping that a cardboard cutout would make me look a little bit taller," Ashley said with a chuckle. "It did not. But it was awesome just seeing that in Walmart. Just being able to represent the great team that we have was something special."

Ashley doesn't shy away from his love for the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty which demands racers treat qualifying like an elimination round. 

"I think that's one of the cool parts about this deal, is, like, when you're at a race and, you know, you go to the semifinals, you're, 'Alright, I have a shot at the Mission Foods deal the race after."

"That's exciting. It's normally, as a driver, you try and treat every round the same qualifying or race day, but naturally, it just feels a little different, especially mentally, knowing that you're competing in a meaningful round of racing that has money but has championship implications on the line while you're qualifying. That's a big deal. 

"I know we won those five. Those points will add up; they always do. But we take the Mission Foods challenge very seriously and want to win every time we get on the racetrack."

Ashley has made the most of the extra opportunities gathering as many as 17 bonus points from the program with five wins and a runner-up. 

On Wednesday, NHRA announced an increase in the payout of the program at the NHRA U.S. Nationals, providing 50 percent more cash to those participating. Those fields will be set on Sunday. 

"It's just a great program they have brought to us at the NHRA," Ashley said. "If anything, I'm just honored to be a part of the program with a cutout."