The mini slump is no more for standout Top Fuel driver Justin Ashley.

After losing in the first round in Denver, and second round in Seattle, Ashley was back in the winner’s circle at the Denso NHRA Sonoma (Calif.) Nationals on Sunday.

Ashley clocked a 3.778-second time at 328.78 mph to just edge Antron Brown’s 3.787-second time at 327.90 mph.

It was Ashley’s 10th career Top Fuel win and fifth this season. He has 2023 wins in Phoenix, Pomona, Calif., Epping, N.H., Bristol, Tenn., and Sonoma.

“It was tough, especially in Top Fuel now the competition is so difficult, it's so hard and it feels like four final rounds each and every time you get up there, and the margin for error is just very small,” Ashley said. “So, kind of looking at the ladder and seeing as we continue to advance all the opponents that would come next. You got to think to yourself, man, it's going to take a real team effort to win a race this weekend, and it did. (Crew chiefs) Mike Green and Tommy DeLago had an incredible race day as they always do. We really ran good in qualifying, much better than our qualifying position showed, and had some great runs today on race day.

“I felt a little more dialed in (in the final round). I didn't see him or hear him or anything, but I knew it was going to be a close race no matter what. Most of the time when we line up, it is a really close race and I’ve got a credit Antron and his team. So no, I didn't know where he was, was trying to do everything we could to stay focused on just my point ahead in our lane, but happy to win such a close race and that's the way to close out with a race like that, a weekend like this here at Sonoma Raceway.”

With his victory, Ashley moved back in the points lead with a 935 total, 32 more than second-place Steve Torrence.

“All those points add up, whether they're qualifying points, whether they're Mission Foods points, or whether they're round win and race win points  really,” Ashley said. “But at the same time, as important as they are, we're not focused on that, and we can't. We're focused on our approach and being the best version of ourselves that we can be and all we can do is try and win round after round and go as fast as we can in whatever lane we're in, and then wherever the points end up they end up at. But yes, it's critical to try and accumulate as many points as you can.”

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Ashley also knows all his regular season success will be muted when the final six-race Countdown to the Championship.

“I know with the Countdown and the way it's formatted, everything kind of almost starts from scratch, but we do want to position ourselves the very best that we can when it's time for that playoff format,” Ashley said. “So, these wins are equally important now as they were in the beginning of the year and as they will be as we get closer to the Countdown.”

Ashley qualified No. 7 in Sonoma, but then mowed through the competition with wins over Doug Kalitta, Austin Prock, Josh Hart and then Brown.

“Well, I think it really speaks volumes of our culture and the leadership that we have, and it starts from everyone at the top, from Dustin Davis to Joe Maynard and Mike Green and Tommy DeLago,” Ashley said. “This team doesn't flinch. In addition to those guys, we have a lot of championship-winning crew guys on the team that battle, that work hard. So, it really, for us, of course it matters where we qualify. We want to position ourselves well for race day and give ourselves the best chance to win on Sunday. But ultimately, it's a brand-new day and I think this weekend in particular was a
little bit of a misnomer, if you will.

“I think during Q1 and Q4, we ran well, we just missed it in the right lane two sessions, so we only qualified seven. But really, they had a good handle on the race car all weekend long, even during qualifying. But really for these guys, they just put it in the past and focus on the task at hand on race days.”

Although Ashley has had a tremendous amount of success in his brief Top Fuel career, he said he just keeps things simple.

“For me, it's just a matter of doing the same thing each and every time,” he said. “It doesn't matter who's in the other lane. Just staying focused on really almost feel like I'm racing myself up there just trying to do the best I can each and every time. It's funny, you're in these pits and you watch these guys and how quick the turnaround times are, especially when we're on Fox,which is great for NHRA. But you watch them work and it's my job as a driver to try and stay focused and not worry about who's in the other lane just to give ourselves a chance to win.

“I think in terms of approach, it's more about not necessarily anything else but doing the same thing every time and being routine oriented.”

When Ashley defeated Hart in the semis, it was historic for him as it was his 100th career Top Fuel round win, which became 101 when he ousted Brown in the finals.

Ashley’s win was even more special since it came on the birthday of his dad, Mike Ashley.

“I think I already got him a gift. I hope I got him a gift. I've been Googling,” Justin said. “You don't know this, but I've been Googling trying to find him a nice gift, but I promise I'll still get you something else, Dad. It’s nice to be able to win on his birthday. And for Dustin Davis, he's from Santa Rosa, so this is a home race for him. There were a ton of people in attendance. Our hospitality was packed all weekend.”

As the season kicks into high gear, Ashley knows he has no time to take his foot off the throttle.

“It’s go time. Once you hit the swing, it really is go time,” Ashley said. “We didn't have the results that we wanted during the first two races of the swing. But just like we put the qualifying in the past, we're able to put those races in the past. So, it's go time. If you're going to get after it, really start to develop your tune-up and you see it with the other cars around us, now's the time to do that. Everyone's really got to start hitting their stride now, and you see it and there's absolutely no letting up."