Life is pretty dang awesome for Mike Salinas. 

He won his third NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Fuel race of the year and sixth overall Sunday at Epping, N.H., defeating Justin Ashley in the final round of the New England Nationals. 

His daughter Jasmine won the Top Alcohol Dragster final Sunday at the Division 3 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Norwalk, Ohio moments after his victory.

“Families that race together, win together,” Salinas said. “I’m excited about the momentum we have as a team and as a family. This is a great day for all of us.” 

He improved on his 2021 runner-up finish to Billy Torrence at New England Dragway. 

He’s going to become a grandfather. Daughter Jacqueline is expecting. 

He just became a father-in-law, with daughter Jianna marrying in April. 

His wife, Monica, just participated May 29 in her graduation ceremony at Harvard University. (She completed her studies last year but because of COVID was unable to receive her diploma in person.) 

His family is wonderful. Business is terrific. 

So what’s the problem? How could he have a problem? 

He thinks he has a problem – himself, specifically his driving. 

Even after Sunday afternoon’s triumph – which matched points leader Brittany Force at three in eight events so far and moved him into second place in the standings, just 30 points behind her – Salinas wasn’t completely satisfied. He classified his driving performance as not adequate, even after recording his winning 3.729-second pass at 330.80 mph on the 1,000-foot course and joining points leaders Matt Hagan (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) on the winners podium. 

“I was lucky today. Driver messed up all day long, even in the finals,” Salinas said after defeating Ashley by about a car length at the finish line. 

“The car’s been moving on me on the top end. Antron [Brown] drove my car a few weeks ago, and the car did really nice with him. It’s the driver. I’m doing something wrong, and what we’re doing is we’re correcting me,” he said.

The Camping World Drag Racing Series heads south to Bristol, Tenn., in two weeks. In the meantime, Salinas – who also won this year at Phoenix and Charlotte – said he will be devoting himself to improving his driving skills. 

“We changed the steering. We changed different things on the car to find out [what need to be different]. Every run is a different run. We’ll get it. We’ll go straight. And we will win some more races,” Salinas said. 

In the standings, Salinas leapfrogged Steve Torrence, the No. 1 qualifier this weekend with a track-record elapsed time (3.664 seconds). Torrence lost traction against class newcomer Scott Farley and dropped out in the opening round. 

He secured his 12th final-round berth by eliminating Joe Morrison, Leah Pruett, and Austin Prock. 

On the other side of the ladder, Winternationals winner Ashley drove his Phillips Connect powered by Vita C Dragster past Dan Mercier, Scott Farley, and Shawn Langdon to reach his seventh career final-round appearance. In the final, he clocked a 3.782-second performance at 315.78 mph but lost by about a car length. 

Meanwhile, at Norwalk, Jasmine Salinas was matching her father round for round at the Division 3 regional points meet, where she qualified second. She beat Jeff Chatterson in the final round with a 5.329-second, 275.96-mph run in her Top Alcohol Dragster. 

“We were runner up at the Norwalk regional last year,” she said, “so it feels awesome to be bringing home a Wally this year. But what makes it even better is that my dad and his Top Fuel team won their race in Epping right before we did. Even though we were at different tracks, we were following each other all weekend on NHRA.tv so we didn’t miss a thing.

“One day we’ll eventually get another father-daughter double-up at the same event and be in the winners circle together. I’m looking forward to coming out again for the national event,” Jasmine Salinas said. 

That’s a fitting goal for Fathers Day weekend at Bristol’s Thunder Valley Nationals, where Salinas has won in the past two Caping World Drag Racing Series visits.

Salinas said the crew of his Valley Services-branded dragster is “so dedicated it’s scary.” He is, too, and he might be scarier once – in his eyes – he masters the subtleties of driving the dragster.