Justin Ashley has learned a lot about driving a dragster since earning his Top Fuel license in 2017. When pressed to reveal the most profound lesson he has learned in his short four-race driving career, it's a no-brainer for the driver of the Dustin Davis Motorsports Strutmaster.com entry who’s starting a career-best fifth Sunday at the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park near Phoenix.

"Stay balanced," Ashley, the 25-year-old successful real-estate developer on New York's Long Island and host of the online series “Fix, Flip, Fuel,” said.  "It's not an easy thing to balance work and racing, and being at the racetrack and engaging in all the things that are going on and then actually have to sit in the car and focus on driving.

"Sometimes, it's easy to get distracted by all the outside noise. The most significant thing I've learned is to be able to balance everything and once I'm in the car, put all my emotions away and just focus on solely the task at hand and doing the best job I can to help my team."

Matt Hagan made a little personal history Saturday with his 3.859-second pass at 331.61 mph in the Mopar Dodge Charger Hellcat Funny Car.

It was more than just his third straight top-qualifying position – a first in his career – and his second at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. It also was his 38th No. 1 spot, which pushed him past Tony Pedregon on the class list and ties him with legend Kenny Bernstein for fifth.

Hagan, last year’s race winner here, said, “I passed Tony Pedregon on the list, and I’ve got so much respect for him. He’s a real wheelman, and I’ve always looked up to him.”

Super Gas racer Ryan Herem lost control of his Corvette during the third round of eliminations Saturday evening during the NHRA Arizona Nationals outside of Phoenix.

Tragedy struck an Arizona community, as an Eastern Arizona College van, containing high school students which were returning home following a visit to the NHRA Arizona Nationals in Chandler, Az., rolled over killing three.

The incident was confirmed by Kris McBride, director of marketing and public relations for EAC, in a report published by The AZ.Republic.

Final round-by-round results from the 36th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, the second of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series:

Reigning two-time NHRA Top Fuel Mello Yello Series champion Steve Torrence thought Brittany Force could steal his No. 1 qualifying spot Friday, but she didn’t.

That changed Saturday at the Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Motorsports Park near Phoenix.

This season – 2020 – is five-time NHRA Mello Yello Series Pro Stock world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr.’s farewell tour.

And it couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.

Don Schumacher Racing is calling it Tommy Johnson Jr.’s “31st ‘Nitro-versary.'” That’s a great word – and the Funny Car racer has a great fondness for Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. It’s where he began his professional career in 1989 in a Top Fuel dragster.

Now, 472 races later, the M.D. Anderson Dodge Charger Hellcat driver is looking for his 20th victory. He has two victories in the Top Fuel class and 17 in Funny Car, putting him in an elite group of double-nitro winners. He was the 12th of only 17 ever to do that.

Johnson credited “a lot of people who helped along the way. There’s a lot of right place / right time, a lot of luck, and a lot of work. There’s stuff I didn’t want to do, but I did it. A lot of things have to line up. People always ask, ‘How do I get into this?’ I tell them, ‘First off, it takes a little money. Secondly, it takes a ton of work and sacrifice and commitment. Otherwise, you’re never going to make it.’”