A week ago, Justin Ashley left the American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals near Richmond, believing he had settled as the runner-up to Shawn Langdon in Top Fuel.
Then, on Monday afternoon – June 23 – Ashley was declared the race winner. NHRA disqualified Langdon when a post-race safety inspection discovered some of the bolts were missing on the bellhousing inspection cover.
On Sunday, there was no controversy for Ashley at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio. He left as the champion. Period.
“Norwalk means a lot to me personally. My father (Mike) won in Funny Car here in 2007, and ever since we started racing in Top Fuel, it was a dream of mine to win right here, and that’s what we did today,” Ashley said. “It’s special and the team did a great job all weekend. We qualified No. 1, navigated our way down the racetrack, all race-day long, on a surface that was very slippery and very tricky. The people who win these races are the ones that go A to B, and that’s what we did today. I’m just glad it worked out. Really proud of (crew chiefs) Mike Green and Tommy DeLago, and our whole team. They really deserve this win, and I’m happy they could be along for the ride.”
Ashley now has won 17 NHRA Top Fuel Wallys and snared his latest win by defeating Clay Millican on a holeshot in the finals.
Ashley clocked a 3.931-second elapsed time at 317.34 mph in his Scag Racing Toyota Top Fuel dragster to defeat Millican, who came on strong at 3.922, 324.34.
The difference was at the starting line, as Ashley had a stellar .027-second reaction time compared to Millican’s .089. Millican barely made it to the staging lanes in time as his Rick Ware Racing team battled mechanical issues in the pits.
“I’ll tell you, funny story about Clay. I actually got my Top Fuel license here in Norwalk, and he was one of the people who signed it,” Ashley said. “I spoke about it after the semifinals. He’s got this positive, infectious personality that you just can’t help but love. With that being said, I was happy to see that they made it up to the final. No one wants to win a race that way.
“We would’ve waited as long as they would’ve let us wait to run it heads up. He’s a really tough competitor. He’s a great guy; he’s a great driver. I can continue to learn a lot from him. Being able to get past him was really, really special. They got a great team over there. It was an awesome final round.”
In a weekend where Mother Nature did her best to take center stage, Ashley’s team mastered the elements and the track. Ashley qualified No. 1 with a 3.752 at 330.88.
“I don’t know if there was any moment, in particular. I would say the challenge was probably in the final round,” Ashley said. “Right? You know you’re going up against one of the best (Millican), but throughout the day, every round was a challenge. Everyone out here is really talented, really good. But obviously, the final round’s going to stand out,;probably because it was the hottest track surface we had all day. At least that’s what I’d imagine.
“So just continuing to find a way to tinker with it, and find a way to get the car down the racetrack. That final round was an absolute challenge for Mike and Tommy, but they came through.”
On the way to victory, Ashley defeated Scott Farley, Josh Hart, Langdon, and then Millican. Ashley improved to 9-3 against Millican in elimination rounds, including 2-0 in the finals. Ashley also ousted Millican for the Wally at Dallas in 2024.
After two wins in a row, Ashley and his team will have some time to celebrate – and get even better – before they return to the track at the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals near Seattle on July 18-20.
“I think the guys will go back to work. This stuff is really hard to do and it’s now four races in five weekends,” Ashley said. “So, I think it’s very important for the guys, obviously, to go back and take some time off. That’s really healthy. They need it, and then we’ll come back and regroup after that. But, make no mistake about it, we’re now heading into the final real back half of the year.
“They’re going to be spending a lot of time in the shop doing a lot of things, making a lot of adjustments that are going to be necessary for us to continue moving forward. So yeah, it’s back to work for these guys.”
Ashley has a 20-8 record in eliminations at the halfway point in the 20-race season. Before Justin strapped in for the final round he did have a moment with his father, Mike.
“They’re very, very special to me and meaningful to me,” Justin said about the chats he has with his father before he climbs in the cockpit. “We’ve pretty much had the same routine since I started racing, and I’m very, very lucky to be able to do what I do. Not everybody’s able to drive a race car for a living. But then, to be able to do it and share a love for the sport with my father means even more to me.
“I’m always leaning on him for guidance, for advice – not only on the driving side, but just in life. It’s really special that 18 years later he’s here, we’re here together, and this time we won, and I feel very fortunate for that.”
Ashley leaves Norwalk third in the standings with 771 points. Tony Stewart (848) and Langdon (796) are No. 1 and No. 2 in the standings.
“We’ve been to five final rounds in the first 10 races. Obviously, you want to win races, but you also have to stack round wins, and it’s very difficult in today’s Top Fuel class to have that kind of consistency,” Justin said. “It really speaks volumes of Mike, Tommy, and the team. They’re doing an awesome job.”
Ashley is known as one of top leavers in Top Fuel, and he proved it in the biggest moment Sunday against Millican. That’s why Green, a championship-winning Top Fuel crew chief, has gone on record saying Ashley is the best there is at the starting line right now in the class.
“Yeah, well that means a lot to me. I didn’t know that Mike said that” Ashley said. “That’s a guy that’s obviously a championship-winning crew chief and I value the relationship that we share together. I think that’s very, very important, and I continue to lean on him and Tommy to learn.
“With that being said, this … back half of the regular season is super important, especially with that regular-season championship. We want to win it for two reasons. Obviously, there’s a person, a trophy, associated with it. But, in addition to that, we want to seed ourselves as well as possible. Once you’re in the Countdown, you’re in. Anything could happen, but we’d love to go in No. 1. We still have a lot of work to do, but it’s up to us to take it one round at a time and keep chipping away at it.”
