There is no questioning Justin Ashley’s priorities.

They are faith, family and racing, in that order.

In the midst of his quest for his first NHRA Top Fuel championship, Ashley arrived in Dallas this weekend with a game plan to address his No. 1 priority: He was going to make one qualifying pass during the Texas NHRA FallNationals, then skip the remaining three to observe the most solemn of Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur.

So after missing the remaining three qualifying sessions, Ashley wound up in the No. 12 slot with his lone pass of 3.778-second elapsed time. 

He didn’t miss a beat when he returned to action Sunday, mowing through the field to capture the clutch win at Texas Motorplex. Ashley clocked a 3.773-second elapsed time at 327.99 mph to defeat Clay Millican’s 3.762, 328.40. The difference was at the starting line. Ashley had a .026-second reaction time to Millican’s .059, and that made the difference in a holeshot victory.

“It just speaks volumes of the kind of team that we have. When I went up to them and I told them what my plan was going to be, you could expect a number of different reactions, but instead they rallied around, and we rallied together as a group,” Ashley said. “We are one team, and we are one family, and I have certain principles that are based around faith and family, so for them to understand that and support that meant a lot to me.

“But then to be able to come out today having only one lap down the racetrack all weekend like this and in 100-degree heat make four runs. I have to check, but I don't think we had lane choice once the entire day, so our backs were definitely against the wall. Mike, Tommy, and the SCAG guys, they did an amazing job, and to be able to come out with a win here, a third win in Dallas, really is special, especially because of where it is and where it sits on the schedule.”

Ashley spent a 25-hour period of time fasting, not drinking water or eating food, and also spent time praying at a local temple.

 

 

“Well, as far as I'm concerned, and it says right there on the car, ‘With God, all things are possible.’ I feel very blessed to be able to live a dream and to be able to have the kind of team that we have, and I know that none of that would be possible, and it all comes from God,” Ashley said. “So, this is the one day a year – it's very, very rare that it falls on a race weekend. I think the next time it could, could potentially, is like 40 years from now, but it happened this time. It's so easy to get lost in the midst of everything in a championship chase, but we weren't going to let that happen. The support that I got from the team means more to me than anything else. Faith, family, and then racing will always be the order that we operate in.”

Ashley arrived in Dallas in second place in the points, trailing Antron Brown by 34 points. By the end of Sunday’s action, they had swapped positions, the result of Ashley’s victory not just in the finals, but in the first round of eliminations – with Brown as his opponent. The only races that remain are in Las Vegas (Oct. 31-Nov. 3) and Pomona, Calif. (Nov. 14-17).

While Brown was forced to load up, Ashley advanced deeper into eliminations with wins over Shawn Landon and Tony Schumacher before defeating Millican in the finals.

This was Ashley’s fourth win this season and 15th of his Top Fuel career. He adds that Wally to those he earned at Dallas in 2021-22.

Although Ashley is riding a tidal wave of momentum right now, he knows he has to claw and dig to win a world championship. The last three years he has sputtered in the last two races of the Countdown to the Championship and finished fourth in the points standings.

“Well, it's not over until it's over. That much is for sure. You just have to keep swinging,” Ashley said. “I think for us it's best to not even look at the points, to not count the points. We can look at it when the race is over, but if we don't take care of our own business, none of that's going to matter anyway. So, for us, yeah, we won this race. But once we leave, well it's important to enjoy. That's the first thing because these races are so hard to win. But once we leave here, our focus has to immediately shift to Vegas, and it will.

“Mike (Green) and Tommy (DeLago, his crew chiefs) have been through this before. They've won championships. They've been there and done that. So, no matter what, this is going to be an absolute fight down the stretch. It is far, far, far from over. We took a major step in the right direction, but nonetheless, with the guys who are lurking behind us, it's just going to become more and more difficult. I can almost guarantee you, just like it always does, it's going to come down to Pomona."

 

 

 

 

Ashley then took a moment to talk about his approach to the Countdown.

“We weren't thinking championship, but I can just tell you internally what I was thinking, and I think there's a big difference between playing to win and playing not to lose. Whether or not I want to admit it, I've thought a lot about it this year,” Ashley said. “I think subconsciously you kind of tend to ease back and be a little bit conservative. I think when you do that, and I'm only speaking on my behalf as an individual driver, it's going to come back and bite you. So, learning from that, it was my goal this year to make sure that we played to win each and every time that we went out, and run as quick and fast as we can each and every time down the racetrack.

“But also because of our relationship with SCAG Power Equipment and SCAG Racing, we have the ability to have parts and pieces that we just didn't have the ability to have in the past and to run strong when it matters most.”

Speaking of stepping up when the spotlight was the brightest, that’s what Ashley knows he did against Brown on Sunday.

“They're all big, right? You got to go back and look at it. But I think being where we are in the season and being that we only made one lap going into the first round (Sunday), that we were second pair out without lane choice, yeah, I think that was certainly the biggest race and the biggest win that we've had all year long,” Ashley said. “I can't say enough good things about Antron Brown. You're going to hear the same thing from everybody, but I wouldn't be in the position I am today without him. He's helped me a lot. I licensed in his car, and I'm still trying to learn and collect knowledge from him both on and off the racetrack because he's as good as it gets. But yeah, for our team, that was a tremendous, tremendous win.”

Which set in motion his great confidence booster – winning in Dallas.

“Yeah, certainly (we have a) a lot of confidence, confidence and momentum. We get a week off to enjoy it, but it's all about finding the right balance and I firmly believe that you have to find the right balance between taking that confidence and momentum but not counting your chickens before they hatch,” Ashley said. “Is that the same, counting your chickens? …

“I mean, it is about finding the right balance, right? We are confident, we have a lot of momentum. You're only as good as the people you surround yourself with, and I believe that we have the best in the business with Mike, Tommy, and the SCAG team that we have. Our relationship with Toyota, especially down the stretch, is super, super helpful for us. Certainly confident, but at the same time, once we leave here, we have to find a way to learn from it but leave it in the past and focus on Vegas.”