Following the first three races of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, Antron Brown looked to be in the driver’s seat to earn a fourth Top Fuel championship.
However, Justin Ashley is heating up at the right time.
The marquee matchup on Sunday at the Texas Motorplex came in the first round of eliminations as Brown and Ashley, who entered the race first and second in the standings, faced off.
Ashley got the better of Brown with a 3.775 ET at 329.21 mph. From there, the SCAG Racing driver knocked out Shawn Langdon and Tony Schumacher before taking down Clay Millican in the finals.
It was Ashley’s third victory at the Ennis, Texas, facility in four years.
While it was a victorious weekend, Ashley’s triumph was an emotional one. Ashley approached his team prior to Saturday’s qualifying sessions stating he wouldn’t compete in observance of the Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur.
His team supported him in a heartbeat.
“(It) just speaks volumes of the team that we have,” Ashley began. “When I went up to them and I told them what my plan was gonna be, you can expect a number of different reactions. But instead, they rallied around and we rallied as a group.
“We are one team, we are one family. I have certain principles that are based around faith and family. So for them to understand that and support that, that meant a lot to me.”
Despite only one run on track prior to Sunday, it didn’t matter in the end.
Ashley entered Sunday’s eliminations 34 points out of the lead. However, following his win, Ashley now leads Brown by 44 markers.
The 29-year-old’s mindset has remained unchanged from the beginning of the season with one goal in mind — playing to win and not being conservative.
“I think there’s a big difference between playing to win and playing not to lose,” Ashley explained. “Whether or not I want to admit it, I’ve thought a lot about it this year. I think subconsciously, you kinda tend to ease back and be a little bit conservative.
“I think when you do that, I’m only speaking on my behalf, as individual drivers, it’s gonna come back and bite you.
“Learning from that, it was my goal this year to make sure that we played to win each and every time we ran as quick and fast as we can each and every time down the race track. 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.”
Only two races remain in the season with the series’ next stop coming Oct. 31-Nov. 3 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.