INDIANAPOLIS — It was another standout year for one of Top Fuel racing’s elite drivers — Justin Ashley.
The SCAG Racing driver turned heads throughout the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season with precise reaction times and steady driving as he held the points lead for the majority of the campaign.
While the team retooled during the summer months, the Countdown to the Championship saw Ashley rise to the point again.
A victory at the Texas Fall Nationals helped him hold the point lead entering the finale at California’s In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in November with an advantage of more than a round’s worth of points.
A title wasn’t meant to be as the 30-year-old exited the NHRA Finals in the first round.
Nonetheless, Ashley, who finished third in the standings, isn’t letting the ending take away from a career-best season.
“There was a lot of growth,” Ashley began. “We came into the year with a strategy. I think it paid off. Look, we didn’t win the championship but we accomplished a lot.
“When you look at how good the Top Fuel field is… to leave with the Mission Foods championship, four Mission Foods Challenge wins, four race wins, six finals, it’s a testament to the kinda team that we have.
“Mike (Green), Tommy (DeLago), Dustin (Davis), the whole group, they worked really hard. We constantly found ways to improve and better ourselves throughout the year,” Ashley continued.
“We didn’t get the ultimate prize, winning the championship, but, I think all-in-all, when you look back at it and you reflect on the year, there were a lot of positives.
“Far and away my favorite year racing as a professional. I feel very grateful to be a part of it.”
Ashley’s fall from the points lead in Pomona was perhaps one of the most gut-wrenching situations for any driver. Following qualifying, Ashley was matched against mentor and friend, Antron Brown in the first round.
After entering with a points lead of more than 40 points, his hopes were dashed in the blink of an eye.
“It was tough,” Ashley began. “Definitely unique circumstances. We did not expect to race each other in the first round. Him and I have talked for years about finishing one and two in the points. We thought that might be a strong possibility going into Pomona.
“Obviously, it wasn’t. I’ll say this. Antron is my brother from another mother. He’s done so much for me personally, professionally. We wanted to win the championship more than anything in this world.”
Not dwelling on the situation in the moment, Ashley put his competitive side to rest so he could be a part of Brown’s eventual fourth title-clinching run.
“We wanted to bring a championship to SCAG Racing. But, if we weren’t gonna win it, I am so incredibly happy that Antron Brown won,” Ashley said. “I think he deserves it, I think he’s an incredible ambassador for the sport.
“An incredible human being both on and off the race track. I love him like a brother. Although we didn’t win I was up there on the starting line when he did clinch the championship.
“I’m still happy about it for him. He’s an amazing person and they have an amazing team.”
As the clock winds down on 2024, there’s little doubt Ashley and SCAG Racing will contend for a Top Fuel title next season.
With SCAG Power Equipment diving into the sport head-first as a major partner of the sport and forming a team, Ashley believes he’s “never seen a company so dedicated.”
“Not only to their own employees, the sport of NHRA drag racing, the fans, the dealers, the distributors across the country,” Ashley said.
“They decided this is what they wanted to do. They’ve gone ahead and gone full steam ahead to make sure it happens and make sure it’s successful. We are in this position because of them. Randy, Maria and the whole team at SCAG Power Equipment and Metalcraft of Mayville as a whole.
“We’re all really grateful for this opportunity. I thought it was a really, really good start to this relationship. We hope that we kinda built a foundation and now we can keep growing from here.”