ST. LOUIS, MO (October 2, 2022) — The Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy and driver Justin Ashley escaped the NHRA Midwest Nationals holding onto the Top Fuel points lead and they are heading to the next Countdown race as the defending champion. An uncharacteristic first round loss ended Ashley’s day but fortunately for two-time winner in 2022, the drivers who were chasing him did not capitalize on his misstep losing in the first and second rounds as well.

“First round loses can kill you in the Countdown, but only if you let them,” said Ashley, who hasn’t lost in the first round since the Norwalk Nationals in June. “Our Phillips Connect is resilient and we know the way we respond is far more important than anything else. We’ll still leave with the points lead and pick up where we left off. It’s going to be a fight the rest of the year.”

Ashley opened the Countdown with two runner-up finishes and a move from third in the points to first place. Over the previous eight races the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy raced to at least the semifinals seven times. That kind of consistency set Ashley and the Davis Motorsports team on a path to be one of the top contenders for the Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Fuel world championship.

“Today was an anomaly,” said Ashley, the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the year. “We have a great Phillips Connect Vita C Energy dragster. We have a championship caliber team all the way around. We don’t want to look at this race under a microscope and we have to look at the season and the Countdown as whole. We have been doing a great job and I fully expect that to continue the rest of the season.”

In the opening round against Countdown contender Mike Salinas Ashley had lane choice as the No. 7 qualifier. This was the first time in five races that Ashley began race day lower than third in qualifying. He was first off the line with a .044 reaction time but his dragster overpowered the track. Salinas was also not clean off the line, but Ashley was not able to reel him in and his 4.476 second pass ended his day and has the 2012 Texas Fall Nationals champion turning his attention to the next NHRA national event at Texas Motorplex outside of Dallas.

“Last year was my first year in the Countdown so everything was a new experience,” said Ashley. “Now back in the Countdown I don’t have as much experience as a lot of the drivers, but our team has a lot of experience. I feel better knowing what it is all about and understanding the pressure and situational racing. Going through it a second time has me a lot more comfortable.”

The Texas Fall Nationals will feature four rounds of qualifying starting on Friday, October 14 with $15,000 on the line during Friday Night Live, the second qualifying session, for the quickest pass of the session. Ashley and the rest of the Top Fuel class will have two more qualifying runs on Saturday before final eliminations start for the 16 quickest Top Fuel dragsters at noon. The race will be broadcast nationally on FS1.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 6.984 sec, 82.66 mph; Qual. 16

Q2: 3.744 sec; 329.50 mph; Qual. 7

Q3: 3.698 sec; 331.94 mph; Qual. 7

Bonus Points:

Race Results

First Round

Mike Salinas, San Jose, Calif., Pep Boys Scrapper dragster, 3.946, 278.23 mph def. Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by Vita C Energy, 4.476, 202.06 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel

1.         Justin Ashley              2305

2.         Steve Torrence           2291

3.         Brittany Force             2275

4.         Mike Salinas               2270

5.         Antron Brown             2262

6.         Josh Hart                     2241

7.         Doug Kalitta                2217

8.         Clay Millican               2179

9.         Shawn Langdon          2162

10.       Austin Prock                2161

About Justin Ashley Racing
Justin Ashley Racing in partnership with Davis Motorsports fields the Phillips Connect Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Shot in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. In 2021 Ashley raced to three final rounds with a win at the Texas Fall Nationals in Dallas and ultimately finished No. 4 in the Top Fuel standings. During his Top Fuel rookie season in 2020 Justin won the NHRA Summernationals, finished in the Top Ten and was recognized as the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year.  Prior to his professional debut Ashley has three wins in Top Alcohol Dragster on the Lucas Oil Series. He is the son of multi-time NHRA national event winner Mike Ashley. In 2017, he was named to the Drag Illustrated magazine’s 30 under 30 list, highlighting some of racing’s most promising young individuals on and off the racetrack. To learn more about Justin Ashley Racing, visit JustinAshley.com.