NHRA New England Nationals (Rain-Delayed)
Event 7 of 21
Contested at Bristol Dragway
Originally Scheduled for June 4, 20203
Top Fuel:
Justin Ashley Wins Rain-Delayed New England Nationals in All-JCM Racing Top Fuel Final
Qualified (Epping): No. 10 (4.807 E.T. at 155.61 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.755 E.T. at 327.74 MPH defeated Dan Mercier 3.768 E.T. at 317.72 MPH
E2: 4.097 E.T. at 255.92 MPH defeated Brittany Force 4.322 E.T. at 274.05 MPH
E3: 3.892 E.T. at 319.29 MPH defeated Steve Torrence 3.915 E.T. at 311.13 MPH
E4: 3.846 E.T. at 324.12 MPH defeated Tony Schumacher 3.835 E.T. at 323.66 MPH
Qualified (Bristol): No. 4 (3.755 E.T. at 327.74 MPH
Justin Ashley Wins Rain-Delayed New England Nationals in All-JCM Racing Top Fuel Final
Qualified (Epping): No. 10 (4.807 E.T. at 155.61 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.755 E.T. at 327.74 MPH defeated Dan Mercier 3.768 E.T. at 317.72 MPH
E2: 4.097 E.T. at 255.92 MPH defeated Brittany Force 4.322 E.T. at 274.05 MPH
E3: 3.892 E.T. at 319.29 MPH defeated Steve Torrence 3.915 E.T. at 311.13 MPH
E4: 3.846 E.T. at 324.12 MPH defeated Tony Schumacher 3.835 E.T. at 323.66 MPH
Qualified (Bristol): No. 4 (3.755 E.T. at 327.74 MPH
BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 10, 2023) – For the third time this season, Justin Ashley and the Maynard Ashley Racing Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster defeated a gauntlet of tough NHRA Top Fuel competitors and world champions en-route to victory. The second-generation driver moved into the NHRA Top Fuel points lead with his win at the postponed and relocated NHRA New England Nationals, outrunning Dan Mercier, two-time world champion Brittany Force, four-time world champion Steve Torrence and finally, in an all-JCM Racing final, eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher.
“Everybody out here is tough,” said Ashley, who was competing in his 14th career Top Fuel final round. “I don’t think about it during the race, but after, I think it is important to reflect and appreciate when you go up against some of the best in the world. Each one of these drivers is fantastic. Each one of these teams is great. It’s an honor just to line up next to them, so to turn on a win light with (crew chiefs) Mike Green, Tommy DeLago, and the guys is truly special.”
During two days of qualifying last week, Ashley was able to get his Phillips Connect Toyota dragster qualified in the No. 10 spot and into a first round race with Dan Mercier. During the second round of qualifying at the Thunder Valley Nationals on Friday night, Ashley began his pursuit of three wins in one weekend. The 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year was first off of the line with a strong .038 reaction time and never trailed in the race. It was Ashley’s second consecutive win over Mercier and set up and tough match-up with Force.
In the second round today, Ashley was once again first off of the line but his Phillips Connect Toyota dragster ran into problems, wounding itself as it powered down the track. Force lost traction but pedaled her race car as she tried to chase down Ashley. He was able to keep momentum and get to the finish line stripe first for a win that came at a cost.
Moving into the semifinals facing Torrence for the second time this season, Ashley was looking for another win light. The last time these two drivers faced off was the semifinals of the Arizona Nationals which Ashley won. He was able to repeat history getting his third win light of the day and moving into the New England Nationals final round and the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge final round.
“It has been a long week to get to this race,” said Ashley. “I feel so grateful. When you come to a race – anytime there is an opportunity to win it is special – but when you have the opportunity to win three races in one weekend, especially at a historic facility like Bristol, it just makes it that much more special. The semifinal against Steve was a big round win because it turned into two final rounds.”
In the final round of the day, Ashley was first off of the line again and used that advantage to squeeze out a small hole shot win over Schumacher with his 3.846 second run getting to the finish line first in front of Schumacher’s quicker 3.835 second pass. Ashley’s reaction time was .041 to Schumacher’s .061. The win was the first for Ashley since announcing the formation of Maynard Ashley Racing last month, and victory No. 3 for the JCM Racing organization.
“The key word for today’s success is team,” said Ashley. “You are only as good as the people you surround yourself with. I feel more than confident in saying I have the best group of people behind me. I am just grateful for everybody on this Maynard Ashley Racing, Phillips Connect, Toyota team. Even going into the third round, it was a little wacky. It was a quick turnaround, and we did some damage, which we never normally do, but thankfully we got the win. I just have to credit the guys for putting everything together in time. The job that they always do is phenomenal, but especially this weekend working in the heat and getting it done on a Saturday, really is just amazing.
“Our plan and our objective coming in was to win everything, like it is every race, but it is so, so difficult out here. Now our focus is just on the here and now, in the present, enjoying this win because they are so hard to come by, but come tomorrow, it’s in the past. We can only enjoy this for a short period of time, but yeah, I think we have a great opportunity to win tomorrow, but there are 15 other cars that feel the same way. I know we are going to put on a really good show for the fans.”
Ashley will start race day from fourth and will line up opposite No. 13 qualifier Doug Foley in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday.
Tony Schumacher Races to First Final Round of 2023 at Rain-Delayed New England Nationals
Qualified (Epping): No. 13 (9.359 E.T. at 57.60 MPH)
Epping Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.797 E.T. at 323.58 MPH defeated Shawn Langdon 3.846 E.T. at 316.82 MPH
E2: 4.487 E.T. at 178.50 MPH defeated Bye
E3: 3.945 E.T. at 310.20 MPH defeated Mike Salinas 4.140 E.T. at 464.23 MPH
E4: 3.835 E.T. at 323.66 MPH defeated by Justin Ashley 3.846 E.T. at 324.12 MPH
Qualified (Bristol): No. 10 (3.797 E.T. at 323.58 MPH)
Qualified (Epping): No. 13 (9.359 E.T. at 57.60 MPH)
Epping Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.797 E.T. at 323.58 MPH defeated Shawn Langdon 3.846 E.T. at 316.82 MPH
E2: 4.487 E.T. at 178.50 MPH defeated Bye
E3: 3.945 E.T. at 310.20 MPH defeated Mike Salinas 4.140 E.T. at 464.23 MPH
E4: 3.835 E.T. at 323.66 MPH defeated by Justin Ashley 3.846 E.T. at 324.12 MPH
Qualified (Bristol): No. 10 (3.797 E.T. at 323.58 MPH)
A week after qualifying No. 13 at the NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway, Tony Schumacher raced to a runner-up finish at the rain-delayed eliminations held during qualifying at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. The driver of the SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel dragster clocked a solid 3.835 in the final round but came up just short to his new JCM Racing teammate, Justin Ashley, on Saturday.
While Schumacher struggled like many of the other teams in Epping’s extreme qualifying conditions, he started with a clean slate when eliminations began at Bristol. He used a 3.797-second pass to move past Shawn Langdon in the first round, giving him a bye in the quarterfinals on Saturday. With the sun heating up the racing surface, the bye run came at the perfect time, as Schumacher started to lose traction and lifted to a 4.487-second E.T.
In the semifinals, which also counted as the first round of the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, Schumacher and opponent Mike Salinas left the starting line with nearly identical reaction times. Schumacher held on and the SCAG Power Equipment dragster charged ahead, crossing the finish line first with a 3.945-second pass at 310.20 MPH to advance to his 157th final round.
An exciting side-by-side race between Schumacher and Ashley capped off Top Fuel qualifying at Bristol. Ashley was first off of the starting line with a .041-second reaction time to Schumacher’s strong .061, an advantage that made all the difference at the finish line. Schumacher recorded a 3.835-second blast at 323.66 MPH to finish just .009 seconds behind Ashley’s 3.846-second effort.
“It was excellent to get by that first round,” Schumacher said. “It gave us a single (in the second round) to go out and get ready, and it really helped to propel us into the final round. It gave us an extra run, which we've been really suffering with a lack of runs. We've had a couple of tracks where it's three qualifying sessions and a couple of tracks where you get rain. We just need the runs as a new team. So, this helped us a lot, and it showed (in the final round). We made a great run, drove through the clutch a little bit in the final round and got beat. But all in all, it's been a heck of a race, heck of a weekend. It's a letdown to get beat, but we get to do it again tomorrow. Let's see if we can't go out there and get it done.”
Schumacher, who qualified No. 10 with his 3.797-second best from the first round of Epping eliminations, will enter Thunder Valley Nationals eliminations tied with Funny Car’s Ron Capps as the winningest driver at Bristol Dragway. Before strapping in for the first round, he will be inducted into the track’s prestigious Legends of Thunder Valley during pre-race ceremonies.
Funny Car:
Wilkerson Ready to Battle for First Bristol Dragway Trophy on Sunday
Qualified (Epping): No. 6 (4.766 E.T. at 170.88 MPH)
Epping Elimination Round Results:
E1: 4.004 E.T. at 318.99 MPH defeated by John Force 4.063 E.T. at 324.36 MPH
Qualified (Bristol): No. 6 (4.004 E.T. at 318.99 MPH)
Wilkerson Ready to Battle for First Bristol Dragway Trophy on Sunday
Qualified (Epping): No. 6 (4.766 E.T. at 170.88 MPH)
Epping Elimination Round Results:
E1: 4.004 E.T. at 318.99 MPH defeated by John Force 4.063 E.T. at 324.36 MPH
Qualified (Bristol): No. 6 (4.004 E.T. at 318.99 MPH)
Route 66 NHRA Nationals Funny Car event champion Tim Wilkerson was looking to go back-to-back and pick up his second win of the season at last weekend’s New England Nationals in Epping, N.H. He placed sixth on the New England Dragway ladder after an abbreviated qualifying show and was ready to take on John Force in the first round. Unfortunately for Epping fans, Mother Nature had other plans, and eliminations were postponed until this weekend’s Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn.
After the first qualifying session at Bristol Dragway, Wilkerson lined up next to Force during Q2 and what was also the first round of Epping eliminations. Against the sport’s winningest driver, Wilkerson drove the SCAG Power Equipment/Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang to the finish line in 4.004 seconds, but Force’s near-psychic .006 reaction time allowed him to cross the beams first despite posting a slower 4.063 E.T.
“With everything that the weather threw at us in Epping, I was really looking forward to getting to Bristol to enjoy some better weather and have a chance to go back-to-back after my team’s win in Chicago,” said Wilkerson, a 23-time Funny Car event champion. “These guys work so hard and I’m really proud of them and the momentum we have going. It just didn’t go my way yesterday. John Force is my favorite driver to race against and in the battle of the old guys, he left with a .006 light to take the win. Reaction times like that are just tough to beat. I felt really confident in the tune-up I put in the car and was ready to go three more rounds but instead, we made sure we gained some good information for race day today, and we’re looking forward to putting on a great show for our friends at SCAG, and all of these awesome fans here in Bristol.”
Without the added pressure of needing to defeat the car in the opposite lane, Wilkerson was able to hone in on perfecting his tune-up during Saturday’s remaining qualifying runs. During the third session, he powered his Maynard Wilkerson Racing SCAG/LRS machine down the Bristol Dragway track in 4.067 seconds to earn three bonus points for posting the quickest run of the session.
Wilkerson, last year’s Bristol runner-up, and the SCAG/LRS team will start race day at the Thunder Valley Nationals from the No. 6 seed and will take on Dale Creasy Jr. in the first round of eliminations on Sunday.
About JCM Racing:
Established in 2022, JCM Racing is a multi-car NHRA team owned by Joe and Cathi Maynard, along with their partners Eric and Kim Lehman, all of Clarksville, Tenn.Headliners for the JCM Racing team are the SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel dragster driven by Tony Schumacher, the SCAG Power Equipment/Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang Funny Car piloted by Tim Wilkerson, and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster campaigned by Justin Ashley. As an eight-time world champion and 86-time event winner, Schumacher is the most decorated Top Fuel driver in the history of the sport. Wilkerson is a 23-time Funny Car winner and an industry anomaly as he serves as both the driver and tuner of his 11,000-horsepower machine. While still considered a newcomer to the Camping World Series, Ashley, the 2020 Rookie of the Year recipient, has already earned a reputation as one of the best 'leavers' in the Top Fuel category. NHRA Hall of Famer Don Schumacher, father of Tony Schumacher, is a minority owner of the SCAG dragster, while Tim Wilkerson Racing (TWR) co-owns the SCAG/LRS Mustang with JCM Racing. The Maynard Ashley Racing (MAR) operation is co-owned by JCM Racing and Max Out Motorsports.
JCM Racing also operates a driver development program, which currently lends support to three entries in NHRA’s Sportsman categories. Wyatt Wagner competes in Super Stock, Kayleigh Hill is a Super Comp racer, and Waylon Bennett tears it up in the Jr. Drag Racing League. Through the driver development program, JCM offers young talent the opportunity to hone in and perfect their driving skills as they work toward a career competing in NHRA’s professional ranks.
For more information, visit @jcmnitro on Twitter and Instagram, @JCMNitro on Facebook, and JCMNitro.com.
