CONCORD, NC - Justin Ashley raced his way to a semi-final finish in his Influencer, Strutmasters.com, Top Fuel Dragster in his first-ever weekend of racing in the class.
Ashley, a real estate developer who fixes and flips distressed properties on New York’s Long Island, described the weekend behind Dustin Davis’ Strutmasters.com Influencer dragster as really special.
“ I have full confidence in Aaron Brooks, Dustin Davis, Jason Bunker and the entire team knowing that at any given time, we can go out and compete,” Ashley said. “The Top Fuel competition is the best in the world, and I’m humbled to have this opportunity.”
Ashley qualified 12th in the 16-car field with a 3.831, 319.67. The former Top Alcohol Dragster standout wasn’t deterred by his slower qualified position as he took out No. 5 qualifier and past NHRA national event winner Mike Salinas in the first round, and then Rookie of the Year candidate Austin Prock in the second.
“I’m going to take this experience and soak in the moment, but this race will be behind us quickly,” said Ashley, whose next race is the NHRA national event in Las Vegas in two weeks. “I’m not going to focus anything on this race or focus on maybe what expectations might be there after this race. My entire focus is going to be on what I could have done better. I’m just trying to continue to get better because I can improve as a driver, and I know we will continue to improve as a team.”
Performing well in his debut is nothing new for Ashley, who qualified No. 1 in his 2017 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series divisional debut where he qualified No. 1 behind the wheel of Randy Meyer’s dragster. He followed up the pole position with a win the following week at the NHRA Gatornationals.
Early in his semi-final loss to defending series champion Steve Torrence, Ashley held the lead until the blower belt shredded. Ashley admits it is not hard not to get intimidated by the moment. “It definitely takes some practice to try and not get caught up in the moment and start thinking that something is maybe bigger than it is,” Ashley said. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Steve and his entire team and his entire program. But specifically him as an individual, he epitomizes what it takes to be a champion.”
For a moment in the race against Torrence, Ashley wondered if he could pull off the improbable victory and advance to the finals. “I felt like I left the line good, and I felt the clutch lock up, and I thought, ‘wow this thing is on a good run,” Ashley recalled. “And then all of a sudden it threw the blower belt, and I saw him fly right by us. So for a brief second, I think I thought to myself, ‘well, this is looking good.”
“But that’s a part of racing. It happens, just to be able to go head-to-head with Steve Torrence, Austin Prock and Mike Salinas is a privilege for me. All of them are great drivers and great people.”
Because Ashley is racing in three 2019 races, he retains his eligibility for the 2020 Rookie of the Year award.
While Ashley may have made his transition into new classes appear easy, the reality of it all is the challenges are as tough as any he’s ever faced, most notably playing college football as an undersized receiver.
“Sometimes it might look easy, but it’s never easy,” Ashley said. “I try and focus on driving because I know that I wouldn’t be in this position without the team that we have. I feel fortunate to have this team. I knew nothing was going to be easy. Nothing in the sport is easy. Nothing in life is easy, especially if it’s worth working for. But I’m happy that we were able to come out and make a lot of positive strides in our debut.”
Ashley, a real estate developer who fixes and flips distressed properties on New York’s Long Island, described the weekend behind Dustin Davis’ Strutmasters.com Influencer dragster as really special.
“ I have full confidence in Aaron Brooks, Dustin Davis, Jason Bunker and the entire team knowing that at any given time, we can go out and compete,” Ashley said. “The Top Fuel competition is the best in the world, and I’m humbled to have this opportunity.”
Ashley qualified 12th in the 16-car field with a 3.831, 319.67. The former Top Alcohol Dragster standout wasn’t deterred by his slower qualified position as he took out No. 5 qualifier and past NHRA national event winner Mike Salinas in the first round, and then Rookie of the Year candidate Austin Prock in the second.
“I’m going to take this experience and soak in the moment, but this race will be behind us quickly,” said Ashley, whose next race is the NHRA national event in Las Vegas in two weeks. “I’m not going to focus anything on this race or focus on maybe what expectations might be there after this race. My entire focus is going to be on what I could have done better. I’m just trying to continue to get better because I can improve as a driver, and I know we will continue to improve as a team.”
Performing well in his debut is nothing new for Ashley, who qualified No. 1 in his 2017 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series divisional debut where he qualified No. 1 behind the wheel of Randy Meyer’s dragster. He followed up the pole position with a win the following week at the NHRA Gatornationals.
Early in his semi-final loss to defending series champion Steve Torrence, Ashley held the lead until the blower belt shredded. Ashley admits it is not hard not to get intimidated by the moment. “It definitely takes some practice to try and not get caught up in the moment and start thinking that something is maybe bigger than it is,” Ashley said. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Steve and his entire team and his entire program. But specifically him as an individual, he epitomizes what it takes to be a champion.”
For a moment in the race against Torrence, Ashley wondered if he could pull off the improbable victory and advance to the finals. “I felt like I left the line good, and I felt the clutch lock up, and I thought, ‘wow this thing is on a good run,” Ashley recalled. “And then all of a sudden it threw the blower belt, and I saw him fly right by us. So for a brief second, I think I thought to myself, ‘well, this is looking good.”
“But that’s a part of racing. It happens, just to be able to go head-to-head with Steve Torrence, Austin Prock and Mike Salinas is a privilege for me. All of them are great drivers and great people.”
Because Ashley is racing in three 2019 races, he retains his eligibility for the 2020 Rookie of the Year award.
While Ashley may have made his transition into new classes appear easy, the reality of it all is the challenges are as tough as any he’s ever faced, most notably playing college football as an undersized receiver.
“Sometimes it might look easy, but it’s never easy,” Ashley said. “I try and focus on driving because I know that I wouldn’t be in this position without the team that we have. I feel fortunate to have this team. I knew nothing was going to be easy. Nothing in the sport is easy. Nothing in life is easy, especially if it’s worth working for. But I’m happy that we were able to come out and make a lot of positive strides in our debut.”
