Ashley keeps the faith en route to Motorplex Top Fuel victory
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio
ENNIS, Texas – Justin Ashley says his hole-shot victory over Clay Millican in Sunday’s Top Fuel final of the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals was a matter of “divine intervention.”
Who’s to argue with a man of faith…and his 11,000-horsepower hot rod?
NHRA Top Fuel winner Justin Ashley. NHRA photo
Still, a pivotal, first-round knockout of three-time world champion Antron Brown proved equally seraphic at Texas Motorplex. Ashley’s win over point-leader Brown triggered a workmanlike, day-long sprint in summertime-like heat that saw the native New Yorker also trailer world champions Shawn Langdon and Tony Schumacher en route to the final vs. Millican.
Ashley’s remarkable 0.026-second reaction time in the final led to a 1,000-foot pass in 3.773-seconds at 327.99 mph, his fourth win of the season and 15th overall in NHRA’s premier class. Millican recorded a quicker 3.762 at 328.40 but couldn’t track Ashley down at the finish line. Ashley now has won the FallNats in three of the last four years, expanding his collection of black cowboy hats.
The FallNats was the 18th of 20 races in the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Round 4 of the six-event Countdown to the Championship playoffs and culmination of the 10-day “Stampede of Speed” at Hall of Famer Billy Meyer’s facility. Ashley, who began the weekend trailing Brown by 34 points, exited Texas with a 44-point lead in pursuit of his first world championship.
Ashley’s victory capped a unique personal situation based upon his Jewish faith. He opted to compete in only the first of two qualifying rounds Friday, sitting out the second “Friday Night Live” session and its optimal atmospheric conditions. Ashley also skipped both sessions Saturday in observance of Yom Kippur, considered the holiest day of the year for Jews.
NHRA Top Fuel winner Justin Ashley. NHRA photo
“This speaks volumes as to the kind of team we have,” said Ashley, a 29-year-old resident of Farmingdale, N.Y. “When I went up to them and told them what my plan was going to be they rallied around me, they rallied together as a group. We’re all one family. I have certain principles that are based around faith and family.”
That decision placed Ashley and his SCAG Power Equipment/Toyota dragster 12th on the 16-car ladder based on his single, 1,000-foot pass from Friday afternoon, and presented veteran crew chiefs Mike Green and Tommy DeLago zero tuning wiggle room.
“Having only one lap down the racetrack all weekend in 100-degree heat, our backs were definitely against the wall,” Ashley said. “But Mike, Tommy and the SCAG guys did an amazing job.”
Yom Kippur marks the end of the 10 days of repentance that begins with the Jewish New Year, or Rosh Hashanah. On Yom Kippur, Jews pray for their sins to be forgiven before the coming year and ask for forgiveness from those they’ve transgressed over the past year. Religious Jews believe if one sincerely repents, God will forgive their sins.
“As far as I’m concerned, and it says it right there on the car, with God all things are possible,” Ashley said. “I’ve been very blessed to be able to live a dream and have the kind of team we have. It’s very rare it (Yom Kippur) falls on a weekend. It’s so easy to get lost in the midst of everything, the championship chase, but we weren’t going to let that happen.”
Texas NHRA FallNationals winners Matt Hagan, Gaige Herrera, Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Justin Ashley. NHRA photo
Meanwhile, Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also emerged as Professional class winners.
Ashley prevailed over Brown in classic fashion, covering the distance in 3.775-seconds at 329.21 mph. Brown ran 3.776 at 324.96, with Ashley’s reaction time off the starting line of 0.041-seconds besting Brown’s 0.061. Ashley’s margin of victory was 0.0210-seconds in what looms as his most important lap of the 2024 campaign.
“I don’t think that’s an overstatement,” Ashley said. “Being where we are in the season, being we only made one lap going into the first round today and we were second pair out without lane-choice, yeah, I think that was the biggest race and the biggest win we had all year long.
“That was a tremendous, tremendous win.”
Ashley now has led the Top Fuel standings six times through 18 national events, most recently after Round 1 of the Countdown at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., on Sept. 15. Brown replaced him after Round 2 of the playoffs at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C., on Sept. 22 and held serve after Round 3 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill., on Sept. 29.
Scag Power Equipment sponsored drivers Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Justin Ashley. NHRA photo
“Justin was great on the (Christmas) tree like he always is,” said Brown, owner/driver of the Matco Tools Toyota dragster. “I just have to get better. That was a close one and it was a tough blow but this is what NHRA drag racing is all about. We have two races left. I’m going to go back and do the work. I’ll be stronger.”
Millican advanced to the final in his Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus dragster for the third time this season and 25th time in his career by defeating reigning world champion Doug Kalitta, Shawn Reed and four-time world champ/native Texan Steve Torrence of Kilgore.
“It’s not over until it’s over, that much is for sure,” said Ashley, looking ahead to the remaining Countdown rounds in Las Vegas and Pomona, Calif. “You just have to keep swinging and it’s best for us to not even look at the points. If we don’t take care of our business, it’s not going to matter anyway. It’s important to enjoy it, but once we leave here our focus has to immediately shift to Vegas. No matter what this is far, far from over.
“We took a major step today, but it’s going to become more and more difficult. Just like it always does, it’s going to come down to Pomona.”
The Plex’s signature all-concrete surface continued to bring out the best in four-time/reigning Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan, who won for the second consecutive year for Tony Stewart Racing. Hagan defeated former Don Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps in the final with a 1,000-foot run of 3.943-seconds at 327.65 mph in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Dodge//SRT Hellcat. It was the third victory this season for Hagan and 52nd in his career. Hagan also moved to third in points, 168 back of runaway leader Austin Prock of John Force Racing.
NHRA Funny Car winner Matt Hagan. NHRA photo
After qualifying second, Hagan knocked off Bobby Bode, two-time world champion Cruz Pedregon and Daniel Wilkerson to reach the final, utilizing a quicker 0.064-second reaction time to hold off Capps’ blast of 3.934 at 328.28. Hagan’s veteran team had struggled since his most recent victory in May at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., but rallied in the face of the extended hot conditions.
“I love Capps to death, but I was ready to cut his head off,” Hagan joked. “You’re going in like a gladiator. You get to get on this crazy machine and you never know what it’s going to do, but this is one of the cool things we get to do, drive something so unpredictable.
“That’s why we love doing it. To get this win for Jason Johnson and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage, to pull down the win was huge. Life is about the people and the relationships we build along the way, that’s what really matters. We’ve surrounded ourselves with really smart people and I believe in my guys and my crew. Those core group of guys really mattered and I’ve been lucky to keep my core group together for so long.”
Hagan, who is basically eight rounds of racing behind the “Prock Rocket” Chevy, also was ready to anoint Austin as the 2024 “Ha-Ha Car” world champion.
NHRA Funny Car winner Matt Hagan. NHRA photo
“The only way we’re going to catch Austin is if he stays home for the next two races,” Hagan said. “I’m going to figure out how to lock him into his closet. But you can tip your hat to those guys. They’ve been No. 1 qualifier 13 times (in 18 events) and I have a lot of respect for the kid. He’s a good wheel-man.
“So, I don’t see us catching him any time soon. I don’t see anybody catching him anytime soon. Those guys just came out and out-worked everybody.”
Capps, a three-time world champion, advanced to the final in his NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra for the fifth time this season and 152nd in his career by defeating Dave Richards, Blake Alexander and Prock. A bizarre mechanical issue involving the throttle linkage on Prock’s AAA of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS prematurely ended his weekend.
“I was just trying to digest the issue,” said Prock, whose car is tuned by his father, Jimmy. “My foot went off the plate on the floor so there was either two things _ either we broke the throttle cable or the throttle linkage disconnected by error.
“I noticed the throttle arm was moving and there was no change in the RPM. I got on the radio and told them what was going on. We tried reconnecting but we weren’t able to. Tough break and it wasn’t the way we wanted to leave here but it was still a good weekend that we went to the semifinals. We’ll try again in Las Vegas and see if we can sew this thing up.”
Prock will take a commanding lead into The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway _ a solid 147 points over JFR teammate “Fast” Jack Beckman. A two-time world champion, Beckman has been driving the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS as substitute for recuperating team-owner/drag racing legend John “Brute” Force.
But Beckman, 58, spent race day as a spectator after awakening Sunday morning with vertigo-like symptoms. Beckman had qualified the PEAK Camaro in the No. 3 position and was to have raced Texas native Chad Green, the No. 14 qualifier, in Sunday’s opening round.
“Jack was fine when he left the track (Saturday night), but when he woke up this morning he had vertigo-like symptoms that were not quickly resolved,” JFR spokesperson Bob McAleer said. “On the advice of NHRA medical professionals, he reluctantly has withdrawn from competition this weekend.”
Final round-by-round results in Top Fuel and Funny Car from the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex in Ennis:
TOP FUEL
ROUND ONE _Tony Schumacher, 3.801, 322.37 def. Ida Zetterstrom, 4.082, 222.85; Justin Ashley, 3.775, 329.21 def. Antron Brown, 3.776, 324.96; Brittany Force, 3.766, 334.55 def. Spencer Hyde, Foul/Red Light; Shawn Reed, 3.753, 318.97 def. Tony Stewart, 3.817, 329.96; Shawn Langdon, 3.724, 332.20 def. Jasmine Salinas, 3.745, 326.49; Steve Torrence, 3.756, 333.21 def. Krista Baldwin, 6.121, 103.31; Billy Torrence, 3.773, 329.48 def. Josh Hart, 6.093, 105.75; Clay Millican, 3.740, 333.16 def. Doug Kalitta, 4.954, 161.63;
QUARTERFINALS _ Schumacher, 3.797, 326.16 def. Force, 3.790, 332.27; S. Torrence, 3.811, 325.80 def. B. Torrence, 5.491, 121.61; Millican, 3.759, 330.44 def. Reed, 3.775, 324.98; Ashley, 3.951, 291.00 def. Langdon, 4.274, 228.21;
SEMIFINALS _ Ashley, 3.806, 327.51 def. Schumacher, 3.817, 323.93; Millican, 3.777, 329.40 def. S. Torrence, 4.245, 222.39;
FINAL _ Ashley, 3.773, 327.99 def. Millican, 3.762, 328.40.
FUNNY CAR
ROUND ONE _ Blake Alexander, Ford Mustang, 3.879, 325.80 def. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.994, 303.91; Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 4.380, 275.23 def. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 4.404, 205.61; Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.974, 325.64 def. Bobby Bode, Mustang, 3.966, 321.80; Chad Green, Mustang, 3.992, 295.92 def. Jack Beckman, Camaro, Broke/No Show; Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.912, 328.42 def. Dave Richards, Mustang, 12.205, 70.29; Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.908, 323.46 def. Alexis DeJoria, GR Supra, Broke; Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.017, 315.55 def. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 5.059, 158.02; Paul Lee, Charger, 4.100, 246.72 def. Dale Creasy Jr., Charger, 5.678, 126.53;
QUARTERFINALS _ Prock, 3.945, 327.92 def. Lee, 4.008, 314.95; Capps, 3.945, 307.34 def. Alexander, 9.718, 86.49; Wilkerson, 3.944, 322.74 def. Green, 5.544, 105.54; Hagan, 3.974, 327.44 def. Pedregon, 4.076, 252.53;
SEMIFINALS _ Hagan, 3.965, 326.16 def. Wilkerson, 7.727, 96.18; Capps, 3.900, 328.83 def. Prock, Broke;
FINAL _ Hagan, 3.943, 327.65 def. Capps, 3.934, 328.28.
