before , so I felt completely confident in the team , and I knew that we were going to give ourselves an opportunity to win [ at Indy ]. At that point , you just kind of let everything go and then see what happens ,” Ashley says .
“ I remember everything went by so quick , just thinking back and taking it all in , just being able to turn the corner and see the cameras come up ,” he continues . “ I think there was two feelings , one of just elation , and then maybe more so of relief , just knowing that we just did what we needed to do , we accomplished a major goal that we had set out to do when we first started this program , and to do it so quickly into our rookie season was awesome . That feeling of just elation and relief was just something that I tried to do my best to soak in and just really take in the moment because these Wallys are hard to win , and you never know when you ’ re going to come across your next one . I was really privileged to be a part of that whole situation .”
It ’ s a situation Ashley has so impressively helped create .
From securing sponsors in a way that had him willing to step outside the proverbial drag racing box to putting the class on notice on the starting line , Ashley has stuck to and accomplished his ambitious plan .
That in itself indicates something special , and it ’ s already been noticed by other greats in the sport .
“ The kid has done a phenomenal job ,” says three-time Top Fuel world champ Antron Brown . “ Justin has been very sharp . He is very poised , which I don ’ t think a lot of people understand . He doesn ’ t get too excited or too down . He is poised and he is always in that mode to attack .
I saw it when he first started and drove our Top Fuel dragster and got his license . I could see that demeanor in him . His mindset and his focus with his racing , you see nothing gets to him . I expect to see him do great things and he will be a championship contender .”
WATCHING HIS FATHER , MIKE , HAVE SUCCESS IN PRO MOD SPURRED ASHLEY ’ S DREAMS AND HE DIDN ’ T WASTE ANY TIME
LEAVING AN IMPRESSION IN THE TOP FUEL RANKS , ADVANCING TO THE SEMIFINALS IN HIS FIRST START IN CHARLOTTE .
If there ’ s a word that describes Ashley , prepared quickly comes to mind .
He wasn ’ t going to jump into Top Fuel without being ready from every angle possible . While just getting there is often the goal ,
Ashley wasn ’ t going to be content with just that .
That ’ s why he wanted to make sure everything was in place before he took a crack at the top names in the sport . It wasn ’ t just being happy to be there . It was making an immediate impact and ensuring every aspect was accounted for in order for that to transpire .
Ashley calls that controlling the controllables , which is his way of showing there ’ s no stone left unturned .
It started with a team owner in Davis and a crew chief in Brooks who have been willing to do what was necessary – financially and time-wise – to compete with the best , and that has rubbed off on everyone , including Ashley .
“ Everyone from Dustin Davis , all the way down , everyone knows what our goals and objectives are ,” Ashley says . “ I understand that it ’ s a difficult thing for a rookie team to do , especially because we ’ re racing against the toughest competition in the world , but I think the guys really did a great job of working and knowing what kind of goals and objectives that we had and keeping that in mind and just continuing with the grind and not stopping until we were able to come out with our first win and accomplish those goals was really just a testament to the group as a whole .
“ The truth of the matter is , you ’ re only as good as the people that you surround yourself with ,” Ashley continues , “ and for me , I had a team that worked diligently every day . I had a crew chief that did everything he could to give us a fast race car . I have a father that I ’ m constantly talking with , and he ’ s constantly giving me advice about ways to improve on and off the racetrack . Our supporting cast is really a team , and it ’ s a family . They ’ ve done a great job of making this transition as smooth as it can possibly be .”
Ashley clicked immediately with Brooks when he made his Top Fuel debut at Charlotte in October of 2019 . Ashley advanced to the semifinals at his first race , making his presence immediately
76 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 162