Doug Kalitta and others – to have Ashley at the top of at that mix is almost other-worldly .
“ The rare thing that you see is a rookie come in and raise a bar on any level ,” Langdon says . “ Typically rookies come in and they just try to find their own and try to blend in . It is really hard to be a rookie and stand out at anything . He has come in and excelled in a couple areas . He has done a fantastic job on the starting line . He came in and raised the bar on reaction times . That is really rare to see . For someone to do that first you have to tip your cap to them and second you have to get back in and do your homework to better yourself to raise your bar to that level . That is what he has done to us and what we have been trying to do and catch up to him .”
Torrence remarked that Ashley has been exceptional on the tree , while Kalitta added to the the class in reaction times . Easier said than done , obviously , especially with guys like Antron , with guys like Steve and Shawn , they do such a great job . Those guys are the best in sport , so to be up there with them is really awesome . It ’ s a privilege , and it ’ s something that I take real , real pride in .”
It ’ s all part of Ashley ’ s magnificent learning process . He ’ s determined not to skip steps , build on areas where the team excelled and continue to hone in on his strengths .
Ashley finished 2020 with the memorable victory , as well as two semifinal appearances , including the finale in Las Vegas . It was the momentum he was seeking to cap off a year that , in spite of some challenging and frustrating turns , couldn ’ t have gone much better .
If anything , though , it ’ s only stoked Ashley ’ s fire that much more . He finished seventh in
and you need to create situations that allow for return on investment for the company and allow for return on investment for your team ,” he adds . “ We don ’ t want to limit ourselves to any particular industry or any particular category because I do believe that we offer – NHRA as a whole and our program – a very unique platform that can provide a lot of value to everybody , and it ’ s just about communicating that value .
“ I don ’ t think there ’ s a reason to limit yourself to the kind of companies that you bring in because I think that in a lot of ways we can create good situations for a bunch of different companies , a bunch of different industries out there .”
The FOX television deal had a significant impact on bringing in those sponsors and Ashley wants to maintain that momentum . The 2021 season doesn ’ t begin until mid-March in Gainesville , which Ashley takes as a challenge to find more promising deals .
“ We were fortunate enough to be on FOX ’ s national broadcast a few times , which had very good reach ,” Ashley points out . “ I think the next thing , which is always important and I think is the most important thing , is focusing on doing everything you can to put relationships together . If you ’ re able to take one of your partners and create a B2B deal with another partner or an outside company and everybody can do well and make money , I think that you ’ re putting yourself in a really good position .”
It ’ s difficult enough for a rookie in any sport
to be a viable competitor and drag racing is no different . But to set a new standard right off the bat , it definitely takes a special quality . That ’ s Ashley on the starting line , where he almost immediately has become the torchbearer in the class . When you consider the standout leavers in the class – a group that includes Brown , Shawn Langdon , Steve Torrence , Tony Schumacher ,
ASHLEY HAS PRAISED THE WORK OF CREW CHIEF AARON BROOKS , WHO HAS BEEN MASTERFUL AT HELPING YOUNG DRIVERS FIND THEIR FOOTING IN THE NITRO RANKS . THEY MESHED WELL , LEADING TO ASHLEY BEING NAMED NHRA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR .
praise , noting he ’ s had to become better in the process as well . “ He is hammering the tree most of the time ,” Kalitta says . “ You have to be on your ‘ A ’ game when he rolls up next to you , for sure .”
It ’ s almost folklore in just 14 races , but Ashley doesn ’ t take the praise lightly . If anything , it only causes him to try and be even better in the areas he can control .
“ I feel like that ’ s where I can give my team an opportunity to win . I am extraordinarily hard on myself almost to a fault . I take it very personally ,” Ashley shares . “ It ’ s something that I can always continue to improve on , and it ’ s something that I plan to continue to improve on moving forward . They give me a race car , and that ’ s one of my jobs is to drive the car straight , but to also leave the starting line as quick as I can . It ’ s something that I take pride in and it was definitely my goal to lead points – a splendid way to open what appears to be a promising Top Fuel career – but Ashley is far from content .
He ’ ll take a minute to relax , refresh and look back on a season that can be deemed nothing but a success , but Ashley is ready for it to also be the jumping off point for a long and fortuitous Top Fuel career .
“ I take this very seriously ,” Ashley says . “ I race , and I have a good time doing it , but I take my job very seriously .
“ I think there ’ s still a lot of untapped potential . I think we had an amazing year in a lot of ways , and we ’ re very appreciative for that . I think it ’ s really important to sit back and understand the gravity of what we did because we did a great job , and it ’ s important to enjoy that , but at the same time , for us , I strongly believe that this is only the beginning . Dustin Davis and I , and Aaron Brooks are the guys who want to build a program that ’ s dedicated to sustainable success . We want to be out there on a yearly basis , and we want to be out there having success and winning races and having a good time .” DI
78 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 162