PLAINVIEW, NY –  As the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series regular season concludes this weekend at the historic NHRA U.S. Nationals, Justin Ashley Racing and Davis Motorsports announced a multi-year extension to its primary sponsorship agreement with Phillips Connect, a national leader in semi-trailer tracking and sensor technologies. The wide-ranging marketing program began this season at the NHRA Winternationals, and throughout the season the impact of the marketing elements have grown exponentially, thanks in part to Ashley’s dominance on the track heading into the Countdown playoffs as well as the business-to-business opportunities that have developed at events throughout the season.

“Our goal throughout this season has been to provide Phillips Connect and its partners with an elite marketing platform dedicated to further generating opportunities for business. Its success has been a direct result of the tireless work and commitment Phillips Connect has dedicated to the overall success of this program,” said Ashley, a two-time winner and four-time finalist this season. “Since the beginning of the season, Jim Epler has been on the road visiting with Phillips Connect customers to display its smart-trailer technology in between races. Rob Phillips, Amber White, and their team have overseen the implementation of so many creative ideas dedicated to enhancing business for their company, their customers, and their partners. I am so grateful for the opportunity to continue representing an organization with such an outstanding culture and work with individuals I greatly love and appreciate. I know the best is yet to come for Phillips Connect and our team on and off the racetrack.”

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PLAINVIEW, NY – Fifteen years ago Justin Ashley watched as his father Mike won the Funny Car title at the prestigious NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. This weekend as a third year Top Fuel team owner and driver it is the son who will be looking to add to the family trophy case with the U.S. Nationals title and an $80,000 win during the delayed Top Fuel Pep Boys Callout. Ashley will roll into Lucas Oil Raceway with the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy as one of the hottest drivers in the category and with a bit of luck on his side. During his rookie season Ashley raced to his first Top Fuel win the Saturday of the U.S. Nationals completing a rain delayed national event. The 2020 Rookie of the Year hopes the situation repeats itself on Saturday when Ashley will be one of four Top Fuel drivers closing out the rain-delayed Pep Boys Callout during the second day of qualifying.

“I remember how excited I was to race in that final round against TJ Zizzo in 2020,” said Ashley. “We waited over six weeks to finish the race and it was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. Our team has waited even longer than that to finish the Pep Boys Callout race in Indianapolis and we are ready to put our best foot forward for our partners and all those who support our program. The U.S. Nationals is the biggest stage in drag racing and the chance for two trophies in one weekend makes it that much more special.”

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BRAINERD, MN – For the third time in the last four races Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy raced to the semifinals. Today at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Ashley, the No. 3 qualifier, outran Krista Baldwin and Shawn Langdon before dropping a close race to eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher in the semifinals. The two-time winner in 2022 posted strong qualifying runs on Friday and Saturday to earn five qualifying bonus points with the second quickest run of the second session and quickest of the final session. Coming into race day Ashley was looking to close the gap on the Top Fuel points leaders with two regular season races remaining.

Ashley was not taking the second year pro Baldwin lightly as he jumped off the starting line with a .044 reaction time and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster stayed glued to the middle of the groove and ran away for another first round win. Baldwin posted her quickest and fastest pass of her career in a losing effort to Ashley who tripped the finish line timing beams with a winning time of 3.720 seconds at 331.94 mph.

In a race that featured the two quickest runs of the quarterfinals Ashley got the win over 2013 Top Fuel world champion Langdon. Both Toyota dragsters blasted down the track and just past the 500-foot marker Ashley got the nose of his 11,000 horsepower Phillips Connect Vita C Energy Toyota dragster in front of Langdon’s CMR dragster. Ashley posted the quickest ET and Langdon was the second quickest in a losing effort. At the finish line it was 3.726 seconds to 3.807 at over 330 mph for Ashley.

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PLAINVIEW, NY – With two regular season races remaining on the NHRA schedule Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy are looking to secure eight more win lights starting with this weekend’s Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd. Last year Ashley raced to the quarterfinals from the No. 5 qualifier spot in his first visit to Brainerd International Raceway. A return engagement has the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year eager to chase down the two drivers in front of him in the Camping World Top Fuel point standings. Last weekend Ashley clinched his spot in the Countdown for the second consecutive year and the young driver and team owner knows he will have a great chance to race for his first championship.

“You start every season with one goal and that is to win the Top Fuel world championship,” said Ashley, who finished No. 4 last season. “We picked up a win in the first race of the year and have continually improved our performance throughout the season. Going into Brainerd No. 3 in the point standings with a legitimate shot at gaining ground over the final two races of the regular season is a huge testament to the success of our program. Now that we are locked into the Countdown we can simply focus on taking it one round at a time in Brainerd.”

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TOPEKA, KS – With former Heartland Motorsports Park track record-holder and barrier-breaker Jim Epler looking on, Justin Ashley drove his Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy into the semifinals at the 33rd Menard’s NHRA Nationals presented by Pet Armor before losing to three-time former world champion Antron Brown with whom his team maintains a technical alliance.

“There were a lot of positives on and off the race track this weekend,” said the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year.   “We had a lot of people from Phillips Connect and a lot of people from Velociti and that was really important to our program.  In terms of our performance on the race track, we didn’t accomplish our ultimate goal, which is to win the race, but you have to stack round wins and a semifinal finish is something we feel really good about.  We have to keep the pressure on with two races left before the Countdown.”

Although he was disappointed that he couldn’t get his Phillips Connect dragster to the final round for a fifth time this year, he was happy for Brown’s success.

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PLAINVIEW, NY – Last year Justin Ashley made his first runs at one of the quickest, fastest and historic tracks on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, Heartland Motorsports Park–Topeka racing to a quarterfinal finish. This year the third-year driver and team owner returns with a new sponsor Phillips Connect but also with a familiar name associated with his standout Top Fuel team. At the NHRA Winternationals Ashley and his Davis Motorsports team unveiled the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy and proceeded to win the season opening race celebrating with Phillips Connect executive “Mr. 300” Jim Epler. In 1993 Epler made the first 300 mph Funny Car pass, 300.4 mph, at Heartland Motorsports Park-Topeka collecting the Castrol 300 mph Club $25,000 for the effort.

“I am looking forward to joining Jim Epler and our Phillips Connect team in Topeka,” said Ashley, who also picked up a win at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals this season. “Jim has a lot of history at Topeka and this will be great opportunity to carry on that legacy. Our team always works hard to position ourselves for success and this race provides us with another opening to take advantage of that.”

On the heels of the Western Swing Ashley has maintained his spot as one of the Top Fuel points leaders heading into the Menards Nationals presented by Pet Armor sitting in third place, 88 points out of second. Over the three-race swing Ashley recorded two semifinal finishes and a quarterfinal finish.

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KENT, WA – Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy started the Western Swing with a semifinal finish in Denver and they capped the three race stretch with another semifinal today at the NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways outside of Seattle. The third-year pro and team owner went into race day as the No. 7 qualifier and defeated Austin Prock and Steve Torrence before dropping a wild semifinal against Tony Schumacher. Ashley will leave the Northwest Nationals sitting third in the points with three races left before the Countdown playoffs begin after Labor Day.

“I am really proud of these guys,” said Ashley, at the end of a long day. “We didn’t accomplish what we wanted to this weekend, but I thought we ran really well. The real number for us was 47. These guys turned this car around in this weather in 47 minutes. I am really proud of this team. We will regroup and move on to Topeka.”

In the first round Ashley and Prock left side-by-side, but the Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by Vita C Energy had enough power to get out in front and race away for the win. Ashley’s winning elapsed time of 3.782 seconds outran Prock’s 3.796 seconds.  In the battle between two NHRA Rookies of the Year Ashley moved his head-to-head record to 5-0 against Prock with today’s round win. Ashley earned lane choice in the quarterfinals over four-time Top Fuel champion Steve Torrence.

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PLAINVIEW, NY – Two races into the Western Swing Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy are battling with the elite Top Fuel teams at the top of the point standings. A semifinal finish in Denver and a quarterfinal finish in Sonoma have Ashley sitting in third place with just four races left in the regular season. The team will make their first start at the NHRA Northwest Nationals from Pacific Raceway this weekend.

“The Western Swing is a new experience,” said Ashley, the 2020 Rookie of the Year. “Three races in a row all on the west coast. It’s been about finding a routine that works the best. Between Denver and Sonoma I flew home to spend time with my family and now I am going to stay out on the road with my team until Seattle. I am enjoying the opportunity to race three events in a row at facilities that seem to be more beautiful than the next. I am soaking it all in and learning as much as I can from our great Phillips Connect team.”

Ashley has raced to four final rounds so far this season picking up wins at the season opening Winternationals and the NHRA New England Nationals in Epping, New Hampshire. The consistency of performance has kept the second-year driver and team owner in the top tier of Top Fuel teams. Currently, Ashley is 140 points out of the points lead but with four races remaining including the U.S. Nationals which features points and a half, heading to the top spot is not out of the question.

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OCALA, FL – There are nearly 3,000 miles between Top Fuel championship contender Josh Hart’s homebase in Ocala, Florida and Pacific Raceway in Kent, Washington. To be precise the distance is 2,995 miles, which if Hart was driving his 11,000 horsepower R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster it would take him a lifetime of runs but only a little over 12 hours of 3.7 second passes. This weekend at the NHRA Northwest Nationals Hart will be looking to make three clean qualifying runs and four strong passes on Sunday to collect his first win on the Western Swing. Through the first two races Hart has collected a semifinal finish in Denver and a quarterfinal finish last weekend in Sonoma. The new experiences have been a welcome challenge to the second year Top Fuel professional.

“The Western Swing has been a beautiful experience just seeing these tracks. I feel very blessed. I am glad to be going rounds for sure. This is our first full season on the NHRA tour and we are making the most of it,” said Hart, a two-time Top Fuel winner in 2021. “We didn’t race every event last season and this year I decided to make a commitment to racing for the championship. I have a great team led by crew chief Ron Douglas and our marketing partners R+L Carriers and Technet provide us the opportunity to be as competitive as anyone out here. Our goal is to represent them to the highest level and perform on the track.”

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SONOMA, CA – As the Western Swing has unfolded from Colorado to California Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy raced to the quarterfinals today at the Sonoma Nationals. In back-to-back weekends Ashley recorded a semifinal and quarterfinal finish with one race remaining the three-race stretch. Ashley entered race day as the No. 6 qualifier following a strong final lap on Saturday afternoon that propelled him into the top half of the field.

The Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by Vita C Energy was facing one of the other young stars of NHRA in Alex Laughlin who races Top Fuel at select events each season. Ashley’s best qualifying run of the weekend in the final session gave him lane choice and confidence going into the first round. He took a starting line advantage and never looked back getting to the finish line for the win with a 3.752 second run at 323.58 mph in front of Laughlin’s 3.803 pass. It was a critical win as every driver in the top seven won their first round match-ups. Ashley was able to hold onto his lead over the four drivers behind him and keep pace with the two drivers he is trying to chase down.

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