GAINESVILLE, FL – For just the second time this season the Strutmasters.com powered by MANSCAPED™ Top Fuel dragster and driver Justin Ashley did not advance to the quarterfinals. In what has become a common occurrence this season Ashley faced reigning U.S. Nationals champion Shawn Langdon in the first round for the fourth time. Coming into today’s Gatornationals Ashley held a 2-1 first round win advantage and the fans were looking for some seriously low reaction times from these two excellent “leavers.”

As soon as Ashley hit the throttle, which he did in .039 seconds, his dragster was wounded, missing the power of a left side cylinder. The Strutmasters.com powered by MANSCAPED dragster continued to accelerate as it labored to catch up with his opponent. Ashley kept his race car in the groove but he was unable to catch up to Langdon. The quick exit was a hurdle that Ashley and his team were ready to put behind them.

“It is tough going out in first round at any race,” said Ashley. “With being fourth in the points with everyone so bunched up maybe it hurts a little more than usual. At the end of the day it is our job as a team to put this race behind us. We have St. Louis next weekend and I am focusing on that race already. We have to do everything we can to give ourselves a chance to win there. Regardless this team has fought through a lot just to be in the position that we are. Being fourth in the points is a privilege all by itself.”

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GAINESVILLE, FL – To say NHRA rookie of the year front-runner Justin Ashley is on a roll headed into the historic NHRA Gatornationals is a bit of an understatement. The young driver of the Strutmasters.com Top Fuel dragster powered by MANSCAPED™ picked up his first win over Labor Day weekend at the rescheduled Summernationals, defeating TJ Zizzo. On Sunday he raced to a semifinal finish at the U.S. Nationals in one of the wildest elimination rounds in recent history. This weekend Ashley returns to Gainesville Raceway looking for his second Top Fuel win at a facility he already has a win in Top Alcohol Dragster from 2017.

“We had an amazing weekend in Indianapolis with the Strutmasters.com powered by MANSCAPED Top Fuel team,” said Justin Ashley, who moved up to fourth place in the Top Fuel points. “It was such an exciting moment to see all the hard work these guys have put in pay off getting that first win. We had to wait a while but it was worth it. TJ (Zizzo) is a great competitor and I know he will get wins down the road. I was just glad to share that win with my dad (Mike Ashley) and all the people that have supported us with Davis Motorsports and sponsors like SanIt, Guard Lab and of course Strutmasters.com and MANSCAPED.”

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – In his first NHRA DENSO Spark Plugs U.S. Nationals race as a professional, rookie of the year candidate Justin Ashley drove the Strutmasters.com powered by MANSCAPED™ Top Fuel dragster to a semifinal finish. While he was not victorious his final pass of the day was one that will stick with NHRA fans for many years.

Racing against 2013 NHRA Top Fuel champion Shawn Langdon both drivers had their hands full as soon as their 11,000 horsepower dragsters jumped off the starting line. Ashley grabbed a starting line advantage with what is becoming a customary stellar reaction time. As he accelerated down track his Top Fuel dragster overpowered the track.

“That was the first time I ever had any kind of pedalfest in Top Fuel,” said Ashley. “Immediately it went up into smoke and I slapped the throttle but I just couldn’t get it to hook up completely. The car got a little sideways and at that point I pretty much lifted. I was getting ready to call it a day but I still didn’t see Shawn there on the other side so I thought I would slap it one more time. I got it across the finish line eventually but Shawn got me that time. I am happy for his team. I want to wish them the best in the finals. It was a good race. If we weren’t able to come out with a win I am glad we were able to put on a show for the fans.”

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Heading into the 66th annual NHRA DENSO U.S. Nationals Justin Ashley and the Strutmasters.com powered by MANSCAPED™ Top Fuel dragster have momentum on the heels of winning the rain delayed Summernationals and qualifying in the lucky No. 13 spot. Over two days of qualifying Ashley had an up and down experience with on-track performance but the rookie of the year contender is ready for the biggest race of the 2020 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

“I feel really good. These are definitely unique circumstances,” said Ashley at the end of Saturday. “Having a race within the race is unique. I am going to do everything we can to enjoy it because I think that is important. That is why we are out here, to win and we need to enjoy it and take it in. We will wake up tomorrow and it will be time to race for the US Nationals. It is the biggest, most prestigious race in drag racing. We will make sure we are focused on that when the time is right.”

In three qualifying runs Ashley and his Strutmasters.com powered by MANSCAPED posted qualifying runs of 6.274 second at 96.18 mph on Friday followed by a strong 3.805 second, 318.09 mph pass which solidly put him in the field. The first run of Saturday was the third quickest of the session and earned him one qualifying bonus point. In the final qualifying session which was also the final round of the rain postponed Summernationals Ashley lit up the right lane scoreboard with an elapsed time of 3.958 seconds at 267.96 mph. The run did not improve his position but added the first professional win to his record book.

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Rookie sensation Justin Ashley continued to turn heads during the 2020 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season collecting his first career Top Fuel victory today at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis. Ashley, driver of the Strutmasters.com Top Fuel dragster powered by MANSCAPED™, outran veteran TJ Zizzo in the final round of the postponed NHRA Summernationals. It was the first final round for both drivers who had to wait over a month to win their first NHRA national event.

“It is very emotional for me. This is something I dreamed about since I was a young kid,” said Ashley surrounded by his team after the victory. “I grew up around the race track so I knew this was going to be an emotional moment.  I pictured it in my head over and over again. To actually be here right now means the world to me. The amazing thing is it is not even about me. It is about my crew guys behind me. It is about this Davis Motorsports team. They are the reason I am here holding this Wally. It is because of them and it is because of my parents who always believed in me. Right now I just have to take a deep breathe, take the moment in and enjoy this one as a team and then make no mistake we have to regroup and get focused for tomorrow.”

As the No. 14 qualifier the young driver from Melville, New York, reached today’s final round which was run as part of qualifying for the U.S. Nationals by defeating some of the toughest competitors in the category.  On July 19th Ashley defeated No. 3 qualifier Shawn Langdon, No. 6 qualifier Doug Kalitta and No. 2 qualifier Leah Pruett during the original event which was cut short due to rain.

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MELVILLE, NY – Rookie of the year contender and driver of the Strutmasters.com powered by MANSCAPED™ Top Fuel dragster Justin Ashley will be looking for a unique double win this weekend during the prestigious NHRA U.S. Nationals. On Saturday he will face off with veteran driver TJ Zizzo in the final round of the postponed NHRA Summernationals. The race originally scheduled in mid-July will be contested at the conclusion of qualifying. Ashley will have a short window of celebration should the race go his way as the final round eliminations of a career defining race, the NHRA U.S. Nationals, will begin the next morning. It will be a whirlwind experience for the second generation driver.

“I have been waiting my whole life to win a professional race on the NHRA Mello Yello Series,” said Ashley, a two-time Top Alcohol Dragster winner. “We thought we were going to get our shot in July but Mother Nature had other plans. I am looking forward to racing TJ on Saturday and hopefully having a long day on Sunday. I have a great team around me with Strutmasters.com and new sponsors Sanit, MANSCAPED and Guard Lab so we will have a lot of people to show off for.”

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MELVILLE, NY – National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Rookie of the Year contender Justin Ashley announced today that MANSCAPED™ will be added to his 11,000 horsepower Top Fuel dragster as a major associate sponsor. The marketing partnership will cover the remainder of the 2020 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season beginning this weekend at the most prestigious drag race of the season, the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, September 4-6.  MANSCAPED has activated in other forms of motorsports but this will be their first involvement in NHRA competition. Ashley will add MANSCAPED to his Strutmasters.com Top Fuel dragster to three prominent locations, the front of the rear wing, the capsule roof and the front side panels which will receive excellent coverage during the FOX broadcasts.

Ashley is currently one of the youngest drivers competing in NHRA’s premier Top Fuel Dragster category. In 2017, Ashley was named to the Drag Illustrated magazine 30 under 30 list, highlighting some of racing’s most promising young individuals on and off the racetrack. A second-generation driver Ashley will be competing in his first final round versus TJ Zizzo in conjunction with the U.S. Nationals. Due to inclement weather in July the final round of the NHRA SummerNationals was postponed to this weekend and will be contested at the end of Saturday’s qualifying session.

“Teaming up with MANSCAPED is a perfect fit for my team. Their products are about precision engineering, power and design just like my race car,” said Ashley, a two-time national event winner in the Top Alcohol Dragster class. “Comfort is also something I am always thinking about especially when I am going over 320 mph.”

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