TOPEKA, KS – Justin Ashley, driver of the Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel dragster powered by Strutmasters.com, has been looking forward to the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by Pet Armor since the beginning of the season. For Ashley it is a chance to show off his skills for the first time at Heartland Motorsports Park in the backyard of sponsor Menards and also highlight a new relationship with RISE Brewing Company at the same time. In advance of this weekend’s NHRA national event Ashley has been encouraging his fans or any NHRA fan to snap a photo with any RISE Brewing Company product and post on Twitter or Instagram for a chance to win tickets and a VIP experience at the track on Saturday.

“I love interacting with our fans on social media. Giving away tickets to the Menards NHRA Nationals in conjunction with our partners at RISE Brewing Company was the perfect way to show our appreciation,” said Ashley, who has a strong following on a number of social media platforms. “Fans can take a picture with RISE and then post it on Instagram or Twitter for a chance to win tickets to the race. We will host them on Saturday morning in our pits for a VIP tour and some autographs.”

Part of Ashley’s eagerness to get back behind the wheel is to both maintain the momentum of a runner-up finish at the NHRA Winternationals and also put a new nutrition program through its paces. During an incredibly hot event Ashley and his Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel team defeated Buddy Hull, Brittany Force and Antron Brown before squaring off with Leah Pruett in the final round. Throughout the day Ashley was maintaining the fuel for his race car but the young driver was not maintaining his personal fuel situation. The second year driver was unable to compete in the final round climbing out of his 11,000 horsepower Top Fuel dragster with a severe case of heat exhaustion.

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POMONA, CA – Justin Ashley Racing is excited to announce the addition of Anderson Enterprises as an associate sponsor for the final race of the historic Western Swing. The 61st NHRA Winternationals is being contested this weekend at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona and will close out a grueling three races in three weeks schedule. Anderson Enterprises will be branded on the Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel dragster powered by Strutmasters.com for all three qualifying sessions and during final eliminations on Sunday. Ashley, the No. 7 qualifier, will face Buddy Hull in the first round. Additionally, Anderson Enterprises will be utilizing the team’s hospitality area throughout the weekend.

“We are always looking to introduce new businesses to the sport of NHRA drag racing,” said Justin Ashley, 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year. “Our goal is to offer companies the chance to come out to a race and see what we are all about. Shawn Anderson is a big motorsports fan and he connected with our marketing representative Rich Bailey to put a one race deal together.”

”This is a great sport with a lot of opportunities for businesses to host clients, promote their products or just enjoy a weekend with their employees as a perk. Having Shawn and Anderson Enterprises with us this weekend will be a lot of fun,” added Ashley.

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POMONA, CA – The 2021 NHRA Western Swing will conclude this weekend at the historic NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Second year Top Fuel driver Justin Ashley will be looking to cap his two week west coast racing schedule with a win and additional momentum as the NHRA regular season enters its homestretch. The Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel dragster powered by Strutmasters.com will be looking to improve on a streak of success at the southern California track that started for the young driver in 2019. In his two previous appearances Ashley has advanced to the quarterfinals at Auto Club Raceway.

“Pomona was one of the tracks I raced at before I officially started my rookie season and we got to the quarterfinals,” said Ashley. “Last year we started the season with a first round win at the Winternationals but lost to Doug Kalitta in the quarterfinals, who went on to win the race. I love racing at Pomona because that is where drag racing really got its start in southern California.”

The Winternationals will be contested this weekend after being postponed from its traditional February date and the change will offer the teams a tough challenge. Usually crew chiefs and teams are welcomed to Auto Club Raceway with cool temperatures but with temperatures expected to reach the mid-90s the track will be dramatically different for these 11,000 horsepower race cars. Qualifying has been shifted to the evening to offer some relief from hot track conditions but as Ashley understands all the teams will face the same conditions.

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SONOMA, CA – The second race of the famed NHRA Western Swing showed Justin Ashley and his Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel dragster powered by Strutmasters.com  how tough the back half of the season will be for the second year driver. Over two days of qualifying Ashley made solid runs in the mid-3.70 second range and entered race day as the No. 7 qualifier. Ashley was running with the top race cars throughout qualifying posting the fourth quickest times in both the first and third qualifying sessions. With only twelve Top Fuel dragsters at Sonoma Raceway the competition was fierce and the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year gave up lane choice to veteran driver Leah Pruett in the first round.

“I felt really good coming out of qualifying with the runs we made,” said Ashley, who has started in the top half of the field in half of the races this season. “We made a great run to start Friday and our last run on Saturday showed what we could do. We knew we needed to step up and I felt confident (crew chief) Mike Green and this Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel team could make us quicker.”

This was the third time this season Ashley drew the multi-talented Pruett in the first round. Three races ago Ashley and the Smart Sanitizer team defeated Pruett in the first round of the Springnationals as the No. 13 qualifier. At the New England Nationals in Epping New Hampshire Pruett, took the win, upsetting Ashley who was the No. 3 qualifier. Today was a more even, No. 7 versus No. 6, match-up with Ashley needing to step up from his qualifying efforts to advance to the quarterfinals.

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SONOMA, CA – Over a decade ago Justin Ashley shared the winner’s circle with Sonoma Nationals winner Antron Brown, moments after the now three-time world champion swept the Western Swing, having picked up wins in Denver, Seattle and Sonoma during the 2009 season. This year Ashley, the reigning NHRA Rookie of the Year, will be sharing the pits with Brown as well as a host of tough Top Fuel competitors as he races for his second career Top Fuel victory and his own Sonoma National winner’s circle. Ashley will be campaigning the Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel dragster powered by Strutmasters.com for the eighth time this season.

“The last time I was at Sonoma Raceway was 2009 when Antron swept the swing,” said Ashley, who is currently No. 9 in the Top Fuel point standings. “I am looking forward to going back as a driver and making some of my own memories. We have heard so many good things about this facility. I know it is a fast track and having Mike Green as my tuner has me super excited to get there and see what this Davis Motorsports Top Fuel dragster can do. This will be a home race for Davis Motorsports so having some extra family and friends at the track with us is an added bonus.”

The Western Swing began last weekend at the Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway and Ashley made the decision to skip the event opting instead to improve their race car and prepare for a daunting stretch to finish the regular season. It was a tough weekend for the second year driver who tried unsuccessfully to keep his mind occupied elsewhere.

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NORWALK, OH –  Almost fifteen years after joining his dad, Mike Ashley, in the winner’s circle after he took the inaugural Funny Car win at the NHRA Norwalk Nationals Justin Ashley and the Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel dragster powered by Strutmasters.com  were looking to flip the script and win the Top Fuel title. Two days of qualifying that included one of the quickest passes under race day conditions had Ashley poised for his second career victory. The second year driver qualified No. 7 and raced to a quarterfinal finish at his first professional appearance at Summit Motorsports Park.

Ashley took the first round win over rookie Josh Hart in a rematch of the semifinal from the Gatornationals earlier this season. In that race Hart got a single to the final round after Ashley’s Top Fueler was unable to start. Today there were no issues and both drivers were at the top of their game leaping off the starting line with excellent reaction times and the Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel dragster powered by Strutmasters.com flew down the track with its quickest run of the weekend. The winning time of 3.778 seconds was a big improvement over the two days of qualifying and validated crew chief Mike Green’s strategy for race day. The strong elapsed time also gave the 2020 Rookie of the Year lane choice over Brittany Force in the quarterfinals.

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PLAINVIEW, NY – Justin Ashley and the Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel dragster powered by Strutmasters.com will race for the first time as a professional at the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals but it will be a homecoming of sorts for the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year. In 2017 Ashley made passes in now fellow competitor Antron Brown’s Top Fueler to earn his professional license. The second-year driver also made a handful of test runs at the famed track located just over an hour west of Cleveland, but this weekend will be his first shot at winning the NHRA national event and the coveted silver ice cream scoop presented to each category winner.

“In 2017, with the help and guidance of a few amazing people, I got my license at Summit Motorsports Park in Antron’s Top Fuel Dragster. I also did some Top Fuel testing at the facility when the Davis Motorsports team and I first joined together. That is pretty much it,” said Ashley.” Although I have never raced there in Top Fuel, I am very much looking forward to it because I know the Bader family does an amazing job. I have been there on multiple occasions as a fan and I am always more than impressed.”

The winner of the 2020 NHRA Summernationals does have memories from Summit Motorsports Park as a fan and supporter of his father, Mike Ashley, who took home the Funny Car title in 2007. The experience at the facility left a lasting impression on the second-generation driver.

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EPPING, NH – For two days during the TascaParts.com New England Nationals presented by Bandero Premium Tequila Justin Ashley and the Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel dragster powered by Strutmasters.com  consistently went down the track. On the first run of qualifying Ashley, the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year, powered to the No. 2 qualifying spot with a 3.774 second, 322.58 mph pass that earned his team two qualifying bonus points. On Saturday the team posted two more strong qualifying runs 3.924 seconds and 3.794 seconds to head into race day today as the No. 3 qualifier.

“We had two great days of qualifying and this Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel dragster powered by Strutmasters.com has been putting up great numbers,” said Ashley at the end of the day on Saturday. “Leah Pruett will be a tough opponent tomorrow and this is the second race in a row we will square off in the first round. They have a strong team over there so we are not taking them lightly.”

Two weeks ago Ashley qualified No. 13 at the SpringNationals in Houston and faced the veteran Pruett, the No. 2 qualifier, in a tough first round. The second year driver was up to the task and outran Pruett for the win. Today the roles were reversed with Ashley coming as the higher qualified race car against Pruett. In the first round Ashley rolled his No. 3 qualified Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel dragster powered by Strutmasters.com to the starting line beside the No. 10 qualifier.

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PLAINVIEW, NY – Justin Ashley will be taking on New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire for the first time in his career this weekend. The second year driver will bring the Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel dragster powered by Strutmasters.com into the sixth race of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season sitting in the No. 8 spot in the points.  The track which hosts the Tascaparts.com NHRA New England Nationals presented by Bandero Premium Tequila has a long history of NHRA drag racing and Ashley is looking forward to the challenge of racing at a new facility especially on that is close to home.

“I am very much looking forward to joining my Davis Motorsports team in Epping for an exciting weekend,” said Ashley, 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year. “This will be the first time I race at this particular track and aside from Maple Grove Raceway this is the closest track to my home in New York. All of that gives this race extra significance. But once the race begins, it’s all the same from there. I can’t wait to sit behind the wheel of our Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel Dragster powered by Strutmasters.com this weekend.”

This will be the second time in 2021 that Ashley is making his first run down a new track. Early this season Ashley qualified No. 9 and raced to the quarterfinals at the final NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. The young driver is a quick study and depends on a support system that includes his veteran crew chief Mike Green.

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PLAINVIEW, NY (June 8, 2021) — As the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series is ramping up its summer schedule Justin Ashley Racing added the perfect marketing partner to his team with the addition of BBQ Nation as an associate sponsor. BBQ Nation, founded in the summer of 2008, offers a wide variety of spices, rubs, accessories and grilling tips to grill masters and consumers. Their products can be found on back decks and kitchens all across the United States as well as in Menards stores beginning next month. The partnership includes branding on the Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel dragster powered by Strutmasters.com as well as social media promotion and activation at events throughout the season.

“Bringing a company like BBQ Nation onboard is great because they are a perfect match to our team and our fans,” said Justin Ashley, 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year. “I love to grill when I am at home and when we are at the races we are feeding our team and VIPs throughout the weekend. Connecting BBQ Nation with Menards was just a natural connection and we are looking forward to growing their customer base.”

This season Ashley and his team have raced to the semifinals at the season opening Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway and reached the quarterfinals of the Southern Nationals and SpringNationals in Atlanta and Houston, respectively. They are currently No. 8 in the Top Fuel point standings. Ashley has also continued to build strong marketing partnerships announcing new partners throughout the season. The Davis Motorsports owned Top Fuel operation has added or extended sponsorships with nearly half a dozen marketing partners since the conclusion of the 2020 season including KATO Fastening Systems, Auto Shocker, The Daily Crave and RISE Brewing Company.

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