HOUSTON, TX – Rain plagued the race weekend at Houston Raceway Park first eliminating the Friday night qualifying session, then shortening Saturday’s qualifying effort and ultimately forcing teams to finish the race on Monday because of persistent showers on Sunday. Second year driver Justin Ashley and the Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel dragster powered by Strutmasters.com was one of only 12 teams to make passes on Sunday, outrunning Leah Pruett for the first round win. On Monday the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year was narrowly defeated in the quarterfinals in one of the closest races of his young career facing 2013 Top Fuel world champion Shawn Langdon.

“It was tough to only get one run on Sunday and have to wait until Monday to finish the race,” said Ashley, after the race day was postponed to Monday. “We really stepped up in that first round and I know we could have done that in qualifying if we could have gotten more runs. Everyone is in the same boat with the weather so we will have to see what we can get done tomorrow.”

During qualifying in the first session Ashley’s Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel dragster powered by Strutmasters.com Top Fuel dragster made an aggressive run that overpowered the race track at about 300 feet. Hoping to improve on his effort in the second session Ashley was foiled along with the rest of the Top Fuel field when rain washed out the last qualifying session and set the field. Ashley went into race day on Sunday as the No. 13 qualifier.

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PLAINVIEW, NY – Last year during his rookie season Top Fuel driver Justin Ashley absorbed new information at every NHRA national event. This season the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year is putting those experiences to good use as he begins to make return appearances to facilities where he competed successfully on his way to a Top Ten Top Fuel finish in the point standings. This weekend at the NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park Ashley will bring his newly re-designed Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel dragster powered by Strutmasters.com to south Texas with an eye on picking up his first win of the season.  The young driver is also eager to compete in the second half of the first back-to-back race weekend of the season.

“Having back-to-back weekends at the racetrack is a key ingredient to success,” said Ashley, the 2020 Summernationals Top Fuel winner. “Mike Green has done an amazing job since taking over the program. Our Davis Motorsports team is outstanding and having two straight race weekends to work together will only put us in a better position moving forward.”

Ashley is also looking forward to getting back to traditional head-to-head racing after two four-wide races in the previous three national events. They were the young driver’s first experience in the unique style and last weekend Ashley continued to develop as a driver.

“Prior to the first four-wide race in Las Vegas I spent a lot of time studying because I had never experienced the event,” said Ashley. “In Charlotte I was a lot more comfortable with two additional race cars on the starting line. It is a very fun race, and it keeps you on your toes as a driver. I like the challenge and I am looking forward to more four-wide races. I am also very excited to get to Houston and resume the standard style of racing.”

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CHARLOTTE, NC – Justin Ashley and the Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel dragster powered by Strutmasters.com Top Fuel dragster team improved their on-track performance every time down the track at zMAX Dragway during the NGK NTK NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. The 2020 Rookie of the Year battled through tough conditions on Friday night and stepped up during both qualifying sessions on Saturday. In the second session Ashley, the winner of last season’s NHRA Summernationals, ran the quickest run of the session and picked three additional bonus qualifying points. This was Ashley’s second four-wide experience this season and for the young driver it was another learning opportunity.

“This four-wide race was much easier than the first one,” said Ashley. “I learned a lot from the first four-wide. We made four laps at that race and each run I learned a little something new. I spent a lot of time studying before the first four-wide but until you are actually out there physically doing it you really can’t get a full gauge on what actually happens up there. It is wild and a little wacky up there. I felt a lot more comfortable coming into this race. I think that is the key with me in that I want to take it upon myself to learn each and every race.”

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PLAINVIEW, NY – Justin Ashley Racing today announced the addition of Smart Sanitizer, LLC as a primary sponsor of the Davis Motorsports owned Top Fuel dragster for the remainder of the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. The Smart Sanitizer Top Fuel dragster powered by co-primary sponsor Strutmasters.com will be wrapped in Smart Sanitizer branding, including their colors and prominently feature the company’s logo beginning with the NHRA Carolina Four-Wide Nationals today.

“Adding Smart Sanitizer as primary sponsor is another huge step for our Top Fuel team,” said Justin Ashley, 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year. “Our goal with our race team is to win races and also provide businesses and brands with exceptional marketing opportunities through our NHRA racing program. I am excited to represent their products and help introduce them to millions of NHRA fans around the world and at the race track starting in Charlotte this weekend.”

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PLAINVIEW, NY – Justin Ashley will be returning to zMAX Dragway, “The Bellagio of Drag Strips,” exactly eighteen months to the day after his pro debut on October 14th, 2019. Ashley’s first pro race in Top Fuel was a definite harbinger of the success the now second year pro would bring to the category. On that day Ashley raced to the semifinals and he took a starting line advantage in all three elimination rounds, winning his quarterfinal race on a hole-shot. A broken blower belt in the semis most likely cost him a round win, but at the time the brand-new pro was just happy to be pursuing his dream.

“That first race in Charlotte was a blur,” said Ashley, who also earned his Top Alcohol Dragster license at zMAX Dragway. “We qualified No. 12 and our goal was to finish the weekend strong. We knew we had a team capable of having success, but we also knew the greatness of the competition we faced. We had a great day and fell short to Steve Torrence in the semi-finals. It all went by very quickly, but I do remember getting more comfortable in the car throughout the day and trying to stay focused on my driving routine.”

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ATLANTA, GA – Justin Ashley and the Strutmasters.com Auto Shocker Top Fuel dragster team made the most of their appearance at the final edition of the NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. A strong qualifying effort in a tough first session on Saturday earned the second year team a qualifying bonus point. Tricky track conditions made the one day qualifying sessions incredibly important and crucial for the team’s race day success.

Ashley and his championship contending team advanced into race day as the No. 7 qualifier with a first round match-up against veteran Clay Millican. As he was executing his burnout Millican felt the clutch let go on his 11,000 horsepower race car, dooming it for any chance of a successful run. The experienced driver immediately pulled to the side of the track and exited his race car allowing Ashley to make a single run in the safest manner possible.  With no one on the track Ashley flew down his lane with a 3.746 second pass, which was quickest of not just the session but of the entire event for Top Fuel.  The run advanced him to the quarterfinals and gave him lane choice over No. 2 qualifier Steve Torrence.

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PLAINVIEW, NY – As 2020 Rookie of the Year Justin Ashley heads to the 40th NHRA Southern Nationals, the second year driver continues to impress and improve on and off the track.  Wheeling the Strutmasters.com Auto Shocker Top Fuel dragster for the third race of the season, Ashley is ready to chase more round wins in the Peach State. Two weeks ago at his first four-wide national event, the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals, Ashley held his own against two former world champions racing in the unique format that is featured twice each season. This weekend the three-time Top Alcohol dragster winner and 2020 NHRA Summernationals Top Fuel victor will not be looking for a first or new accolade but the 26 year-old second generation nitro racer will be looking to become the final Southern Nationals Top Fuel winner.

“I could be the last Southern Nationals Top Fuel winner which is something that would go down in the record books and no one can ever take that away from you,” said Ashley. “That would be a really cool deal and it adds another element to the race.”

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LAS VEGAS, NV – Justin Ashley’s first four-wide national event proved to be a positive experience for the second year Top Fuel driver, even if the end result wasn’t reflected on the scoreboard. Prior to the 21st NHRA Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals Ashley consulted with fellow Top Fuel drivers as well as spending time reviewing previous races online. When Ashley pulled the Strutmasters.com Auto Shocker Top Fuel dragster to the starting line during the opening round the 2020 Rookie of the Year wasn’t feeling any butterflies.

“In the beginning coming into this race I spent a lot of time studying how the race worked,” said Ashley. “I was still just a little nervous but once I did it once or twice I felt really comfortable. As the weekend progressed I felt better and better. At the end of the day it was a great experience. It was fun and different. It is something that once or twice a year if you want to do it I am all for it. I am ready to get back to one on one side by side racing.”

During two days of qualifying Ashley’s Mike Green tuned dragster continued to gather data and give his young team valuable experience. As the No. 9 qualifier Ashley was set to race two previous world champions in the first round, facing off with Brittany Force, who Ashley defeated in the first round of the Gatornationals, and three-time champion Antron Brown. They were the No. 1 and No. 8 qualifiers respectively, so Ashley’s team knew they needed to be at the top of their game.

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PLAINVIEW, NY – Second year Top Fuel driver Justin Ashley learned a lot during his rookie season on the 2020 NHRA Camping World Drag Series tour. He picked up his first win, led the Top Fuel category in average reaction time, fine-tuned his pedaling skills and won Rookie of the Year honors. There wasn’t much the young driver didn’t tackle head-on and learn some valuable lessons. This weekend Ashley and his Strutmasters.com/Auto Shocker Top Fuel Dragster will take on one of the unique challenges lost during the truncated season last year, racing four-wide for the first time this weekend during the NHRA Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“I talked to Antron Brown and I also talked to my crew chief Mike Green,” said Ashley. “I have been watching Four-Wide National highlights on YouTube as well. What I have seen and heard is you really need to pay attention when you are in lanes two and three because the Christmas Tree looks different. I am just going to really pay attention to what I have to do and not overthink it. I have a good routine and I will just follow that.”

Ashley’s routine has led to a growing reputation as one of the best drivers off of the starting line in the nitro ranks. Last season he led the Top Fuel class in average reaction time and during the season opening NHRA Gatornationals, he took an impressive win light in the first round with a.034 reaction time. As the No. 12 qualifier Ashley knew he would need to get every advantage to try and get the win.

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GAINESVILLE, FL – The 52nd annual NHRA Gatornationals was shaping up to be a magical day for 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year Justin Ashley and his Strutmasters.com GuardLab Top Fuel dragster. His qualifying effort did not reflect the confidence his crew had in the performance capabilities of his 11,000 horsepower race car. Entering Sunday’s first round of eliminations as the No. 12 qualifier Ashley was focusing on the fact that the weather conditions could level the playing field for all the Top Fuel competitors.

“The conditions were better than they had been all weekend,” said Ashley. “I knew it would take a low to mid 3.70 to be able to win. I tried not to think about it too much. I wanted to go through the same routine I had on Friday and Saturday. Brittany Force is a good driver and we were fortunate to come out with the win.”

The first round win was a great boost for the team with Ashley taking a starting line reaction time advance of .034 to .072 off the stripe. His Strutmasters.com GuardLab dragster crossed the finish line 3.733 seconds later for a holeshot win over Force’s quicker 3.727 seconds. The jump off the line paved the way to victory and a second round match-up with veteran Doug Kalitta.

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