PLAINVIEW, NY – The NHRA Countdown is racing to the midpoint with the NHRA Midwest Nationals, the third of six NHRA playoff national events, this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway. Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy have established themselves as the team to beat opening the Countdown with back-to-back runner-up finishes and a move from third place to first in the Top Fuel standings. Entering the last race in Charlotte Ashley had a seven-point lead and at the end of the weekend the third-year driver and team owner had extended that lead to 43 points thanks to a No. 1 qualifier effort and three round wins on Sunday.

“We had a great weekend in Charlotte and gave ourselves a chance to win the race,” said Ashley, who has now raced to ten final rounds in his young career. “We would’ve loved to turn on our fourth win light of the day on Sunday but each round is seemingly tougher than the next during the Countdown. We performed well and our Toyota teammate Antron Brown performed better. Every round is an opportunity to learn and get better.”

Ashley, who finished fourth in Top Fuel last season, has been at the top or near the top of the Top Fuel class all season. He opened the year with a win at the Winternationals and picked up another national event victory at the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee, on Father’s Day weekend. Runner-up finishes in Houston and Epping buoyed the team throughout the regular season. The Phillips Connect Vita C Energy team closed the regular season on a hot streak of semifinal finishes recording five over the final six races to position the team third in the standings coming into the Countdown.

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CHARLOTTE, NC – For the second consecutive NHRA Countdown race Justin Ashley drove the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy to a runner-up finish. This weekend Ashley raced from the No. 1 spot, the second of his career, to the final round against technical research and development alliance teammate Antron Brown. The 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year defeated Alex Laughlin, Steve Torrence and Doug Kalitta to reach the tenth final round of his Top Fuel career.

Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota team faced Laughlin in the opening session and the two-time winner this season was not taking Laughlin lightly. He was first off the line with a trademark quick .048 second reaction time and he never trailed in the race. His winning time of 3.688 seconds was his second consecutive pass in the 3.6s and set him up for a tough race against Countdown contender and four-time world champion Steve Torrence.

Ashley kept his win streak against the reigning champion alive by turning on his sixth win light in a row this season. Once again Ashley was off the line first and he recorded a smooth and straight 3.697 second pass for the win. The Phillips Connect Toyota Vita C Energy team advanced to their ninth semifinal in the previous eleven races.

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CONCORD, NC – Justin Ashley drove the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy to the No. 1 qualifier position at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals today at zMax Dragway. It was Ashley’s second career No. 1 qualifier and second consecutive No. 1 at zMax Dragway, after his No. 1 effort at the Circle K Four-Wide Nationals earlier this season. His No. 1 run came during a quick third and final session that saw four drivers run around provisional No. 1 qualifier Doug Kalitta before Ashley’s 3.668 second run at 335.65 mph secured the top spot.

“I usually try and stay within myself but that session I was peeking at the SunocoVision trying to see what the teams in front of us ran,” said Ashley in the zMax Dragway media center. “I could tell they ran in the 3.60s and those are some good teams. I knew Mike Green and Tommy DeLago would try and go up there to do the same. I figured Mike and Tommy were going to try and run a little quicker. You can try as much as you want but going out there and doing it successfully really speaks volumes about our team.”

The 2020 Rookie of the Year’s success at zMax Dragway has extended to his first career start in 2019 when he raced to a semifinal finish in his professional debut.

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PLAINVIEW, NY – Justin Ashley will be returning to the track where his professional career started this weekend for the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals. The second-generation driver has made huge strides in his young career and he will enter this weekend’s race as the Top Fuel points leader and most recent Countdown race finalist. Driving the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy for the eighteenth time this season Ashley brings momentum and confidence to zMax Dragway just outside of Charlotte.

“Charlotte is one of the most beautiful facilities on the NHRA Tour” said Ashley, a two-time Top Fuel winner in 2022. “It is the Bellagio of drag strips for good reason and the perfect track for a playoff race. I raced to the semifinals at this event during my debut in 2019 and to be returning a few years later with the points lead during the Countdown speaks volumes of our team and partners.”

Throughout his history at the fall NHRA national event Ashley has consistently performed well reaching the semifinals in 2019 and 2021. This season before his runner-up finish last weekend at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals Ashley had raced to five semifinals in the previous six races. That high level of performance had him sitting in third place when the playoffs started and he moved to the top of the category last Sunday with wins over Jeff Chatterson, Doug Kalitta and Mike Salinas before losing a close final to Austin Prock.

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READING, PA – Justin Ashley drove the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy to a runner-up finish at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals for the second year in a row. Today he moved his team into the Top Fuel points lead with five playoff national events remaining in the 2022 NHRA season. As a third-year driver and team owner the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year is building momentum at the right time following five semifinals in the past six races coming into the Countdown.

“We are peaking at the right time thanks to our team leadership,” said Ashley. “(Co-owner) Dustin Davis has done a fantastic job of developing a group of people that works so well together. They genuinely care about what they do. (Crew chiefs) Mike Green and Tommy DeLago are very experienced, and it shows. They are always calm, and nothing ever phases them. They are also uber-aggressive and they want to win. That attitude is reflected through the whole team.”

In the first round Ashley was racing newcomer Jeff Chatterson and he never trailed in the drag race, getting the jump off the starting line and making a smooth run for the win. His winning time of 3.732 seconds was just a tick off his quickest qualifying run and gave him lane choice heading into the quarterfinals.

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PLAINVIEW, NY – Last year Top Fuel driver Justin Ashley started his first Countdown with a runner-up finish at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway. This weekend the Top Fuel championship contender will be looking for a repeat performance with one additional win light from the first of six NHRA national events that comprise the NHRA’s Countdown playoff. Ashley, who will be driving the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy, sits third in the point standings and thanks to the playoff point structure the 27-year-old driver and team owner is just 30 points behind points leader Brittany Force.

“When they reset the points for the Countdown it signals the start of a new season,” said Ashley, the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year. “Every round of racing is important throughout qualifying and race day. The bonus points we earn in qualifying this weekend at Maple Grove could be the difference when it comes to winning the championship in Pomona in November. I love this time of the season.”

This year Ashley has been at the top of the Top Fuel leaderboard, shuffling positions with Force, four-time champion Steve Torrence and veteran Mike Salinas. There is a strong group of Top Fuel competitors right behind Ashley as well with only 10 points separating each driver in the standings. The Phillips Connect Vita C Energy Top Fuel dragster has raced to two wins already this season and Ashley is entering the six-race playoff stretch with confidence and experience on his side.

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – For the fourth national event in a row Justin Ashley drove the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy to a semifinal finish. The 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year moved up to third place in the Camping World Drag Racing Series as the sixteen race regular ended today at the 68th NHRA U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park, formerly Lucas Oil Raceway. As the No. 2 qualifier Ashley started his day with wins over Shawn Langdon and Billy Torrence before dropping a close race to eventual winner Toyota teammate Antron Brown.

“I thought we had a great weekend,” said Ashley, a two-time 2022 national event winner. “This was my first U.S. Nationals in full force with the potential for five qualifying sessions and racing on Monday. It was a long weekend with a lot happening on and off the track, the most important moment this weekend was the announcement of our extension with Phillips Connect.”

On Friday in a mid-afternoon press conference Phillips Connect announced a multi-year extension with Justin Ashley Racing and Davis Motorsports. The marketing partnership began as a three-race program at the beginning of the season and was quickly extended to the full season after Ashley won the season opening NHRA Winternationals. The extension solidifies one of the hottest teams in the NHRA for the foreseeable future. Phillips Connect and Vita C Energy lead a dynamic group of marketing partners such as Bendix, Velociti, Sensata Insights, Lucas Oil, and KATO Fastening Systems.

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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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