Maynard Family Racing
ASHLEY FINISHES CAREER BEST SEASON IN POMONA
POMONA, CA – Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster capped one of the most dominant seasons in recent Top 
Fuel memory with a semifinal finish at the season-ending In-N-Out NHRA Finals. As a six-time national event winner this season Ashley was one of five drivers in contention for the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Fuel world champions coming into race day today at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip. Ashley entered eliminations Sunday as the No. 8 qualifier with his eye on his first Top Fuel championship. Ashley needed to win the race and for the drivers he was chasing to exit early.
In the opening round facing the reigning 2022 Top Fuel champion Brittany Force Ashley knew his path to victory was not going to be an easy one. Ashley and Force were the first two Top Fuel dragsters to hit the track and it was Ashley turning on the first win light of the day. He was first off the line and never trailed in the drag race. His winning time of 3.715 seconds at 333.74 mph gave him lane choice over No. 1 qualifier Austin Prock in the quarterfinals.
“I always try and do my best to stay even keel,” said Ashley. “Our team does the same and I think that’s what helps to give us the best chance to win. We could certainly feel the intensity because it’s the final day and you never know when it’s going to be your last lap of that season. Seeing that win light turn on being the first pair out of first round was really relief more so than anything else.”
Ashley to Honor Veterans with Wyakin Foundation at NHRA Finals
PLAINVIEW, NY – For the past two NHRA seasons Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel team have supported and 
honored veterans through a partnership with the Wyakin Foundation. This weekend at the NHRA Finals Ashley, Phillips Connect and the Wyakin Foundation will be hosting three veterans on Saturday, November 11, to celebrate Veterans Day. The Wyakin Foundation’s mission is to serve as a conduit, connecting wounded and injured veterans to their successful and fulfilling civilian futures through education, development, and guidance. Each year Ashley and the Phillips Connect Top Fuel team have raised awareness and honored the commitment and success stories of veterans.
“This is one of the most powerful opportunities I have as part of my relationship with Phillips Connect,” said Ashley, an 11-time Top Fuel national event winner. “Bringing awareness to the Wyakin Foundation and getting to meet and spend time with veterans is so important. Helping in a small way to get these men and women veterans back into society and supporting their education and professional goals is truly an honor. They have sacrificed so much for our freedoms and although we can never fully repay them, I hope this serves as a small token of our gratitude. I am looking forward to meeting with George, Brandon and Patrick this weekend.”
JUSTIN ASHLEY HAS PATH TO CHAMPIONSHIP IN POMONA
PLAINVIEW, NY – As his most dominant season as a Top Fuel driver and team owner comes down to the final race of the season, the NHRA 
Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, Justin Ashley has a clear path to his first NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series world championship. It is not an easy road by any means but sitting just 82 points behind point leader Steve Torrence and having 30 points per round available, plus possible qualifying bonus points a strong qualifying effort and a cooperative competition ladder could give Ashley and his Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel team a legitimate shot at the world title.
“At the beginning of the season everyone says they just want to have a shot at the championship coming into the NHRA Finals at Pomona in November,” said Ashley, a six-time winner in 2023. “We have our shot and now it’s all about capitalizing on the opportunities that are ahead. We’re focused on taking it one round at a time and letting the points take care of themselves. Our best chance to win this championship is by taking care of our business and not being concerned with the variables around us.”
The past year years at the NHRA Finals Ashley has suffered first round exits at the hands of Toyota teammate and strategic technology partner Antron Brown. Conversely over the past three years at the NHRA Winternationals at the same track Ashley has raced to three consecutive final rounds winning the past two events including the 2023 edition when he was No. 1 qualifier. A weekend like that in Pomona would set Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota team for major success. Over the past three Winternationals Ashley has qualified No. 7, No. 2, and No. 1.
Round One Explosion Ends Tim Wilkerson’s Day at Nevada Nationals
LAS VAGAS – Tim Wilkerson’s weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway ended in spectacular fashion on Sunday morning when he 
suffered a massive explosion during round one of eliminations. At the second-to-last event of the 2023 NHRA season, Wilkerson used a 3.907-second pass, the second-quickest run of Saturday’s first session, to qualify the SCAG Power Equipment/Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang ninth on the NHRA Nevada Nationals Funny Car eliminations ladder.
Wilkerson went into race day armed with confidence after recording three solid runs during qualifying and faced No. 8 qualifier Alexis DeJoria for the second consecutive race weekend.
At the NHRA Fall Nationals near Dallas two weeks prior, Wilkerson defeated DeJoria in the first round and went on to advance to the semifinals aboard the Maynard Wilkerson Racing entry. The two-time winner in 2023 was looking to extend his round-win lead over DeJoria on Sunday in Las Vegas. Wilkerson moved first to capture the early lead but near the 500-foot mark, his machine started to lose traction before suffering an engine explosion which sent his burst panel airborne while DeJoria made a full pull in the opposite lane for the win.
Tony Schumacher Finds Positives in Second-Round Finish at NHRA Nevada Nationals
LAS VEGAS – Multi-time NHRA Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher went into the second round of eliminations at the NHRA 
Nevada Nationals full of confidence. His SCAG Power Equipment dragster was one of the most consistent cars in qualifying, and he made a weekend-best pass in the opening round of Sunday eliminations at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but a dead cylinder at the hit of the throttle prevented Schumacher from moving past the quarterfinals.
Schumacher was ultra-consistent in qualifying. After a tire-smoking run in Friday’s first session, the eight-time world champion ran a trio of 3.72-second passes to qualify No. 9. That included a 3.729 E.T. at 330.63 MPH run in the second session on Friday and two 3.723-second passes on Saturday. He had the third-quickest E.T. of the third session to earn one bonus point.
That consistency in qualifying gave crew chiefs Mike Neff and Jon Schaffer the confidence to get aggressive for Sunday’s first round of eliminations against Shawn Langdon. Schumacher left the starting line just a thousandth of a second behind Langdon before charging down the track with a 3.697-second pass to finish ahead of Langdon’s 3.744 E.T. Schumacher had the starting line advantage in the second round against No. 1 qualifier Mike Salinas, but he slowed to a 3.867-second pass next to Salinas and his 3.688 E.T.
JUSTIN ASHLEY RUNNER-UP IN LAS VEGAS
LAS VEGAS – Justin Ashley and the Leatherwood Distillery Top Fuel dragster powered by Phillips Connect came up just short of their bid for 
a seventh Top Fuel in this season today at the NHRA Nevada Nationals. Ashley, the No. 6 qualifier, outran Dan Mercier, Austin Prock and Steve Torrence before losing to Mike Salinas in the final round. The successful day kept Ashley in the championship conversation as the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series heads to Pomona, California for the season finale in two weeks.
“I feel really good about the way the day went today,” said Ashley. “It was critical for us to be in the championship hunt and give ourselves a realistic chance going into Pomona by the time this race was over. I think that we did a good job of accomplishing that. One more round would have made a big difference and we would have loved to have come away with the win. Anytime you go to a final round in a race like this, at such a crucial point in the season that is super important. We feel good and I am just looking forward to trying to take those next steps.”
Ashley faced Canadian drag racer Mercier in the opening round looking to kick start his championship hopes. As the No. 6 qualifier the Leatherwood Distillery Top Fuel dragster powered by Phillips Connect had lane choice and Ashley took full advantage getting a starting line advantage and never trailing in the drag race. Ashley’s winning time of 3.736 seconds was enough to get the win over Mercier’s solid 3.752 second pass.
Nevada Nationals Chance for Justin Ashley to Make Championship Push
PLAINVIEW, NY – Coming down the homestretch of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Justin Ashley and the Leatherwood 
Distillery Top Fuel team powered by Phillips Connect are in familiar territory. Ashley, the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year, is in the middle of a tight quartet of drivers trying to win the Top Fuel world championship. Last year Ashley was in an equally tight race with eventual champion Brittany Force and Steve Torrence. This year he needs to outpace Torrence, Leah Pruett and Doug Kalitta for the championship with only 108 points separating the four drivers.
Justin Ashley and the Leatherwood Distillery Top Fuel dragster powered by Phillips Connect, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery
“We have been in this position before and I think we can lean on that experience,” said Ashley, a six-time Top Fuel winner in 2023. “Last year we were in and out of the points lead during the Countdown and there were always several teams grouped together trying to take the top spot. The field is more competitive than it’s ever been, and it’s shown throughout the first four races of the Countdown. If we can find success in Las Vegas I believe we’ll have an opportunity for the championship in Pomona.”
Three of the four top teams, including Ashley, are vying for their first championship. Kalitta has finished second six times in his career, most recently in 2020 and 2019. Pruett’s best finish in Top Fuel is fourth which she has accomplished three times in 2020, 2019 and 2018. Ashley has secured back-to-back fourth place finishes in 2021 and 2022. The opportunity to win his first championship after a stellar regular season is top of mind for Ashley and the Leatherwood Distillery Top Fuel team.
Tim Wilkerson Records Season-Best E.T. En Route to Semifinal Finish at Dallas
ENNIS, TX – Tim Wilkerson may have lost his semifinal match with Matt Hagan at the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex, 
but a season-best elapsed time in Sunday eliminations gave the driver/tuner of the SCAG Power Equipment/Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang a confidence boost. Knowing he has a Maynard Wilkerson Racing hot rod that can consistently run in the 3.80-second range, Wilkerson is already looking forward to the next race as the 2023 NHRA Camping World Series season starts to wrap up.
In qualifying, Wilkerson started the weekend with a strong baseline run in Friday’s first session before laying down a 3.884-second pass at 317.80 MPH to go into Saturday as the provisional No. 7 qualifier. He had to lift off the throttle in the third session on Saturday, but came back in the final session and recorded a 3.879 E.T. to qualify No. 9 in a nearly all-3-second field.
Wilkerson was one half of NHRA’s Funny Car marquee matchup with Alexis DeJoria. It was a nailbiter, as Wilkerson had the starting line advantage while DeJoria had traction issues, but Wilkerson encountered his own issues late in the run. He held on to get the win, but lost lane choice to Bob Tasca III in the second round. That didn’t matter, though, since Wilkerson used a season-best 3.866-second performance to power past Tasca and his 3.921 E.T. Wilkerson’s SCAG Power Equipment entry slowed a bit in the semifinals, dropping a side-by-side race with Matt Hagan.
Tony Schumacher Comes Up Short in Battle of ‘Texan vs Texan’ at Dallas Fall Nationals
ENNIS, TX – Top Fuel’s winningest driver has a long history of success at the Texas Motorplex located outside of Dallas, and he was looking 
for more Motorplex magic on Sunday at the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals as he sought to pick up his first win of the year. Tony Schumacher has enjoyed a recent late-season performance boost, which saw him advance to the semifinals at two out of the first three playoff events. The Austin resident was hoping to take it one round further at the Ennis, Texas facility but traction issues during round one of eliminations ended Schumacher’s day early, preventing him from making a run at a seventh Dallas trophy.
Aboard the SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel dragster, Schumacher’s weekend began with a solid 3.739-second baseline run right out of the trailer on Friday afternoon. On Friday night, he clocked his best E.T. and speed of the season when he lit up the scoreboards with a 3.690 E.T. at 333.46 MPH. With the unseasonably cool temperatures, many of his competitors also took advantage of the favorable conditions and despite the good run, Schumacher found himself in 10th at the end of the session.
Tim Wilkerson Misses Out on Illinois Sweep with Early Loss at NHRA Midwest Nationals
Madison, IL – NHRA Funny Car veteran Tim Wilkerson was aiming for a second win in his home state of Illinois this season at the NHRA 
Midwest Nationals but fell short of his goal on race day. Wilkerson has had previous success at World Wide Technology Raceway, the home track for the Maynard Wilkerson Racing SCAG Power Equipment/Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang Funny Car team, including two runner-up finishes and a 2008 event win.
Wilkerson, who won the event in Joliet, Ill. near Chicago earlier this year, started the weekend off with a strong pass in the opening qualifying session when he posted a run of 3.982 seconds at 321.04-MPH on Friday night. He followed that on Saturday with a qualifying effort of 4.017 seconds at 317.27, which held up to be the best E.T. of the session, earning him three bonus points in the process. When qualifying concluded, the team was in the 10th position and matched with fellow championship contender Ron Capps in the first round.
In eliminations, Wilkerson was looking for a win light versus Capps, but his opponent’s quicker reaction time enabled him to cross the finish line beams first, with Capps’ 3.998 E.T. defeating Wilkerson’s quicker 3.977-second run.
