As motorsports continues to evolve and grow in popularity, each discipline needs a spokesperson.
A leader who can get it done on the track, but also has the marketing expertise to attract valuable fans and sponsors.
The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series may have its next jack-of-all-trades in Justin Ashley, who is in his third season competing in the Top Fuel category.
Ashley has raced his way through the ranks to reach the top of the NHRA podium. For Ashley, racing was ingrained in him from the start as he watched his father, Mike Ashley, earn two NHRA Pro Mod championships.
“I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time around the race track as a kid and it was something that from a very young age, I always knew I wanted to be a part of,” Ashley said. “Of course, I would’ve loved to always drive, but just to be a part of the sport was always a goal of mine, really in any capacity. I really have a deep love for NHRA drag racing. Just growing up around the sport, it was kind of a natural transition for me and something that really just felt like the way I should go, something that always felt normal.”
Though the normality of pure, blistering speed grabbed Ashley’s attention, it was the atmosphere at NHRA events that caught his eye the most.
“What’s amazing about the sport itself is that these cars are violent, they’re explosive, it’s fast. You always want to be a part of that,” Ashley said. “But that really wasn’t what stood out to me. What stood out to me was more the people. The NHRA community is strong and there are a lot of really great teams that really have great cultures and family atmospheres.
“That’s what really stood out to me the most, was being involved with that group of people. In addition to that, obviously just loving the sensation of speed. Just loving going fast. Watching 10-12 people collectively work toward the same objective, and the same goal, and then see the jubilation on the starting line when you win a race or win a round, is really what got me hooked.”
Learning from his father’s experience, Ashley can gain crucial knowledge as he navigates the unique job of being an NHRA driver.
“He’s been a great person for me to lean on, both in terms of driving and from the business aspect of racing,” Ashley said. “One thing I learned early on was that the driving portion is about five to 10 percent of it. The other 90 to 95 percent of it is business. He’s been somebody that I’ve been able to lean on for marketing, for sponsorship, and for advice really on and off the race track.”
That advice from his father led to Ashley forming Justin Ashley Racing and partnering with Davis Motorsports when he joined the ranks of Top Fuel in 2020.
“It’s definitely a lot of accountability. Not much free time, but for me it’s what I love to do, so it’s worth every second of it,” Ashley said. “Also, the truth is this: You’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with. I’m partners with Dustin Davis, and Davis Motorsports has ownership in the team. He’s done a fantastic job helping, and really handling all the day-to-day operations with the team. That’s what he does, and he’s done an amazing job doing that.
“That’s allowed me to be able to take care of the things that I have to take care of, which is the business at home, the driving side and working on the big-picture stuff. The marketing stuff, the sponsorship stuff. So, we each have our own designated role. When you put all that together, it holds all of us accountable, but it’s turned out to be a great relationship.”
The accountability came early for Ashley, as he began to work his way through the ranks of Jr. Dragsters and bracket racing.
“As you start to move from class to class and go higher up in level, you start to realize that you don’t know what you don’t know yet,” Ashley said. “So I started in Jr. Dragsters when I was 11 and then my first big car if you will, was with a guy named Barry Brown. I bracket raced in Top Dragster and that was really a great foundation for me because I learned a lot at that point about really what it meant to be a good race car driver.”
Once he was comfortable within the limits of a Top Dragster, Ashley moved to heads-up racing, where he transitioned into a Top Alcohol dragster in 2017-’18.
Racing for seven-time Central Region champion owner and driver Randy Meyer, Ashley thrived, scoring three victories, including one at the 2017 NHRA Gatornationals.
Ashley made his first Top Fuel start at North Carolina’s zMAX Dragway in 2019, where he lost to eventual winner Steve Torrence in the semi-finals.
As Ashley went through the cultivating system to get to the highest level of NHRA competition, he made it a priority to soak up everything he encountered.
“What was most important to me was to take advantage of that process,” Ashley said. “That whole process started when I was 11 and I didn’t get into Top Fuel dragster until I was 21-22 years old to get licensed in Antron Brown’s car. It was a lengthy process, but kind of designed that way on purpose so I could make sure and be sure that our teams would be successful and find the most success.
“Even if the approach was a little bit methodical, we wanted to learn from each experience to make sure that when it was time to race Top Fuel, we were able to do it at a high and effective level.”
Unfortunately, Ashley entered the Top Fuel ranks during the challenging pandemic-plagued 2020 season, presenting additional challenges for the rookie driver.
“It was a little bit of a weird year. Just because we really didn’t know what to expect at that point and time,” Ashley said. “There was a point and time where we didn’t even think we’d be racing after the first two races of 2020. So, it was a challenge, to be able to understand what the schedule was going to be like, understand what was being asked of us, and how we were going to provide the same type of value for our sponsors when fans might not necessarily be in attendance.”
Through the turmoil came a triumphant breakthrough.
Ashley topped the NHRA Summer Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, defeating T.J. Zizzo in the final.
“Normally, there’s jubilation and relief, and a mix of emotions when you win. This one had a little bit more relief I would say if anything else,” Ashley said. “Just because, you always dream about winning your first professional race, and then for us, it was following a rain delay of 40-plus days. So, there was a lot of time to sit back, to think, to reflect. And then to finally get out there and be able to run the finals and put it in the rearview mirror. It was just a sense of accomplishment, a sense of relief and really just gave us the chance to reflect on how far our program had come.”
Ashley was named NHRA rookie of the year at the end of the season.
The combination of Ashley and Davis Motorsports has continued to improve.
In 2021, after notching an NHRA Fall Nationals victory in Dallas, Ashley and the team earned their first Countdown to the Championship berth, finishing fourth in the standings.
This season, Ashley had won two races through July 24 and was firmly in title contention.
The 27-year-old points to the crew members Justin Ashley Racing has added to help fuel its success.
“We spent a lot of time in the offseason investing in parts, and in the people,” Ashley said. “We knew that everyone was going to take a step forward this year, and that there was going to be more competition in the Top Fuel field. To stay where we’re at last year, and we had a good year, but that wouldn’t benefit us at all. We wanted to make sure we took that step forward.
“The first thing we did was focus on adding more power in the offseason and I think that you saw that early on at the beginning in Pomona, and then continue to surround ourselves with good people,” Ashley added. “We brought in Tommy DeLago to be an assistant crew chief along with Mike Green, and that helped us to make a huge step forward. I think that Green and DeLago are primarily the reason for our success this year. Not only their tuning ability, but their leadership ability and their ability to relate to myself and relate to the team and the guys and the overall experience and expertise that they bring to the table.”
Ashley believes he’s positioned himself as a title contender for years to come.