Justin Ashley and the SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel dragster team enter the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, race 10 of 20 on the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing circuit, with optimism.
Ashely and the SCAG Toyota team’s season started off strong. After the season opener in Gainesville, Florida, they had a streak of four consecutive final round appearances with two visits to the winners circle. Ashley’s final rounds started with a win at the rain delayed Winternationals before he runnered-up at the Arizona Nationals. Ashley would then earn runner-up points at the Las Vegas Four-Wide event before taking a victory in the four-wide format at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte.
Ashley’s race day success has also been coupled with success in the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. Ashely has picked up two wins in the specialty race that earns him championship bonus points and a cash prize. Currently, Ashely is in a streak he’d be more than happy to break having lost in the first round the last three consecutive races.
“This weekend is a big one for our team. This race officially marks the halfway point in the season and we want to be clicking on all cylinders. It’ll present a unique challenge with twenty top fuel cars that are all very capable of winning but our team is ready,” Ashley said. “The guys work incredibly hard and are deserving of win lights. They’ll be a lot of SCAG Power Equipment dealers and Phillips guests in attendance so it’s important we perform well for them both on and off the racetrack.”
In 2023, Ashley qualified No. 7 at Summit Motorsports Park and went on to reach the finals battling through Clay Millican, four-time champion Steve Torrence and two-time champion Brittany Force before finishing runner-up to Leah Pruett.
“Summit Motorsports Park is always one of the most enjoyable venues that we race. Bill Bader Jr. constantly goes above and beyond for the teams, sponsors, fans, and sport of NHRA Drag Racing. We are very appreciative for that.”
Competition at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals begins with four rounds of qualifying Friday at 6:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. and Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eliminations will be Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of the event will begin on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with a qualifying show Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET followed by the first round of eliminations at 4:00 p.m. ET. The rest of eliminations will air on FOX Broadcasting Network (FOX) at 5:00 p.m. ET.
This story was originally published on June 27, 2024. 
