Justin Ashley and the SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel dragster team enter this weekend’s Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, the first of six races in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, just 15 points back from the points lead as they begin the battle for their first world title.
Ashley and the SCAG Toyota team finished the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series regular season with three wins in five final round appearances. Their most recent victory came at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota just before they finished in the quarterfinals at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. With success in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge that earned Ashley a total of 13 bonus points, he cut his deficit to reigning world champion and points leader Doug Kalitta from 20 to just 15 after the points reset for the Countdown.
“I am really excited to begin this final stretch of the season. The level of competition during these next six races is going to be the highest we’ve seen all year. We have a clean slate and a great opportunity to achieve our ultimate goal of bringing a championship to SCAG Racing,” Ashley said. “There is no better place to begin that final journey than Maple Grove Raceway. The Korestsky’s have done an excellent job with the facility, the fans pack it out, and it always has the potential to be very fast. A lot of family and friends will be in attendance from my hometown in New York, so we hope to make them and all of our SCAG Racing family as well as our Phillips, KATO, Impact, Mac Tools and all of our partners proud.”
While Ashley hasn’t quite sealed the deal at the track closest to his home in Plainview, New York, he has had success at the facility. Just last year Ashley secured the No. 1 qualifying position before having a quarterfinal exit to eight-time champion Tony Schumacher and in both 2021 and 2022 he finished runner-up, first to Billy Torrence and then to former Top Fuel driver and current Funny Car points leader Austin Prock. Ashley and his SCAG team will be looking for their first winner’s circle visit at Maple Grove to help set the tone for the remainder of the Countdown to the Championship.
Competition at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway begins with qualifying on Friday at 3:30 and 6:00 p.m. and Saturday at 1:00 and 3:30 p.m. Eliminations are slated to begin Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Television coverage of the event will start with two qualifying shows Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET both on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Eliminations coverage will begin Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET with a second show at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX Broadcasting Network (FOX).
This story was originally published on September 13, 2024. 
