Top Fuel Points Leader Justin Ashley Looks for First Charlotte Win at NHRA Carolina Nationals

CONCORD, NC – September 18, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – This season marks the fourth year in the Countdown to the Championship for 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year Justin Ashley and the third time he’s led at some point during the playoffs in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

He’s the points leader heading into this weekend’s 16th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at state-of-the-art zMAX Dragway, the second of six races in the Countdown to the Championship. But it’s hardly a huge advantage, as Ashley leads by just a single point over Reading winner Antron Brown and only six points over Reading runner-up Shawn Langdon.

Ashley, though, continues to be in the championship conversation in his 11,000-horsepower Scag Power Equipment/Toyota dragster, a sign of the progress Ashley and his team continue to make. He qualified No. 1 and advanced to the semifinals in Reading and the lessons learned in previous years may mean Ashley is as ready as ever to find success this weekend in Charlotte for the first time and perhaps, ultimately, win his first NHRA Top Fuel world championship.

“If you’re not on your ‘A,’ you’re going to be sent home early. That’s just the way it is now,” Ashley said. “When the competition is as good as it is, anything can happen. It is just legitimately that good right now and that helps you stay focused because if you’re not, see you later, we’ll see you the next race. So, that focus is always there.

“We’ve been knocking on that door (to win a championship), but it’s time to try and break that door down. It’s not going to be easy because the competition is legitimately that good. We feel like this is a great opportunity. We’ve got a championship team and this is a great opportunity to try and finish the deal. But we’ve got a healthy understanding of how difficult it is and how difficult that’s going to be.”

Last season, Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all picked up wins at the fall race in Charlotte and this year’s race will again be broadcast on FS1, including eliminations coverage starting at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.

It is the 16th of 20 races during the 2024 season and things are as tight as ever following the first of six playoff races. That means the intensity will be high in Charlotte, as a flurry of championship contenders look to get back in the mix, while the likes of Ashley, Brown and…