Justin Ashley and the SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel dragster team enter this weekend’s In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, the final race of the 2024 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season, sitting in the Top Fuel points lead.
While Ashley has been in the championship discussion for the last two consecutive seasons, finishing fourth both years, he’s never entered the final race of the season leading the Top Fuel class.
“It’s exciting, coming in with the points lead. We’re grateful and we’re excited for the opportunity,” Ashley said. “This SCAG Toyota team is definitely focused on having a near perfect weekend. We’re going to try to stack those round wins on Sunday and hopefully we come away with this championship.”
Ashley earned the points lead when he picked up his fourth win of the season, a career best for the second-generation racer, at the Texas NHRA FallNationals. Following a quarterfinal finish at the most recent NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas, Ashley was able to maintain a 44-point lead. With points and a half up for grabs at the Finals, Ashley will have to fend off seven other Top Fuel pilots who are mathematically still in the title hunt.
“As a team we are focused on the present. Taking it one day at a time. That’s been our approach all year long,” Ashley said. “When it comes to the Finals, obviously there’s a lot more on the line but it really is just another race. We have to go out there with the same mindset and same approach that we’ve had all year long: We deserve to be in this position, we’ve competed at a high level all season long.
“We’re focusing on taking it one day and one lap at a time. Focusing on the process and making sure we are enjoying it because really, it is meaningful to be in this position. We don’t want to get sideways caught up in all the different scenarios. At the end of the day, we just want to control what we can,” Ashley continued. “I can’t’ control what the person in the other lane is going to do so for me, I’m just staying focused internally on the process, the burnout, staging, staying in the groove, being fast and being quick every lap. We want to soak it all in, have fun and enjoy being part of this chase.”
Ashley and the SCAG dragster come into the Pomona Dragstrip having already had success at the venue in 2024. While the Winternationals, contested in March, were postponed due to inclement weather and finished in Phoenix, Ashley, who was the No. 1 qualifier, reached the final round for the fourth consecutive year and won the event for the third consecutive time. At last year’s Finals, Ashley had a semifinal finish to eventual race winner and reigning world champion Doug Kalitta.
“We have to make sure our foot is all the way to the floor through the end of the year, all the way through the Pomona weekend,” Ashley said. “The margin for error in the regular season is so small but it gets even tighter during the Countdown and even now at the last race of the season, it can come down to the final round on Sunday. We just want to get the job done for SCAG, Metalcraft of Mayville, Phillips, Toyota, KATO, Impact and all our partners. Everyone has worked so hard and we are so grateful.”
The In-N-Out NHRA Finals will begin with four rounds of qualifying Friday at 2:00 and 4:30 p.m. and Saturday at 12:30 and 3:00 p.m. Eliminations are slated for 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. Television coverage will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) on Sunday with a qualifying show at 10 a.m. ET and eliminations at 4:00 p.m. ET.
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