RACING HAS ALWAYS BEEN PART OF ASHLEY ’ S LIFE , AND HE HAS ALWAYS HAD BIG GOALS , STARTING WHEN HE GOT BEHIND THE WHEEL OF A JR . DRAGSTER . THAT DREAM HAS BEEN REALIZED IN TOP FUEL , AND ASHLEY HAS FOUND NEW WAYS TO MARKET HIMSELF , ADDING A VARIETY OF NEW SPONSORS TO THE MIX .
Even that victory didn ’ t come in normal conditions , but then again , why would it in 2020 ?
After advancing to his first career final round , Ashley was set to meet veteran T . J . Zizzo in a matchup that would give one racer their first NHRA Top Fuel win .
It was about to be storybook stuff for one of them when the clouds opened up because , well , 2020 . Rain postponed the final round from the end of July to Labor Day weekend at the U . S . Nationals and Ashley was forced to wait . And wait . And wait .
“ When that first happened , I think I spent probably the next week or two just thinking about the race . It was very difficult for me to get my mind off of it because of all the circumstances that surrounded it and what was on the line ,” Ashley says . “ Then I had no choice but to flip a switch . I think over the next two or three weeks after that , or however long it was , I don ’ t think I thought about it one bit . I just tried to focus on work and not think too much about it and just do the best I could to prepare myself physically and mentally to put ourselves in a position to win .”
November 2020
It turned out to be the perfect mindset and another representation of why Ashley is already so highly-regarded by so many in the sport .
When adversity comes , he doesn ’ t skip a beat . When a hard question comes , he doesn ’ t miss a step . He ’ s polished , talented and willing to push himself on and off the track to become a legitimate championship title contender .
And on the Saturday of the U . S . Nationals , Ashley also became a winner in his first full Top Fuel season . Ashley and Zizzo both waited six weeks for the showdown , but Ashley , Brooks and the entire team were ready . Ashley was a sterling . 036 on the starting line – no surprise there – and the team went 3.958-seconds at 267.96 to clip Zizzo and claim the victory .
His career is still in its infancy , but it ’ s already a goal Ashley had in his mind for as long as he could remember . What followed was a barrage of emotions , thanking his dad , famed racer Mike Ashley , his team and anyone else who came to mind in the magical moment .
“ I know that we have a team that ’ s capable of winning , and Aaron Brooks has won a lot of races
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