There was a huge part of rookie Top Alcohol Dragster driver Justin Ashley that wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, two-time Pro Modified champion and successful fuel Funny Car racer Mike Ashley. He wanted to drive the same kind of race cars.

The idea flew as well as a lead balloon, but it wasn't for lack of effort.

Ashley broached the subject subtly with his father, "Maybe I should dip my feet in Pro Mod and try Pro Mod?" 

"And, ‘What are the Funny Cars like?"  

In a true do as I say, and not as I do moment, the kid acquiesced to his destiny with a dragster. 

"His response was, ‘No way Justin, you’re crazy. It’s never happening. Too dangerous."

And just like that, Ashley accepted the fact he'd never be able to run 211 miles per hour through the grass at Englishtown like dear old dad, and instead run 3.78 seconds in a Top Fuel dragster to earn his competitor's license. 

Ashley, 23, on the Monday following the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, secured his driving credentials behind the wheel of the Matco Tools-sponsored dragster normally driven by Antron Brown. 

Ashley admits he's not ready to race Top Fuel just yet, but felt getting his licensing out of the way was the best course for his rapidly accelerating driving resume.

"It definitely feels good to go ahead and get my license," Ashley said. "And I guess in some way the progression, although it’s a natural progression from Top Alcohol Dragster to Top Fuel it does seem like it happened pretty quick. But the reason I don’t feel like it’s such a huge jump is because my plan isn’t to race Top Fuel immediately. It’s not to immediately jump into the category and compete. 

"It was important for me to get my license, it was important for me to get the experience and make the laps and become a better driver from it. But you know my plan is to still stay in Top Alcohol, you know, and continue to get my feet wet. Because there’s so much more that I can learn and continue to grow in that class. And my plan is to still stay in that class for two or three years, and eventually with God’s help, hopefully, move up to Top Fuel."

Ashley graduated from limited Junior Dragster competition before moving into Top Dragster last year. This year he made a move into a Top Alcohol Dragster fielded Randy Meyer Racing, and in three races has one win, one runner-up and a No. 1 qualifier. 

"I think Top Alcohol Dragster prepared me a lot for this experience driving the Top Fuel car," Ashley said. "I mean there’s nothing really that can fully prepare you for that kind of power and that kind of violence and anger that comes out of the car."

Ashley cannot say his band of tutors which included Brian Corradi, Mark Oswald and Antron Brown didn't warn him.

"They said, ‘Alright Justin, be ready because the minute this thing takes off, you’re going to feel it," Ashley recalled. "Just be prepared and be ready for it’. And I felt it on the burnout, and then I really felt it the minute I hit the gas. By the time I was at 60-foot, I could feel the power, the raw power, coming from the car. 

"It’s a big difference from Top Alcohol Dragster; it’s a big difference from anything really that you could drive. It’s the power in that car is amazing, and it’s something that’s so difficult to describe. It’s just something that you have to experience." 

Experience being a superior teacher, Ashley's foot remained planted on the throttle in the second progressive run where he ran 3.78, 311 miles per hour the very next time. His third run sealed the deal. 

"All I needed was that first experience, but it was more than just the experience of going down the track," Ashley explained. It was actually spending the time with Antron, with Brian Corradi, and with Mark Oswald that really made the difference. I was able to go down the first lap and experience it, but being able to spend so much time with them, they were all so patient with me and they went through the data with me and showed me things that I can do better, things that I can improve on. 

"That’s really, at the end of the day, that’s the reason for the growth that I made from the first run to the last run throughout the weekend and on Monday." 

Ashley plans to return to Top Alcohol Dragster in Chicago, but for now, he's basking in the glow of his Top Fuel moment. 
 
"An amazing feeling," Ashley said. "To run a 3.78 at 314 miles an hour was the best feeling I’ve had in a long time. You know, I didn’t know what it ran. I got out at the top end, and one of the crew guys Wayne had told me what it ran. And I think more so than anything else; it was just kind of a sense of relief like, ‘Okay, I can do this. This is something that I can do, and I’m confident that I can do’." 

For Ashley, the license proves it, even if it is in a dragster.