JUSTIN ASHLEY MAKES FINALS AT ROUTE 66 NATIONALS
Third straight final round appearance and second straight runner-up result
JOLIET, Ill. (May 18, 2025) – Justin Ashley made his third straight final round appearance and second straight runner-up finish in Top Fuel, barely missing out on the Wally Trophy at the NHRA Route 66 Nationals at Route 66 Raceway. Ashley defeated three former Top Fuel world champions on the way to the final round on Sunday, which included Toyota teammates Antron Brown and Doug Kalitta.
Joining Kalitta in the semifinals from Team Toyota was Steve Torrence, while Antron Brown and Shawn Langdon made round two to round out the Toyota Top Fuel Dragster contingent.
In Funny Car, Ron Capps advanced to the second round but went no further. J.R. Todd was eliminated in round one.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action in two weeks at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series
Route 66 Raceway
NHRA Route 66 Nationals
Race 6 of 20
TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS
Name
Car
Final Result
Round-by-Round
Justin Ashley
SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel
Dragster Finalist
W (3.706) v. B. Force (5.149)
W (4.407) v. A. Brown (7.148)
W (3.816) v. D. Kalitta (4.803)
L (3.818) v. T. Stewart (3.777)
Doug Kalitta
Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
Semi-finals
W (3.724) v. L. Joon (3.975)
W (3.723) v. J. Hart (9.266)
L (4.803) v. J. Ashley (3.816)
Steve Torrence
CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
Semi-finals
W (3.735) v. S. Massey (3.784)
W (3.772) v. S. Langdon (5.776)
L (4.021) v. T. Stewart (3.762)
Antron Brown
Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
Second Round
W (3.689) v. T. Zizzo (10.108)
L (7.148) v. J. Ashley (4.407)
Shawn Langdon
Kalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
Second Round
W (3.733) v. K. Wurtzel (3.783)
L (5.776) v. S. Torrence (3.772)
TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS
Name
Car
Final Result
Round-by-Round
Ron Capps
NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny Car
Second Round
W (3.905) v. A. DeJoria (3.913)
L (3.957) v. M. Hagan (3.919)
J.R. Todd
DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car
First Round
L (5.398) v. C. Pedregon (3.948)
*= Non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
JUSTIN ASHLEY, SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, SCAG Racing
TF Final Result: Finalist
Take us through your day today.
“Yeah, we’re really happy with everything (today). Obviously, would’ve loved to finish it off with a win. But when you look at the gauntlet of people we had to go through today – Brittany Force in the first round, Antron Brown in the second round and Doug Kalitta in the third round, then falling just a little bit short to Tony Stewart in the finals. Speaks volumes to the high-level competition and we feel like we’re right there with everybody. Continuing to learn, continuing to grow and continuing to make the necessary changes that’ll help us improve down the road. Super happy, super proud of our SCAG Power Equipment Toyota team and we’ll pack it up and get after it in Epping.”
How does a performance like today give you and the team momentum in the coming races?
“Oh, it’s super important. A few final rounds, back-to-back runner-up finishes. It’s really good to get momentum. It’s kind of two-fold. The better you do, the more momentum you have. But at the same time, the better you do, the more laps you make and data you get. All-in-all, it’s good. Once the race is done, have to put it in the past, but it’s nice to get some momentum forward.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 32 electrified options.
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