But during the offseason we brought on Tommy DeLago, and we focused a lot on improving as an organization, as a program, making sure that we came into 2022 in the best position possible because we knew how deep the field was going to be in Top Fuel. We've continued to prepare throughout the season. "We certainly did expect to be in this position-not just because we rolled out of bed one day and just said, ‘You know what? We're going to win the championship’ but because of the work that we put in. They are stout, but we’re grateful to be in this position. The competition out here is absolutely fantastic. Having raced against teams that are the best in the world and the best of what they do, we have a healthy understanding and respect for the competition. “I'm not surprised,” he said, “but I am humbled to be in this position. “For the most part, it's going to come down to the wire.”Īnd he invited that pressure on himself, figuring from the start of the season that he’d be in the hunt. “Of course, we’d love to lock it (the championship) up early and not have that pressure and all that stuff just like everybody would, but ultimately, that's not the kind of sport that we're in, for the most part,” Ashley said. Pressure is a privilege, in a lot of ways.
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Pressure has a funny way of helping a lot of drivers to increase their focus on the task. He said he welcomes it: “It's better than the alternative, right? I mean, the alternative is not being in a pressure situation because you didn't put yourself in that situation, because you're not competing for a championship. However, Ashley said he feels no pressure.
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So last season, when he finished fourth, he was experiencing his first Countdown and the pressures that come with it.īehind him in the standings are such veterans as seventh-ranked Doug Kalitta, who has 49 trophies and five series runner-up finishes Clay Millican, owner of six consecutive IHRA Top Fuel crowns 10-time Top Fuel winner Leah Pruett, who has titles in the Hot Rod Heritage Series and Factory Stock Shown class and eight-time NHRA Top Fuel champion and 86-time victor Tony Schumacher.
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He competed in just three races in his debut year, and his first full campaign was in 2020, when the NHRA bagged a Countdown format. NHRA Answers Pomona Question with 2023 Schedule I don't have as much experience as a lot of other teams and a lot of other drivers.” And it's something that I'm trying to fully take advantage of.”Īshley said, “I think it takes time and it takes experience to find yourself in this situation. So everybody collectively, as one big unit, is working together. Even guys like Antron Brown, even guys like (Brown crew chiefs) Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald, (have been) kind enough to spend time with me and spend time with our team, and we're fortunate to be able to work together with Antron's team to become better as a group and for both our teams to get better. "And I think that probably the best thing that I can do is just sit there and listen and hear what they have to say about what it takes to be successful and what it takes to win championships. So they've been really, really valuable, a valuable tool, a valuable asset.
Guys like Mike and Tommy and the rest of the team that have been there, done that, because there's just certain things that I haven't experienced or don't fully have an understanding of, just because I haven't been there, done that before. It's a critical element.”Īnd Ashley said he relies on those more-experienced team members: “I lean on them a lot. We have guys up and down the list on the team that have championship experience. “(Crew chiefs) Mike Green, Tommy DeLago, they have championship-winning experience (with Tony Schumacher and Matt Hagan).
Believe it or not, our team has a lot of experience,” he said. They're all fantastic, our team included. He said he believes he has that with his Phillips Connect/Vita C Dragster team at Dustin Davis Motorsports. And it's an important element to finding success, but it's not everything. “You look at a guy like Steve Torrence, who's won four championships, he's participated in the Countdown before. So is the value of experience exaggerated?
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