Justin Ashley captured one of the most coveted titles in drag racing on Sunday, winning the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Ashley earned his first Indy victory, the third win of his 2025 season, and the 18th of his career. This big win comes 18 years after his father, Mike Ashley, won the event in Funny Car.

“I think I’m still processing everything. I’ve dreamed about this moment over and over and over again, and then to actually live it right now right here is truly special. you know, when you win Indy it’s just something that nobody can take away from you. The fact that my father won here 18 years ago and to have him here now and to win this event in Top Fuel, it really is special,” Ashley said. “It’s just different than any other race. I tried to do my best all day to just treat it as another race, because that probably is really the only thing you can do and not get caught up in the moment, but now, to step back, and to actually get that victory, you realize how truly incredible it actually is.”

Ashley’s run to the title was far from easy. After qualifying number 12, he took down reigning champion Antron Brown in the opening round, then survived a pedal-fest against Doug Kalitta in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, he laid down a clean 3.808-second run at 327.74 mph to eliminate Tripp Tatum.

In the final, Ashley faced Tony Stewart, the 2025 regular season Top Fuel champion. Known for his sharp reaction times, Ashley left first with a .027 light and powered to a 3.839-second pass at 326.16 mph, holding off Stewart’s 3.815 at 321.88.

“It’s no secret, we’ve struggled a little bit the last few races, but we made some pretty drastic changes to the car. I approach each and every race the same way with the expectation to win, and it’s easy to do that when you have the kind of team that we do with Mike and Tommy and Dustin and the guys,” said Ashley referencing a first round loss in Brainerd, Minnesota that came after back-to-back quarterfinal exits. “I always have confidence in the guys, but it certainly meant a full field challenge today having to go through Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta, Tripp Tatum, and then Tony Stewart, we’ve all heard of that guy, he’s supposed to be a pretty good driver. So, it’s really cool.”

The victory moves Ashley to fourth in the Top Fuel standings entering the Countdown to the Championship.