ASHLEY EXTENDS POINTS LEAD WITH RUNNER-UP FINISH IN NORWALK
J.R. Todd scores his second semi-final finish in the last three events in Funny Car
NORWALK, Ohio (June 25, 2023) – Justin Ashley continued his recent strong performance with a runner-up finish at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park on Sunday afternoon. Ashley defeated Clay Millican, Team Toyota’s Steve Torrence, and Brittany Force, before coming up short against Leah Pruett in the final. With the final round appearance, Ashley extends his points lead to 97 over Torrence.
In Funny Car, former champion J.R. Todd earned his second semi-final appearance in the last three races. Todd defeated the top-two winningest drivers in NHRA Funny Car history – John Force and Ron Capps – in the first two rounds before coming up just short against points leader Matt Hagan. All three Toyota GR Supra drivers – Todd, Ron Capps and Alexis DeJoria – earned at least one round win on Sunday.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series
Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park
Race 9 of 21
TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Final Result | Round-by-Round |
| Justin Ashley | Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Finalist | W. 3.715 v. 6.782(C. Millican) W. 3.721 v. 3.703(Holeshot – .039 v. 081 – S. Torrence) W. 3.711 v. 3.713(B. Force) L. 4.497 v. 3.761(L. Pruett) |
| Steve Torrence | Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Second Round | W. 3.735 v. 4.237(D. Foley) L. 3.703 v. 3.721(Holeshot .081 v. .039 – J. Ashley) |
| Antron Brown | Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | First Round | L. 5.182 v. 3.760(M. Salinas) |
| Doug Kalitta | Applied Innovation Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | First Round | L. 7.702 v. 3.892(D. Mercier) |
| Shawn Langdon | Bounty Hunter Kalitta Air Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | First Round | L. 3.910 v. 3.711(B. Force) |
TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Final Result | Round-by-Round |
| J.R. Todd | DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | Semi-Finals | W. 3.972 v. 4.001(J. Force) W. 3.950 v. 3.912(Holeshot .036 v. .092 – R. Capps) L. 3.954 v. 3.959(Holeshot – .067 v. .057 – M. Hagan) |
| Ron Capps | NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | Second Round | W. 3.930 v. 4.119(A. Laughlin) L. 3.912 v. 3.950(Holeshot .092 v. .036 – J. Todd) |
| Alexis DeJoria | Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | Second Round | W. 3.923 v. 12.466(P. Lee) L. Foul v. 4.412(Red Light – B. Alexander) |
TOYOTA QUOTES
JUSTIN ASHLEY, Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Maynard Ashley Racing
Final Result: Finalist
Can you talk about the final round?
“This was a great weekend at the racetrack for our Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Okuma. Our entire team did a fantastic job, and I could not be prouder. This was a team effort from the start to the finish. To be able to turn on so many win lights in a row is something that is so difficult to do in a sport that has so much competition. Today and the rest of the season we will have our guardian angel Cathi Maynard riding with us.”
J.R. TODD, DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Kalitta Motorsports
Final Result: Semi-Finals
How was your race?
“It was a good day, but I’m bummed to lose on a hole shot. When you lose on a hole shot, that’s on the driver. I feel like I should have been better than I was that round. We ran 3.95 (3.954 seconds at 324.20 mph), but we were trying to run better than that. I feel like we missed a good opportunity to win, and those opportunities don’t come around that often. It would have been pretty cool to win that 200th race for Toyota, but at the end of the day, it was a good effort. The car is definitely getting more consistent going down the track, and when you get down the track you learn. We just need to pick things up on my end, and we’ll be ok. Two semifinals in the last three races means we’re getting better going down the track and not beating ourselves. You have to go down the track to give yourself a fighting chance, and that’s pretty much all I can ask for as a driver. We have a great group of guys on this DHL Toyota team, and I know all their hard work will pay off – hopefully soon.”
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