Ashley, Prock, Enders and Herrera Take Wins at Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals
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By Dennis Krause
Top Fuel’s Justin Ashley scored the biggest win of his National Hot Rod Association Mission Foods Drag Racing Series career, Monday, at the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
It was the third victory of the year for Ashley, but it took a holeshot against current points leader Tony Stewart to win the Big Go for the first time.
Ashley went 3.839-seconds at 326.16 mph in his 12,000-horsepower Scag Power Equipment dragster to hold off Stewart, who went 3.815 at 321.88, as his .027 reaction time made the difference in the side-by-side finale.
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“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,” Ashley said. “When you win Indy, it's just something that nobody can take away from you and the fact that my father won here 18 years ago, to have him here now and to win this event in Top Fuel, it really is special. 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 is.
"The hardest thing is not to cut a good light. The hardest thing is to cut a good light over and over and over again. For me, what I try and do, and what works for me, is not focus on the outcome, but focus on the process. That process for me is what I do during the week, physically and mentally, to prepare for a race weekend like this. It's definitely satisfying, but no matter how you get a win, it's still a team win.”
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In Top Fuel Funny Car, Auston Prock finished off a perfect weekend, defeating his John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman in the final round after a run of 3.903 at 332.92 in his 12,000-horsepower Cornwell Quality Tools Chevrolet SS.
It was the second consecutive U.S. Nationals win for Prock, who’s had a dominant season in the series, winning seven races, and an unbelievable 15 wins in the last 32 races.
“To win Indy in my rookie season (in Funny Car) was obviously really special. We came out guns blazing, and it just put a little bit of an extra pep in our step, and to go out there and execute and do the job and have a dominant performance like we did last year, and then to come back again this year and do it is just surreal,” Prock said.
"It was a dream of mine to win a championship, but you never know if that's going to happen. So many stars have to align. You have to get the right opportunity. You have to be surrounded by the right people. You have to have the right sponsors backing you. So, to get a U.S. Nationals win last year and then win the championship, and then come back and win the U.S Nationals again, I don't even know what to say. You know, they say when you win the U.S. Nationals once, it puts you in an elite group. When you do it back-to-back, it's an even more elite group.”
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Whereas Prock has been nearly unbeatable, Erica Enders snapped a 30-race winless streak, winning in Pro Stock for the fourth time at Indy. The six-time world champion won her 50th national event after going 6.564 at 209.95 in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance car to hold off Matt Hartford.
“That monkey's been on my back since Gainesville, the season opener 2024, and it's been grueling,” Enders said. “We left last year doing well collectively as a team, and we came out this year and the scoreboard did not tell us what the dyno is telling us. So, it’s super challenging. You know, it kind of reminds me of the beginning of my career when I was just gunning for that first one, and it took seven years and seven final rounds. Granted, this wasn't that long, but it sure felt like it and it's mentally tough. You lose confidence in yourself and your equipment, but my guys didn't lose confidence in their abilities or in me.
“Without them, I wouldn't be here and I kind of wondered if I still had it, you know what I mean? It took a lot of overcoming and a lot of help from my inner circle, my dad, my sister, my family and the boys that stand behind me. We finally got number 50. As a little girl in 1994, rolling under that arch right there for my first final round at the inaugural Junior Dragster Nationals. The feelings are very similar, and here we are, 30-something years later. So, to get my 50th here at Indy, at the US. Nationals, I don't know a better book that can be written.”
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Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera used an incredible .003 reaction time to defeat teammate Brayden Davis in the final round on a holeshot. Herrera’s 6.834 at 199.32 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines held up thanks to the stellar reaction time, holding off Davis’ 6.799 at 198.93 at the finish line.
It was another perfect weekend for the back-to-back world champion, who qualified No. 1 and set the track E.T. record twice in qualifying.
“It's very exciting, you know, especially to get a holeshot win like that,” Herrera said. “To get back-to-back wins here in the U.S. Nationals is very special to me and it was crazy. I mean, I almost was in the sand because I was more excited and cheering than being on the brakes.
“I have a strong level head on my shoulders, and I must thank my parents for that. It has not been easy. You know, it's always nerve-wracking, especially when I know what kind of bikes are in the other lane, caliber-wise.”
Herrera also added another first in his spectacular run, winning the regular-season title and taking the points lead into the playoffs. He’ll open the Countdown to the Championship in first for a third straight year as he seeks a third consecutive world title.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series opens the Countdown to the Championship playoffs with the 40th annual NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish on Sept. 11-14 at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.
Dennis Krause has spent decades covering all forms of motorsports, including over 40 Indianapolis 500s, with stints at WIBA Radio, PIT PASS - Radio’s Premier Motorsports Magazine and Motorsports Minute. Follow him on X @DennisKrause500 or motorsportsminute.bluesky.social or motorsportsminute on Threads or MotorsportsMinute+ on Facebook.