READING, Pa. (Sept. 10, 2025) – Fresh off a thrilling victory at the prestigious U.S. Nationals, Justin Ashley and the SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel dragster team are primed to kick off the NHRA Countdown to the Championship at this weekend’s NHRA Reading Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway. As the first of six races in NHRA’s playoff series, the event marks a critical moment for Ashley and his team as they chase the 2025 NHRA Top Fuel World Championship.
“Reading is essentially the start of a new season,” Ashley said “The opportunity to win a championship is right in front of every team that qualified for the Countdown, ourselves included. Now it’s about executing at an extremely high level every lap from qualifying through Raceday.”
Ashley, who has consistently performed well at Maple Grove Raceway with two runner-up finishes from 2022 and 2023 as well as No. 1 qualifiers in 2023 and 2024, is eager to capitalize on the team’s momentum. The SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel team has been a force all season with three total victories putting them fourth in points, just 38 back from the lead, and their U.S. Nationals triumph has set the stage for a strong playoff run.
“This is the part of the year that really excites our team. We’ve worked very hard to be in this position and we feel grateful for the opportunity that’s ahead of us,” Ashley said. “We’re coming off a huge win and we’ve ran well at Maple Grove the last few years, but ultimately that doesn’t matter anymore. It’s all in the past and we’re focused on the present. We’re focused on being ‘Simply the Best’ for all of the SCAG Power Equipment dealers, users, and owners all across the country.”
The NHRA Reading Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway promises intense competition as the Countdown to the Championship begins. This is Ashley’s fifth appearance in the NHRA Countdown. He finished fourth in points from 2021 to 2023 before his best finish last year when he took third.
Competition at the Reading Nationals begins with four qualifying runs Friday at 3:30 and 6 p.m. and Saturday at 1:30 and 4 p.m. with eliminations slated for Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Sunday with a qualifying show at noon ET followed by eliminations coverage at 2 p.m. ET. Fans can catch all the action live on nhra.TV NHRA’s streaming service.
