Justin Ashley: Racecar Driver and Entrepreneur
Justin Ashley is a 28-year-old professional racecar driver with 7 career wins under his belt already. Justin has also been awarded the NHRA Rookie of the Year Award due to his performance and relationships on and off the racetrack. Not only is Justin the youngest driver competing in NHRA’s premier Top Fuel Dragster category, but he is also the President of Ashley Developers. Ashley Developers was created by Ashley and is a real estate investment organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of distressed properties. Justin spoke on episode 36 of our Catch the Moment podcast discussing his desire to leave the sport better than when he entered.
The podcast started with Justin telling us the thought process of how he started off as a racecar driver. His father raced when he was little and there was “a family atmosphere and a team atmosphere” that attracted him to pursue the sport. After talking with his father, they advised a plan to work his way up to race on a professional level. Ashley didn’t want to just put all his eggs into one basket racing though, so he developed a second part of his career investing in real estate. He did this to not be dependent on racing, and to gain more knowledge about business to apply to the racing world.
Sharing his experience on the mental aspect of what he does, Justin says that “there has been many times when I look at myself in the mirror, and ask myself is this really worth the journey, is this really worth it.” He explains that with each downfall there is something that he learns and uses to grow and get better for next time. Justin also dives into those who have helped him and encouraged him throughout the process, including Antron Brown. Not only is Ashley inspired by the fact that Brown has won three world championships, but also by the way that he carries himself off the racetrack when it comes to his sponsorships. “90% of racing is business and the other 10% is actually being out there racing,” says Justin.
Justin and I end the episode with a lesson to use in our own lives; there is a physical aspect to everything, especially in sports, but your mental health side needs to be doing great so that you can perform your best. He compares this to football and says that “you can go play football and work out 5-6 times a week in preparation, but if your mental side isn't right, what's the difference, the result is not going to show on the field.”
Justin Ashley’s journey from the start of his career and how he has navigated his business and the sports world is very inspirational. Justin continues to race and plans to spend most of his time improving his craft. He is truly someone we can all learn from and will be someone interesting to follow. Give our podcast episode with Justin a listen to hear his full story.