TEAM CASTROL/JFR
25TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
JOHN FORCE/ASHLEY FORCE HOOD
Pre-Race Package for the 11th annual SummitRacing.com Nationals
April 16-18, 2010
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas, Nev.Sixth event in the Countdown to the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Championship
Pre-Race Package for the 11th annual SummitRacing.com Nationals
April 16-18, 2010
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas, Nev.Sixth event in the Countdown to the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Championship
* * * *
follow John Force Racing at www.twitter.com/jfr_racing
To celebrate 25 years of Castrol sponsorship, go to www.castrolforce.com
* * * *
Castrol/JFR 25th Anniversary Flashback:
After winning his first two NHRA Funny Car titles, John Force rolled into the 1992 season with great confidence and, despite an engine explosion and fire at Memphis, Tenn., that prompted his now famous "I saw Elvis at 1,000 feet" remark, appeared to be in control midway through the season.
After driving his Castrol GTX Oldsmobile to victory at Sonoma, Calif., his fourth win of the year, he led rookie Cruz Pedregon by 161 points. It was at that time that he and crew chief Austin Coil made a decision that would come back to haunt them. They opted to begin working on a new engine/clutch combination for the following season.
Meanwhile, Bernie Fedderly, who had tuned Pedregon to an early season victory at Houston, had been dismissed by car owner Larry Minor. He quickly was hired by Force as co-crew chief with Coil. Although the Coil-Fedderly tandem ultimately would guide Force to 110 tour victories, at the outset it was powerless to stop the mechanical attrition attendant to the new combination.
In just four races, all of them won by Pedregon, Force's substantial lead turned into a 43-point deficit. When the Castrol Olds went on its roof in the first round of the season-ending Winston Finals against Gary Bolger, Pedregon was the new champ.
EVENT OVERVIEW:
The 11th annual SummitRacing.com Nationals, first of two NHRA tour events contested at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, provides a study in contrasts for John Force Racing drivers.
For the team's namesake, racing at The Strip has been anything but lucky. However, for the other two JFR drivers, reigning Full Throttle Champion Robert Hight and last year's No. 2, Ashley Force Hood, Vegas has paid off handsomely although for Hight it has been a "Vegas giveth and Vegas taketh away" scenario.
In the heat of the championship battle in 2007, after he had qualified No. 1 in his Auto Club Ford, Hight suffered a parts failure on the burnout before the first round and watched helplessly as rival Jim Head drove to an unopposed first round win. Last fall, after starting the Countdown to 1 in 10th place, Hight effectively clinched the title by winning the Las Vegas Nationals. He also earned an emotional victory in the 2007 SummitRacing.com Nationals.
Force Hood, who licensed at The Strip in 2006 and became the first woman to reach an NHRA Funny Car final when she opposed Tony Pedregon in the 2007 Las Vegas Nationals, drove her Castrol GTX Ford to runner-up honors in the SummitRacing.com Nationals a year later.
By contrast, her father hasn't reached the final round in nine appearances in the spring race and has won just once in 18 total races at The Strip (fall, 2002). Moreover, it was at Las Vegas in 2007 that Force saw his streak of 395 consecutive starts in the NHRA series come to an end with a DNQ. He followed up that stumble by failing to make the starting lineup again in 2008.
JFR RACING HISTORY AT THE STRIP AT LVMS:
Wins – 6, two by Robert Hight for the Automobile Club of Southern California (fall, 2009, and spring, 2007); two by Tony Pedregon for Castrol SYNTEC (spring and fall of 2003); one each by Gary Densham for the Auto Club (spring, 2002) and John Force for Castrol GTX (fall, 2002).
Last year – After qualifying No. 2, reigning series champion Robert Hight powered into the semifinals before losing to Ron Capps. Ashley Force Hood made a rare first round exit and John Force and Mike Neff couldn't survive round two.
Notable #1 – When John Force failed to qualify for the SummitRacing.com Nationals on April 14, 2007, it ended at 395 his record-setting streak of consecutive starts on the NHRA circuit that dated to the start of the 1988 season.
Notable #2 – Robert Hight's 2007 victory in the SummitRacong.com Nationals was particularly emotional insomuch as it was the first event in which John Force Racing drivers participated after teammate Eric Medlen lost his life in a testing accident in Florida. Hight and Medlen had worked together as crewmen on Force's championship-winning Funny Cars in the 1990s.
Notable #3 – Tony Pedregon's sweep of the two Vegas races in 2003 powered him a series championship, the first JFR title not won by John Force. The year before, Force's victory over Pedregon in the final round of the fall race secured a 10th consecutive title for the sport's biggest winner.
PRO POINTS (Current 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Series point standings):
FUNNY CAR – 1. John Force, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang, 441; 2. Matt Hagan, Diehard Dodge Charger, 371; 3. Ron Capps, NAPA Dodge Charger, 345; 4. Ashley Force Hood, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 312; 5. Jack Beckman, MTS Dodge Charger, 311; 6. Tim Wilkerson, Levi, Ray and Shoup Ford Mustang, 283; 6. Tony Pedregon, Quaker State Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 283; 8. Robert Hight, Auto Club Ford Mustang, 281; 9. Bob Tasca III, Quick Lane/Motorcraft Ford Mustang, 268; 10. Del Worsham, Al Anabi Toyota Solara, 240.
TOP FUEL – 1. Cory McClenathan, 456; 2. Larry Dixon, 428; 3. Doug Kalitta, 381; 5. Antron Brown, 378; 4. Tony Schumacher, 366; 6. Shawn Langdon, 275; 7. Morgan Lucas, 245; 8. Steve Torrence, 228; 9. Brandon Bernstein, 219; 10. David Grubnic, 206.
PRO STOCK – 1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 574; 2. Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger, 382; 3. Jason Line, Pontiac GXP, 338; 4. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GXP, 311; 5. Jeg Coughlin Jr., Chevrolet Cobalt, 299; 6. Greg Stanfield, Pontiac GXP, 267; 7. Ron Krisher, Chevrolet Cobalt, 254; 8. Rodger Brogdon, Pontiac GXP, 250; 9. Bob Yonke, Pontiac GXP, 240; 10. Ronnie Humphrey, Pontiac GXP, 199.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE – 1. Hector Arana, Buell, 284; 2. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson V-Rod, 244; 3. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 235; 4. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson V-Rod, 214; 5. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 167; 6. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 164; 7. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 158; 8. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 157; 9. David Hope, Buell, 142; 10. Shawn Gann, Buell, 129.
PRO MODIFIED – 1. Melanie Troxel, 1963 Chevrolet Corvette, 133; 2. Burton Auxier, 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, 121; 3. Joe Baker, 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, 119; 4. Danny Rowe, 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, 111; 5. Kenny Lang, 1953 Chevrolet Corvette, 109; 6. Jay Payne, 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, 108; 7. Mike Knowles, 1963 Chevrolet Corvette, 90; 8. Tim Tindle, 1967 Shelby Mustang GT, 87; 9. Tie, Troy Coughlin, 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, and Tony Pontieri, 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, 75 each.
TELEVISION (all on ESPN2, all times Eastern Daylight):
Qualifying – Saturday, April 17, 6-8 pm
NHRA RaceDay – Sunday, April 18, 10-10:30 amRace Highlights – Sunday, April 18, 7-10 pm
Repeat race highlights – Tuesday, April 20, 2-4 am
NEXT EVENTS (2010 NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship):
13th annual AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals, April 30-May 2, Madison, Ill.
30th annual Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals, April 16-18, Atlanta, Ga.
22nd annual NHRA O'Reilly Summer Nationals, May 21-23, Topeka, Kan.
13th annual UA Route 66 Nationals, June 4-6, Joliet, Ill.
41st annual UA SuperNationals, June 10-13, Englishtown, N.J.
10th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, June 18-20, Bristol, Tenn.
30th annual Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals, April 16-18, Atlanta, Ga.
22nd annual NHRA O'Reilly Summer Nationals, May 21-23, Topeka, Kan.
13th annual UA Route 66 Nationals, June 4-6, Joliet, Ill.
41st annual UA SuperNationals, June 10-13, Englishtown, N.J.
10th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, June 18-20, Bristol, Tenn.
AFTER HOUSTON STUMBLE, FORCE CONFRONTS LVMS
14-Time Champ Tries to Put the Past Behind Him
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – In establishing a 60-year-old driver who hasn't reached the final round in 10 previous appearances in the SummitRacing.com Nationals as the Funny Car favorite, professional oddsmaker Fred Crespi has put himself in position to fail as miserably as all of those before him.
Nine times in the last 10 seasons, drag racing icon John Force, winner of a record 128 NHRA tour events, has been tapped as the Funny Car favorite at the spring race at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He's disappointed each and every time. Twice he's failed to make the starting field. Twice he's failed to qualify among the elite eight. Twice he's been eliminated in the first round.
His record at the wheel of a series of Castrol GTX® High Mileage™ Ford Mustangs? Seven rounds won; eight rounds lost. In fact, outside of a couple of events new to the Full Throttle Series, the SummitRacing.com Nationals is the only event in which the 14-time champion doesn't own a winning record.
Yet, when qualifying begins this Friday, Force once more will be the 2-1 choice to celebrate Sunday in the winners' circle. And, when you really think about it, why not?
Despite his age, the effects of a 300 mile-an-hour crash that left him hospitalized for a month, the complete re-design of the race car chassis in which he dominated the series for almost 20 years, his less-than-robust Vegas record and the fact that he was eliminated in the first round last week at Houston, Texas, Force still commands the kind of respect reserved for sports icons like Michael Jordan, the late Dale Earnhardt Sr., John Elway and, yes, Tiger Woods.
Besides, this is a special season for the one-time truck driver, his 25th with Castrol sponsorship. That places him in the company of Richard Petty and Kenny Bernstein, both of whom enjoyed sponsorship associations spanning more than a quarter century.
In celebration, Force has re-invented himself once more. After spending two years rebuilding his body, the once aspiring quarterback has proclaimed himself "in the best shape of my life." As if to add an exclamation point, he has left the starting line first in 12 of 14 races this season against drivers often half his age.
Of course, many would argue that despite his physical problems, Force wasn't the issue last year when, for the first time in 23 seasons, he failed to win an event and finished the year mired in ninth place. His supporters argued instead that his race car was the problem. Well, the 14-time Auto Racing All-American has addressed that, too.
Using an analogy even strange for Force, he characterized himself and crew chiefs Austin Coil and Bernie Fedderly as "three old dogs" who've been rejuvenated by the interjection of a "young pup" in the form of Mike Neff.
Neff, who won the last race of the 2009 season as a driver, won the first race of the current campaign as the newest member of Force's "brain trust."
Interacting with Coil and Fedderly, both of whom are Hall of Famers, Neff has breathed new life into Force's hot rod. After failing to start from the front of the Funny Car pack for more than three seasons, Force this year has started No. 1 twice in five races and just missed on two opportunities to set an NHRA national record.
It's a turnaround performance that has rivals puzzled, fans ecstatic and oddsmakers apparently at a loss as to how, exactly, to characterize the 2008 inductee into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
The record book says Force can't win at this race. Conventional wisdom, on the other hand, says "don't bet against him." Crespi, who plies his trade for The Palms Hotel Casino, apparently has decided to err on the side of experience.
Force at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
● The SummitRacing.com Nationals is one of only three events in the NHRA Full Throttle Series in which John Force has a losing record. The others are the Summit Nationals at Norwalk, Ohio, and the O'Reilly Nationals at Charlotte, N.C., which have been contested fewer than four times●The SummitRacing.com Nationals is one of only two NHRA tour events in which John Force has failed to qualify in back-to-back seasons (2007, 2008). The other is the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals (also 2007, 2008) ●In the inaugural Las Vegas Nationals in 2001, John was sent to the sidelines in the first round when he left the starting line before the Christmas Tree was activated in pursuit of rival Bob Bode. That led to the creation of a rule that today penalizes only the driver who was first to leave the starting line.
SummitRacing.com Nationals summary:8 Starts, 2 DNQs, 0 Final Rounds, 0 Wins, 1 No. 1 Qualifier (2002) , 7-8 Record
Notable:
John's only win at LVMS came in the 2002 Las Vegas Nationals, a victory that, ironically, enabled him to hold off teammate Tony Pedregon's late season changer and seal his 10th straight Funny Car title. Pedregon would come back to win the championship in 2003.
Quotable:
"I'm 60 years old and I intend to race until I'm 65 or better. It's all about motivating yourself. I wanted Ashley and Robert to see that I could come back so that if it ever happened to them they would know that if you want it bad enough, you can do anything." – JOHN FORCE on his return to prominence in the NHRA Full Throttle Series.
FORCE's Edge
Overall NHRA records (which also are Funny Car division records)
– Most career victories (128)
– Most series championships (14)
– Most career final rounds (205)
– Most career rounds won (1049)
– Most consecutive series championships (10, 1993-2002)
– Most consecutive seasons with one or more victories (22, 1987-2008)
– Most consecutive seasons with at least one final round appearance (24, 1985-2008)
– Most consecutive seasons with multiple tour victories (18, 1990-2007)
– Most consecutive national events without a DNQ (395, 1988-2007)
– Most consecutive Top 10 seasons (25, 1985-present)
– Highest winning percentage, one season (91.5%, 65-6)
– Most series championships (14)
– Most career final rounds (205)
– Most career rounds won (1049)
– Most consecutive series championships (10, 1993-2002)
– Most consecutive seasons with one or more victories (22, 1987-2008)
– Most consecutive seasons with at least one final round appearance (24, 1985-2008)
– Most consecutive seasons with multiple tour victories (18, 1990-2007)
– Most consecutive national events without a DNQ (395, 1988-2007)
– Most consecutive Top 10 seasons (25, 1985-present)
– Highest winning percentage, one season (91.5%, 65-6)
Other NHRA Funny Car division records
– Most final rounds, one season (16, 1996)
– Most victories, one season (13, 1996)
– Most rounds won, one season (65, 1996)
– Most career No. 1 starts (132)
– Most No. 1 starts, one season (11, 1996)
– Most consecutive final round appearances, one event (nine, 1992-2000, Atlanta, Ga.)
– Career starts (531)
– Most victories, one season (13, 1996)
– Most rounds won, one season (65, 1996)
– Most career No. 1 starts (132)
– Most No. 1 starts, one season (11, 1996)
– Most consecutive final round appearances, one event (nine, 1992-2000, Atlanta, Ga.)
– Career starts (531)
Awards
– Driver of the Year (1996)
– Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2008 inductee)
– AARWBA Auto Racing All-America Team (14 times, 1990, 1993-2002, 2004-2006)
– Jerry Titus Memorial Award (most AARWBA votes, 4 times, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002)
– AARWBA Comeback Award (2008)
– Speed TV Comeback Award (2008)
– SAE Motorsports Achievement Award (2008)
– AutoSport Magazine's John Bolster Award for lifetime achievement (2005)
– Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2008 inductee)
– AARWBA Auto Racing All-America Team (14 times, 1990, 1993-2002, 2004-2006)
– Jerry Titus Memorial Award (most AARWBA votes, 4 times, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002)
– AARWBA Comeback Award (2008)
– Speed TV Comeback Award (2008)
– SAE Motorsports Achievement Award (2008)
– AutoSport Magazine's John Bolster Award for lifetime achievement (2005)
Milestones
– First start, Oct. 8, 1978, World Finals, Ontario, Calif., lost to Gordie Bonin
– First round win, June 1, 1979, Cajun Nationals, Baton Rouge, La., over Tom McEwen
– First final round, June 1, 1979, Cajun Nationals, Baton Rouge, La., versus Kenny Bernstein.
– First No. 1 qualifier, May 25, 1986, Cajun Nationals, Baton Rouge, La.
– First tour victory, June 28, 1987, Le Grandnational Molson, Montreal, Canada, over Ed McCulloch
– First Funny Car driver to break 4.90 second barrier, July 6, 1996, Topeka, Kan.
– First drag racer to win Driver of the Year award for all of American motor sports (1996)
– First Funny Car driver to break 4.80 second barrier, Oct. 24, 1998, Dallas, Texas
– First (and only) drag racer to win 100 events, April 14, 2002, Houston, Texas
– First Funny Car driver to break 4.70 second barrier, Oct. 2, 2004, Joliet, Ill.
– No. 2 (behind Don Garlits) in balloting to determine Top 50 drivers in NHRA's first 50 years (2001)
– First win at 1,000 foot distance, Feb. 14, 2010, Kragen O'Reilly Winternationals, Pomona, Calif.
– First (and only) drag racer to win 1,000 racing rounds, May 4, 2008, Madison, Ill.
– First Funny Car driver to win in four-wide format, March 28, 2010, Charlotte, N.C.
* * * *
JOHN FORCE By the Numbers
1 career win at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (fall, 2002)
2 wins in five races this season (Pomona, Calif., and Charlotte, N.C.)
3 screws securing ankle bones from compound fracture suffered in 2007 crash
4 time winner of Jerry Titus Memorial Award for receiving most votes in
balloting for the Auto Racing All-America Team (1996, 1999, 2000, 2002).
5 seasons with 10 or more tour victories (1993-94, 1996, 1999-2000).
7 rounds won in 10 appearances in the SummitRacing.com Nationals
8 starts in the SummitRacing.com Nationals without reaching a single final round
9 runner-up finishes before winning for the first time at Montreal, Canada in 1987.
10 straight Funny Car titles (1993-2002).
14 times named to AARWBA Auto Racing All-America First Team.
25 consecutive Top 10 finishes (1985-present)
128 tour events won
1049 competitive rounds won.
2 wins in five races this season (Pomona, Calif., and Charlotte, N.C.)
3 screws securing ankle bones from compound fracture suffered in 2007 crash
4 time winner of Jerry Titus Memorial Award for receiving most votes in
balloting for the Auto Racing All-America Team (1996, 1999, 2000, 2002).
5 seasons with 10 or more tour victories (1993-94, 1996, 1999-2000).
7 rounds won in 10 appearances in the SummitRacing.com Nationals
8 starts in the SummitRacing.com Nationals without reaching a single final round
9 runner-up finishes before winning for the first time at Montreal, Canada in 1987.
10 straight Funny Car titles (1993-2002).
14 times named to AARWBA Auto Racing All-America First Team.
25 consecutive Top 10 finishes (1985-present)
128 tour events won
1049 competitive rounds won.
FORCE HOOD LOOKS AHEAD AS TOUR MOVES TO VEGAS
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Ashley Force Hood has done everything at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway except, well, win a race.
The 27-year-old daughter of drag racing icon John Force tries once more to deal with that pesky shortcoming when she drives her Castrol GTX® Ford Mustang in pursuit of the Funny Car Championship at this week's 11th annual SummitRacing.com Nationals.
Trying this season to become the first woman in 42 years to win the NHRA Funny Car championship after coming up only a few points shy last year in an intra-team battle with brother-in-law Robert Hight, Force Hood has been listed at 6-1 by Las Vegas oddsmakers. At those odds, the graduate of Cal State-Fullerton might put down a bet on herself.
After all, at no other track has she logged more miles than she has at LVMS. It was the track on which she licensed in the Top Alcohol Dragster class. It was the track on which she licensed to drive a fuel Funny Car; the track on which she raced four times in Jerry Darien's A/Fuel dragster; the one on which she has made six starts in the green-and-white Mustang in which, three weeks ago, she set a national speed record at 318.38 miles per hour.
"The car is running really good," she said "and we seem to do well in Las Vegas. It's a great track with good conditions – not too hot (like the track at Houston Raceway Park that last week trumped her bid for her first win of the season).
"(Despite a slow start this year), I think we will be all right," she said. "When you consider how well our qualifying has gone, at least we can say we're not lost. We didn't have the luck we needed (at Charlotte or Houston), but that will come. It almost always evens out (over the course of the season)."
Still, every time she returns to LVMS, there remains the sting of the ones that got away – the narrow 2007 hole shot loss to Tony Pedregon at the Las Vegas Nationals, the race in which she became the first woman to reach an NHRA Funny Car final; the 4.962-4.993 final round loss to Tim Wilkerson in the SummitRacing.com Nationals the following spring; and, finally, the first round loss to brother-in-law Robert Hight last fall that probably cost her the championship.
Nevertheless, Ashley is not one to dwell too long on what might have been.
She prefers to concentrate on all the positive aspects of a whirlwind, three-plus-year career during which she was named 2007 NHRA Rookie-of-the-Year, became the first woman to win an NHRA Funny Car race, the first to qualify for the Countdown to 1, the first to hold the national record and the first to finish in the Funny Car Top 10.
She credits crew chiefs Dean "Guido" Antonelli and Ron Douglas, along with a supportive Castrol GTX crew, for shortening the learning curve and especially for helping her address issues like starting line reaction times, which have been one of her few apparent weaknesses.
"'Guido' told me to treat every round the same, whether it's qualifying or racing," Ashley said. "He told me that 'the car doesn't know who you're running, so why change how you tune the car or drive it?'"
It also has helped her to know that she isn't the only John Force Racing driver to have struggled with the issue. According to Antonelli, the late Eric Medlen, one of his closest friends and one of the rising stars in the series until he lost his life in a 2007 testing accident in Florida, also had to deal with reaction time demons.
"'Guido' told me that it wasn't until Eric finally said, 'I'm sick of making myself sick about it' that his reaction times got better," Ashley said, "I always try to remind myself of that (because) every driver goes through (it)."
Ashley at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
●Ashley made history at the The Strip in the fall of 2007 when she opposed Tony Pedregon in the final round of the Las Vegas Nationals as the first woman finalist in NHRA Funny Car history ● Ashley licensed for the Top Alcohol Dragster class at LVMS in 2003 and for the Funny Car class in 2006.● Her first round loss to teammate Robert Hight at last year's Las Vegas Nationals effectively ended her bid for the Full Throttle title. Hight won the championship; Ashley finished second.SummitRacing.com Nationals summary:3 starts, 1 final round, 0 wins, 0 No. 1 qualifiers, 4-3 round record
Career summary:
70 starts, 14 final rounds, 3 wins, 9 No. 1 qualifiers, 85-67 round record
Notable:Ashley is the reigning Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Champion and the national record holder for Funny Car speed at the 1,000 foot distance – 316.38 miles per hour.
Quotable:
"There have been times in the past when I just had to go sit down in a dark corner and go, 'Holy cow, how am I going to get through the weekend and do my job as a driver with so many people around. But now that I've gotten a little more used to it and it's not so overwhelming for me, it's fun." ASHLEY FORCE HOOD on her naturally shy nature and her initial reaction to the crowds that follow her progress in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
●Ashley made history at the The Strip in the fall of 2007 when she opposed Tony Pedregon in the final round of the Las Vegas Nationals as the first woman finalist in NHRA Funny Car history ● Ashley licensed for the Top Alcohol Dragster class at LVMS in 2003 and for the Funny Car class in 2006.● Her first round loss to teammate Robert Hight at last year's Las Vegas Nationals effectively ended her bid for the Full Throttle title. Hight won the championship; Ashley finished second.SummitRacing.com Nationals summary:3 starts, 1 final round, 0 wins, 0 No. 1 qualifiers, 4-3 round record
Career summary:
70 starts, 14 final rounds, 3 wins, 9 No. 1 qualifiers, 85-67 round record
Notable:Ashley is the reigning Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Champion and the national record holder for Funny Car speed at the 1,000 foot distance – 316.38 miles per hour.
Quotable:
"There have been times in the past when I just had to go sit down in a dark corner and go, 'Holy cow, how am I going to get through the weekend and do my job as a driver with so many people around. But now that I've gotten a little more used to it and it's not so overwhelming for me, it's fun." ASHLEY FORCE HOOD on her naturally shy nature and her initial reaction to the crowds that follow her progress in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
