“I’d like to personally thank Bruton Smith and his son Marcus because they took money in this economy and they spent it. He deserves that reward. For me to be able to win this first race is big. The hardest part was racing Ron Capps. He is always tough. He is killer on that tree. Racing (Matt) Hagan now that John Medlen is over there will put the fear in you, too and through all of that racing my own daughter. That is the hardest thing. I have to be honest she told me that when she pulls up beside me she doesn’t leave anything on the table. I had to get that attitude,” said Force in the media center.

“Her mother was proud. I joke about her mom beating me up but she even said to me not bad for an old guy. Your daughter was right out the window. I am just really proud of Ashley because she is learning the game and I know the pressure. My old knees were knocking and I have been doing this for 33 years.”

[continue reading...]

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Post tags: ashley force, ashley force hood, Concord, four-wide nationals, John Force, NC, NHRA, zMax Dragway

YORBA LINDA, CA (August 29, 2008) — Professional Funny Car driver Ashley Force knows all about getting from point A to B on the race track. The 2007 rookie of the year is one of the most consistent drivers on the track and one of the busiest spokespersons away from it.
The soon to be newlywed will be telling viewers on behalf of sponsor Sanyo about getting to the finish line when it comes to installing the ultimate home theater for a special holiday edition of the Designing Spaces television program. (...)
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JFR RACE REPORT
2008 NHRA Race Summary
6th race of 2008 season

28th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals
Atlanta Dragway, Commerce, Georgia
April 24-27, 2008

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Castrol/JFR Highlights: Ashley Force wins historic first Funny Car title….John Forces races to final round en route to 999th career round wins….Three JFR drivers in Top 5 of POWERade point standings.

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ASHLEY FORCE MAKES HISTORY AS FIRST FEMALE FUNNY CAR WINNER
Beats Dad in Storybook Final Round to Win Summit Southern Nationals

ATLANTA, Ga. – Ashley Force put a new face on Funny Car drag racing Sunday by becoming the first woman to win a national race in a category that once was considered the last bastion of male superiority.

The 25-year-old did so with a flair for the dramatic, beating her father, drag racing icon John Force, in the final round of the 28th annual Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals to deny him his 1,000 winning round in his 500th NHRA tour event.

(...)
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Post tags: ashley force, Drag Racing, NHRA

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – At The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a track on which she made history last fall as the first woman to race in an NHRA Funny Car final, Ashley Force tries to take her burgeoning drag racing career one critical step further this week when she climbs back behind the wheel of her 330 mile-an-hour Castrol GTX® Ford Mustang to compete in the ninth annual SummitRacing.com Nationals.(...)
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Post tags: ashley force, Drag Racing

YORBA LINDA — On April 1st while most of the general public was concerned about having pranks pulled on them John Force Racing drivers Ashley Force and Robert Hight were pressing the flesh as guests of FADAL at the 2008 WESTEC Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The drag racing tandem met with fans, posed for pictures and talked about the previous weekends NHRA O’Reilly Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park.
(...)
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21st Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals
Houston Raceway Park, Houston, Tex.
March 28-30, 2008

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Castrol/JFR Highlights: Ashley Force advanced to the second final round of her career…John Force reached the semi-finals for the second time in 2008… both Ashley and John moved up in the Funny Car point standings to No.5 and No, 6, respectively…pre-race points leader Robert Hight failed to qualify but only fell to 4th place in the points standings.

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(...)
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39th annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals
Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, Fla.
March 14-16, 2008

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(GAINESVILLE) — Everyone involved with John Force Racing knew that the 39th annual ACDelco Gatornationals would be an emotional weekend. All four drivers expressed a serious desire to win this race in honor of their fallen teammate Eric Medlen who crashed during a post race testing accident following the 2007 installment of this historic event. Unfortunately, a variety of issues conspired against one of the most successful dynasties in sports.

2007 Rookie of the Year Ashley Force achieved the most Sunday success, advancing to the second round before falling to eventual winner Tony Pedregon. Even though she did not win she survived a pedal fest with the reigning champ and showed the mental patience for a veteran beyond her years.
(...)
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March 11, 2008

Event: 39th annual ACDelco Gatornationals, third of 24 events in the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Site: Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, Fla.

NO LONGER A ROOKIE, ASHLEY A CONTENDER

Force’s Daughter Looking for a Win at Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Despite the disappointment of not qualifying last month at Phoenix, Ariz., 2007 NHRA Rookie-of-the-Year Ashley Force remains upbeat about her chances this week in a race certain to create an emotional drain not only on her, but on her John Force Racing teammates.

It was at Gainesville Raceway just one day after the conclusion of last year’s ACDelco Gatornationals that rising star Eric Medlen suffered injuries that four days later would claim his life.

The 25-year-old daughter of drag racing champion John Force, Ashley had known Medlen since 1996 when he had begun working as a mechanic on her father’s Funny Cars.

(...)
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Post tags: ashley force, Drag Racing, NHRA