Ashley Force Defeats Father To Become First Female Funny Car Winner

[PressRoom-GFN]

ATLANTA (April 27, 2008) -- Ashley Force etched her name in drag racing history Sunday when she defeated her father, John, in the final round of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals to become the first woman to win a NHRA Funny Car title.

The final was somewhat anticlimactic when John, who was seeking his 1,000th career round-win, struck the tires immediately. Ashley would have been tough to beat, as she sailed to a 4.837, the day's second quickest time.

Joining Force in the winner’s circle were Antron Brown [Top Fuel], Mike Edwards [Pro Stock], and Andrew Hines [Pro Stock Motorcycle]. Brown’s impressive first year in Top Fuel continued with his second victory in his third straight final. Edwards picked up his first victory since Dallas 2006, and Hines capped a dominant weekend with a 6.946 run that beat Chip Ellis.

Ashley Force

The historic nature of the all-Force Funny Car final wasn’t lost on anyone in attendance at Atlanta Dragway. When the pair of Castrol-backed Mustangs pulled up to the starting line to do battle, it was packed with not only the entire John Force Racing contingent, but other drivers and crew members from teams in every NHRA racing category as well. Flashbulbs illuminated the night sky from both trackside and the packed grandstands.

The much-anticipated race ended quickly when John immediately struck the hides of his ride, giving him the best seat in the house to watch his daughter make history. Though they did not see a side-by-side race, the crowd wasn’t disappointed, evidenced by the loud, thunderous applause that erupted once they realized Ashley would take home the Wally.

“I’m just happy to win an event; that was the main thing,” said Ashley. “Being a female, that’s exciting as far as the records and everything, but my team, we just wanted to get our first win. We went a whole year last year and got close a few times. To finally get it done, we’re just so excited.

“At the top end, Dad just came over and congratulated me and told me and my team, ‘Good job.’ I think Dad’s done this enough years that he has the same routine and doesn’t care who’s next to him, whether you’re related to him or not. I’m the one who needs to practice and not be thinking about that. He wants his 1,000th [round-]win as well. Mom and I had it figured out, though: He can get it next week on his birthday — that will be special — and I can get my first win here.”

Ashley defeated Del Worsham, Jim Head, and Ron Capps en route to the final, which was the third straight and fourth overall money-round showing for her. It also solidified her hold on the top spot in the standings, which she leads over Tim Wilkerson by 59 points.

John had a much-needed, get-well weekend, looking like the racer of old who intimidated and dominated the class. After defeating team driver Mike Neff and No. 1 qualifier Tim Wilkerson in the opening rounds, Force ran low e.t. of eliminations, 4.822, to defeat rookie Bob Tasca III. That advanced him to his first final since Reading, Pa., last year, the 201st of his career, and his 14th at Atlanta Dragway, the most at a POWERade venue for him. The final-round showing lifted him three positions in the standings, from eighth to fifth.

Antron Brown

Brown is quickly becoming the story in Top Fuel, as he advanced to his third straight final and won for the second time.

Brown, appearing in his 36th overall career final, used the keen starting-line skills he acquired from years in Pro Stock Motorcycle to win his 18th career NHRA Wally. Brown took a 0.035 to 0.060 reaction-time advantage at the Tree and held on to the lead the entire way down the track, edging Tony Schumacher by 0.0096 second, 4.537 to 4.521. This is the first time Brown, who jumped to second in points, has defeated Schumacher in three meetings between the two.

“This weekend I had a little problem with my brakes, and my car kept rolling on me a little bit,” Brown said. “I kept pulling the lever back, and it kept rolling a little bit, but I didn’t let that disturb me. That made it pop some real good reaction times this weekend, so it made me look like I was doing good.

“In the final round, we were racing Alan Johnson, Tony Schumacher, and the whole Army team over there, and they’re five-time world champions, so you have to give it everything you’ve got. As soon as I saw that thing just flicker yellow, I hit the pedal as quick as I could, and that thing took off and was going down Broadway. I didn’t feel any hiccups on the race track, so I knew it was on a good pass. I didn’t see Tony, but I heard him, so I knew he was right there. I was like, ‘Man, come on, come on.’ I went through the traps, saw that win light on, and I just went ecstatic. I couldn’t get out of that car quick enough. It just felt fantastic.”

Brown’s 4.53 in the final was the last of four straight 4.5-second clockings in eliminations. He ran a 4.580 to defeat Dave Grubnic in round one and followed that up with a 4.591 win over Cory McClenathan and a 4.555 victory over Bob Vandergriff Jr.

Points leader Schumacher continued his fast start to the season with his third final this year. Schumacher, who won in Pomona, Calif., and Gainesville, Fla., had the dominant car in eliminations, running back-to-back 4.55s in respective wins over Morgan Lucas and Hillary Will in the first two rounds and low e.t. of the weekend, 4.511, in his defeat of Rod Fuller in the semi-finals. Schumacher holds a 26-point lead over Brown.

Mike Edwards

Quiet and unassuming, Edwards often flies under the radar at the dragstrip, and this weekend was no exception. While much of the focus was centered on the other drivers in Pro Stock, Edwards put together a strong, consistent race-day performance that featured runs ranging from his 6.65 to 6.68. That consistency, combined with Edwards’ well-known talents on the starting line, earned him his 14th Pro Stock career victory. In the final, Edwards took a 0.009 to 0.059 reaction-time advantage, and he needed it because he and Line ran identical 6.680s. Edwards defeated Dave Northrop, Allen Johnson, and Jeg Coughlin to earn a spot in the final round.

“I just can’t describe the feeling of winning races in this class,” Edwards said. “It’s been since 2006 since I won, and I was wondering if I was ever going to do it again to be honest with you. I’ll tell you what, it’s just an unbelievable feeling to win one of these races because you have to race guys like the Summit team and the Jegs team, and those guys just set the bar so high. You really work so hard to get to where they are. To come away with a win is just amazing.

“That car has just two races on it; this is the second race on it. So to come here and win and run the way we ran here today is unbelievable. This might be my best-feeling win I’ve ever had because the whole team, from the engine shop we put together this year to the guys at the track, work so hard and put in such a great effort. I’m just so proud of them. I’m just very fortunate to get the opportunity to drive this thing.”

Line is off to the best start of his career, making it to the final round for the fourth time in the first six races. Line, the Las Vegas winner, earned his latest final-round showing with early-round wins over Todd Hoerner, teammate Greg Anderson, and Justin Humphreys. His solid performance throughout the weekend, which included a start from the No. 2 position on the ladder, gave Line sole possession of the points lead, which he shared with Coughlin entering the race. Line is ahead of Coughlin by 24 markers.

Andrew Hines

Hines entered race day as the clear favorite in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class after making four 6.9-second runs in qualifying, including the 6.950 that earned him the pole, and he didn’t disappoint. Hines continued his dominance with four more 6.9s, including a 6.946 to defeat Ellis and earn his 14th career victory. Hines also recorded a 6.948 and two more 6.95s in the earlier rounds, in which he bettered Michael Phillips, Matt Guidera, and Craig Treble. His win, combined with the early exits of Guidera and Matt Smith, allowed Hines to leapfrog them and take over the points lead. He is 25 points ahead of Guidera heading into the St. Louis event next weekend.

“[My 0.009] light in the final was a little bit of an accident; I wanted to go teen,” Hines said. “I figured we had to be teen to run with Chip. We kind of threw a tune-up at it we hadn’t put in it all weekend long, and it definitely performed.

“Our motorcycle was flawless this weekend. We left the same engine in it all weekend long, and that was the same engine we had in testing on Monday. I can’t say enough about what the guys have done with the engines back at the shop. People were saying that we should have dialed it at a 6.95 on the windscreen with some shoe polish, and it would have run it. It was just going down the track so smooth and so great all weekend. I’ve never had a motorcycle make that many runs in a row that were almost identical.”

Ellis helped erase the memory of his disappointing loss in the Pomona final in November that prevented him from earning the POWERade world championship when he advanced to his eighth career final round. He defeated Junior Pippin and Shawn Gann before getting the nod in the semifinals when Angelle Sampey’s Buell broke on the starting line and was unable to make the run. His 6.943 in the semifinals not only gave him lane choice for the final, but also stands as low e.t. for the weekend.

In Lucas Oil Sportsman competition, Frank Manzo continued his love affair with Atlanta Dragway, collecting his 13th Top Alcohol Funny Car win at the track. The victory, the 74th of his career, continues an impressive streak of winning rounds for Manzo, who has compiled 33 consecutive round-wins dating back to July last year. Other Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series winners were Spencer Massey [Top Alcohol Dragster], Rick Brown [Comp], Kevin Helms [Super Stock], Lee Zane [Stock], Bubba Watts [Super Comp], and Gary Federico [Super Street].

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Courtesy of NHRA