July 19, 2007

NHRA Nationals | Speeding up... to slow down

By Jim Riley

Special to The Seattle Times

Ashley Force keeps a schedule so hectic she looks forward to revving her Funny Car to more than 300 mph just to slow down.

Once in the driver's seat, sitting in a Ford Mustang that spits and snarls and vibrates with more than 7,000 horsepower, she can finally relax.

The rookie is the first woman to make it to a semifinal round and one of only 10 to drive a Funny Car in competition.

Driving for legendary father John Force, the volatile 14-time and defending world champion, is only a small part of what Ashley Force does.

The 24-year-old has rapidly become a national celebrity, riding the crest of the hit reality show "Driving Force" on A&E network. She has appeared on countless talk shows, and Ashley Force dolls, dragsters and posters are hot sellers on the John Force Racing Web site.

Yet not everything is rosy for Force. She has grappled with the death of her teammate in a crash in April and scrambled to stay among the leaders in the Funny Car points standings.

Still, she is a rising star in her sport heading into this weekend's Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals Friday through Sunday at Pacific Raceways in Kent.

Stories in Men's Journal and ESPN the magazine are due out this month, and she was featured last month in Penthouse — fully clothed in her driver's suit. She represents Oakley Sunglasses and AAA of Southern California and just finished filming a Ford Mustang television commercial.

Most important, though, she is also in a tight battle in the Funny Car point standings.

Entering this weekend, she is 11th after 13 races. Only the top eight after 17 races will earn a berth in the new playoff format adopted this season.

Force earned her license to drive a Funny Car last year and has been caught in a vortex ever since.

"It's been the best and the worst times of my life," she said.

"Sometimes I can't even remember what I did yesterday or where I'm going tomorrow."

Four months ago, a horrible crash took the life of teammate and mentor Eric Medlen. It's just now, she said, that she can go an entire day without crying.

"He was a brother to us," she said. "Losing Eric was the biggest thing that ever happened in my life. The world is so different now than it was when we started this season. It's amazing how your life can change so dramatically."

For a while, the communications graduate from Cal State Fullerton even questioned her career path.

"There are times when you wonder what we're doing," she admitted. "All these years, racing has been a fun thing, something you never think can turn into something so negative. I never seriously considered stopping driving because that's not how Eric would have wanted it."

Other women such as Shirley Muldowney have excelled in other divisions, but Force is one of the first female drivers in the notoriously hard-to-handle Funny Cars.

"It seems like every run it's something new," Force said. "It seems like there's always some new movement or weird sound.

"Everything happens so quick it's hard to even put it into words."

As difficult as it is to control a race car at more than 300 mph, she said it was easy compared to the constant demands on her time from fans and media.

"We used to joke that my dad worked 20 seconds a weekend," she said. "There's so much more to it than that. Basically, I'm kind of shy and it was tough to get used to people running up and wanting my autograph.

"I'm always thinking, especially when I'm not in my uniform: How do they recognize me? Even after I changed my hair color they still recognized me."

She's earned high marks from her demanding dad, a maverick never shy about voicing his opinion.

"I'm her father and prejudiced and believe and hope and dream for her," John Force said, "but I'd have to give her a strong A. That car is an animal to handle, and I believe in my heart she is learning and going to be a great driver."

Ashley has made her share of rookie mistakes. She's brushed the wall, hit the cones in the center of the strip and suffered slow starts.

Father and daughter made history when they raced against each other in Atlanta in April, a duel Ashley won to become the first woman ever to advance to the semifinal round.

"It's hard to get the energy you need to race against somebody you love," John Force said. "When I looked over at her, I became a father and went into love mode and wanted her to win. That was my mistake. I just didn't have the eye of the tiger."

The second season of "Driving Force" is finished, and Ashley admits she hasn't even had time to watch all the episodes yet. They are working on a tribute show for Medlen and not sure about a third season.

"No one likes to watch themselves, and it can be embarrassing to have cameras around all the time," she said. "Right now I just want to get to a final round. Once I do that, then I can worry about winning a race."

The next three races on the schedule will also be emotional for the entire team because all three are places where Medlen won.

"I'm just staying positive and pushing forward," Ashley Force said. "The points are so close, and we need to win every round we can. If you get caught up in the points it's easy to lose focus. The whole team is looking forward to Seattle."