November 29, 1982
Ashley Force
(Photo: The Freewheeling Daredevil via photopin cc)
Born in Yorba Linda, California, USA.
The Top Fuel Funny Car drag racer and the daughter of 16-time NHRA Top Fuel Funny Car national champion John Force. Surprisingly, for all her on-track success, the admitted tomboy once considered a career as a crew member, the basis for her decision to take elective courses in auto shop and welding while attending Esperanza High School where she was a varsity cheerleader. Ashley never seriously considered a driving career until her father sent her to Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing school as a 16th birthday present. She was hooked.
As a Top Alcohol Dragster rookie in 2004, she won three of the season’s final five races, including the 50th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, and the season-ending Automobile Club of Southern California event at Pomona, where she shared the winners’ circle with her father, becoming NHRA’s first ever father-daughter winners. She finished the year fourth in national driver points.
(Photo: LowAltidude via photopin cc)
Ashley Force, John Force, and brother-in -law Robert Height signing autographs
In 2007, Force moved into the Professional ranks, driving a Castrol-sponsored Mustang Top Fuel Funny Car for her father's team, John Force Racing. Force and her father made NHRA history in Atlanta in April when they became the first father and daughter to race each other. She won the round with an elapsed time of 4.779 seconds, and a trap speed of 317.05 mph (510.24 km/h). She advanced to the semifinals, which tied her for the best ever Funny Car event finish for a female. In October 2007, at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, she became the first female to compete in a national series TF/FC final round, but was defeated on a holeshot by Tony Pedregon. Also in 2007 she was voted as the Hottest Athlete by an AOL Sports Poll, beating out favorites Tom Brady and Danica Patrick.
Early in the 2008 racing season, Force worked her way to the final round of eliminations in three consecutive meetings: Houston, Las Vegas, and Atlanta. She made her first final round appearance of the year on March 30 at Houston, but lost to Del Worsham.
(Photo: holdit. via photopin cc)
Ashley Force Hood and Del Worsham TF/FC
At Las Vegas, she was defeated in the final by Tim Wilkerson, yet became the first female racer ever to lead the NHRA Funny Car point standings. On April 27, 2008, at Atlanta, Force's opponent in the final was her father, John, who was seeking to score the 1000th round win of his career. The younger Force claimed her first-ever NHRA Funny Car win that day, the first ever for a woman, with a 4.837-second elapsed time, the second quickest of the weekend in the Funny Car class. On December 13, 2008, Ashley married the parts manager of the Castrol GTX Funny Car team, Daniel Hood, in Lake Tahoe and now goes by Ashley Force Hood.
Force garnered the second event win of her career on March 29, 2009 at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals; in the finals she beat her former instructor Jack Beckman. Beckman beat Force in the first round of eliminations at the next race at Las Vegas. She then gathered her fourth career #1 qualifier at the Southern Nationals, in which Beckman beating Force in the final. Force compiled her fifth career #1 qualifier at the Thunder Valley Nationals. At the U.S. Nationals, Force beat teammate and brother-in -law Robert Hight, to earn her the distinction of not only being the first female Funny Car driver to win at Indianapolis, but the first female driver to win in two different classes. She finished the 2009 season 2nd in points, becoming the highest women finisher in Funny Car history.
On January 25, 2011, during a John Force Racing press conference, it was announced Force Hood would become the President of John Force Entertainment, a subsidiary of John Force Racing which will focus on development of media projects and products. At the same press conference, Force-Hood announced she and her husband were expecting their first child in August, and she would be on hiatus for the season. On August 18, 2011, Force and Hood had their first son, Jacob John Hood.
On January 28, 2012, Force Hood assumed the title of President for John Force Entertainment, but hasn't declared her career as a driver over. Force Hood did test driving for John Force Racing, driving her sister Courtney's Funny Car in a testing session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The testing allowed her to renew her NHRA Funny Car licence, which expired at the end of the 2012 season. Her renewal of the Funny Car licence allows her to test or be a reserve driver if the necessity arrives.
In her personal life, She has two sisters, Courtney and Brittany, and an older half-sister, Adria.
(Photo credit: LowAltidude via photopin cc)
Courtney, Brittany, and Ashley Force
Born in Yorba Linda, California, USA.
The Top Fuel Funny Car drag racer and the daughter of 16-time NHRA Top Fuel Funny Car national champion John Force. Surprisingly, for all her on-track success, the admitted tomboy once considered a career as a crew member, the basis for her decision to take elective courses in auto shop and welding while attending Esperanza High School where she was a varsity cheerleader. Ashley never seriously considered a driving career until her father sent her to Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing school as a 16th birthday present. She was hooked.
As a Top Alcohol Dragster rookie in 2004, she won three of the season’s final five races, including the 50th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, and the season-ending Automobile Club of Southern California event at Pomona, where she shared the winners’ circle with her father, becoming NHRA’s first ever father-daughter winners. She finished the year fourth in national driver points.
(Photo: LowAltidude via photopin cc)
Ashley Force, John Force, and brother-in -law Robert Height signing autographs
In 2007, Force moved into the Professional ranks, driving a Castrol-sponsored Mustang Top Fuel Funny Car for her father's team, John Force Racing. Force and her father made NHRA history in Atlanta in April when they became the first father and daughter to race each other. She won the round with an elapsed time of 4.779 seconds, and a trap speed of 317.05 mph (510.24 km/h). She advanced to the semifinals, which tied her for the best ever Funny Car event finish for a female. In October 2007, at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, she became the first female to compete in a national series TF/FC final round, but was defeated on a holeshot by Tony Pedregon. Also in 2007 she was voted as the Hottest Athlete by an AOL Sports Poll, beating out favorites Tom Brady and Danica Patrick.
Early in the 2008 racing season, Force worked her way to the final round of eliminations in three consecutive meetings: Houston, Las Vegas, and Atlanta. She made her first final round appearance of the year on March 30 at Houston, but lost to Del Worsham.
Ashley Force Hood and Del Worsham TF/FC
At Las Vegas, she was defeated in the final by Tim Wilkerson, yet became the first female racer ever to lead the NHRA Funny Car point standings. On April 27, 2008, at Atlanta, Force's opponent in the final was her father, John, who was seeking to score the 1000th round win of his career. The younger Force claimed her first-ever NHRA Funny Car win that day, the first ever for a woman, with a 4.837-second elapsed time, the second quickest of the weekend in the Funny Car class. On December 13, 2008, Ashley married the parts manager of the Castrol GTX Funny Car team, Daniel Hood, in Lake Tahoe and now goes by Ashley Force Hood.
Force garnered the second event win of her career on March 29, 2009 at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals; in the finals she beat her former instructor Jack Beckman. Beckman beat Force in the first round of eliminations at the next race at Las Vegas. She then gathered her fourth career #1 qualifier at the Southern Nationals, in which Beckman beating Force in the final. Force compiled her fifth career #1 qualifier at the Thunder Valley Nationals. At the U.S. Nationals, Force beat teammate and brother-in -law Robert Hight, to earn her the distinction of not only being the first female Funny Car driver to win at Indianapolis, but the first female driver to win in two different classes. She finished the 2009 season 2nd in points, becoming the highest women finisher in Funny Car history.
On January 25, 2011, during a John Force Racing press conference, it was announced Force Hood would become the President of John Force Entertainment, a subsidiary of John Force Racing which will focus on development of media projects and products. At the same press conference, Force-Hood announced she and her husband were expecting their first child in August, and she would be on hiatus for the season. On August 18, 2011, Force and Hood had their first son, Jacob John Hood.
On January 28, 2012, Force Hood assumed the title of President for John Force Entertainment, but hasn't declared her career as a driver over. Force Hood did test driving for John Force Racing, driving her sister Courtney's Funny Car in a testing session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The testing allowed her to renew her NHRA Funny Car licence, which expired at the end of the 2012 season. Her renewal of the Funny Car licence allows her to test or be a reserve driver if the necessity arrives.
In her personal life, She has two sisters, Courtney and Brittany, and an older half-sister, Adria.
(Photo credit: LowAltidude via photopin cc)
Courtney, Brittany, and Ashley Force
Really, it's an amazing family.
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