Aspen Paschall, Thunder Valley Racing's July Driver of the Month

Introducing Aspen Paschall, Thunder Valley Racing's
Driver of the Month for July 2001

As a young girl Aspen Paschall enjoyed going to the races with her father,
Max, and sister, Jennifer. "Going to the drag races a couple times a year
was something we did as a family that I really looked forward to. Jennifer
and I never could sleep the night before and we would sit up and talk about
all the sights, sounds and smells that we were going to see the next day."
Unlike Jennifer, Aspen wasn't as interested in the way the cars operated.
She was just interested in the result: "SPEED". "I just couldn't believe
how fast the top fuel cars were, and when they would reach a speed that I
thought couldn't be topped, then they would just go faster. I just kept
thinking what a rush it would be to go from 0 to 300mph in less than 5
seconds."

At the age of 17, the sisters assisted Max in some SCCA sportscar racing.
After getting a taste of the sport, Aspen dropped the bomb on Max and
stated that she wanted to drive a top fuel dragster for a living. "Racing
is like a drug, I am addicted to the speed, and I don't ever want to find
the cure."

Giving herself some time to think about her future, Aspen went off to
college for a year.  Following that year at college, Paschall decided she
wanted to pursue drag racing, and worked with Jennifer and her father Max
to create the 'Family Style Racing' team. After some discussion they
decided to start out in Super Comp to allow Aspen and her family time to
develop their skills. Max bought an older model super comp dragster, ready
to race, and they were on their way.

The next step was sending Aspen to driving school. Many of the racers on
the track today have taught themselves how to drive just by getting on the
track and running. Aspen, however, wanted some formal training from someone
who knew what they were doing. In the spring of 1998, Aspen flew to Pomona,
California to attend Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School. With Jennifer in
tow, Aspen went through several days of intense training. "When I saw the
look on her face after her first short pass in that car I just knew that
she was hooked and would do what ever it took to be the best", said sister
Jennifer.

Showing a lot of determination and talent, not unlike her idol Shirley
Muldowney, Aspen believes that she can and will be a champion some day.
Having competed for two years now and going through all the highs and lows
of being the new kid on the track, Aspen is more comfortable with her
abilities and that of her team. "We have gone through our share of
problems, both with the car and me, but I really think that we are going to
be a force to reckon with this year and I can't wait to get started."

Aspen Paschall is the July 2001 Driver of the Month in the online
newsletter of Thunder Valley Racing (http://thundervalleyracing.com).
Thunder Valley creates opportunities for women race car drivers and their
fans.

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Contact:  Christy Sampson, Director of PR, Thunder Valley Racing,
csampson@axionet.com, Tel: 604-669-1984