John and Ashley Force Teleconference, July 12, 2006

Here are some highlights from today's call with the Forces, who
discussed the upcoming debut of Driving Force (Monday, July 17 at 9 p.m.
on A&E) as well as the second half of the POWERade Series season and
Ashley's future move up to Funny Car.

 

JOHN, ON ASHLEY DEBUTING IN FUNNY CAR: "I think she's ready to go. She
needs more experience. You only get experience by jumping into the cat
fight. So we're looking at putting her into a national event later in
the year, maybe Vegas, maybe Dallas."

 

ASHLEY, ON GENDER BEING AN ISSUE: I don't think (gender is) really the
issue.  The only main issue maybe is when we pull our helmet off, we
have mascara running up the side of our face and men don't have to worry
about that."  

 

JOHN, ON ASHLEY AFTER EMERGING FROM A FIERY FUNNY CAR: "It was
unbelievable. We set her on fire at Vegas. She gets out the car at the
other end, I'm down there about to throw up. Jesus, she'll get out,
she'll say she's finished. She took off helmet, she was covered with
oil, and she's smiling like a Cheshire cat. I'm thinking, Boy, did I
misunderstand this girl."  

 

ASHLEY, ON OPPORTUNITIES IN RACING FOR YOUNG GIRLS: "I have a lot of
fans come up to the ropes, a lot of young girls saying they're getting a
new junior dragster next year and they're excited to start racing. I
encourage them. When you put your helmet on, it doesn't matter if it's a
girl or a guy competing. All that matters is that you want to be there
competing."

 

Please find below and on http://media.nhra.com <http://media.nhra.com/>
a transcript of today's teleconference with John and Ashley Force.
Electronic media can access sound from today's call by clicking here:
https://sportssystems.spiderphone.com/WebCast/pwcLookupCode.asp?RC=03906
63772&Size=1

 

Michael Padian

NHRA POWERade Series Communications

http://media.nhra.com <http://media.nhra.com/> 

O: 626-250-2217

C: 626-278-0312

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

What: NHRA POWERade Series Teleconference

Who: John and Ashley Force

Date: July 12, 2006

Moderator: Michael Padian (626-250-2217)

 

 

THE MODERATOR:  We'll get an introductory statement from John.  Do you
want to give the folks an idea of what the last week or so has been like
with all the promotion for Driving Force?  

 

JOHN FORCE:  Well, thank God we didn't have a race.  We've been filming
naturally.  We do that pretty much at least six days a week, seven days
sometimes.  But we've been on a media push.  Ash and I flew to New York
Monday afternoon to do the morning shows.  We did The Early Show on CBS,
ESPN Cold Pizza, which was a pretty exciting deal to be live on the
streets of New York and in studio, then back here.  We're filming right
now with TV Guide downstairs.  Tomorrow afternoon we're doing satellite
uplinks to a bunch of groups, ABC, NBC, across the country.  

 

We're just staying really busy.  It's getting to be a little bit of
stress.  

 

THE MODERATOR:  How are you doing, Ashley?  

 

ASHLEY FORCE:  I'm good.  It's been really exciting, you know, just
starting to see billboards go up, magazine articles coming out.  Like
dad said, we were in New York promoting the show.  A lot of fun, a
little hectic, but having a blast doing it.  

 

THE MODERATOR:  We'll go ahead and take questions.  

 

Q.  John, you're going to be on the cover of TV Guide?  

 

JOHN FORCE:  We'll either be on -- no, we got a full center spread,
two-page spread.  We've been pretty fortunate.  People Magazine came out
with us yesterday, Star Magazine, Entertainment Weekly.  The push is
just starting.  It's been starting in the last couple weeks.  We're in
theaters around town now, they're showing us before the opening of
shows, billboards everywhere.  So pretty exciting.  

 

Q.  Has this been distracting at all from your racing?  

 

JOHN FORCE:  No, because the machine that I created, I've been really
fortunate.  Jerry Darien runs Ashley's team.  My crew chiefs, (Austin)
Coil, Bernie (Fedderly), John Medlen and Jimmy Prock, they run the race
teams.  In fact, Coil said to me the other day: Are you still racing?
I've been in the day-to-day because we've been filming for six months.
We started at Pomona the opening race back in February.  Now they've
asked for an extension of shows.  We were surprised.  They've seen cuts
of a lot of the shows.  We hope that it's good.  I hope they haven't
pushed it.  They've asked for four or five more shows, I think, because
that's called a season.  14 or 15 shows, they consider a complete
season.  They've already extended it.  

 

But, no, my focus has always been on everything, but it's been a lot on
this show lately.  When I get to Denver, I leave tomorrow after we
shoot, my focus will be in the driver's seat trying to get that lead.
Tony Pedregon is coming on strong, and (Ron) Capps, he ain't giving up
the lead.  We got to get our stuff together.  

 

Q.  I was talking to your dad about a week ago.  He mentioned it's
stressful for you.  Sometimes you try and speak on behalf of your
sisters and want some free time.  Even when you do get the free time,
you want to leave the cameras behind because you don't want them to go
on a date with you.  Has been doing this, having to give up a social
life, maybe more than you've bargained for?  

 

ASHLEY FORCE:  No, it took a little bit of time to adjust to it.  Now
they've been along with us for the ride for so many months that you
almost at times forget that they're there.  We forget we're even mic'd
or that there's cameras around because it's just become part of our
day-to-day.  

 

You know, my social life is not affected from the show.  It's really
affected because I'm racing all the time, and that's what I choose to
do.  It's not a complaint I have, it's kind of picking priorities.  I'm
a little older than my sisters.  My focus is more on racing where
they're younger and still learning and doing other stuff, too, which is
how I was at their age.  

 

I definitely am a little more serious probably about the whole race
situation, and I have a lot more responsibility on the road out there.
There's no time for a love life.  With dad as my father, people don't
even go near me.  It works out well.  

 

Q.  He also said another reason he did the show was to help give you a
better appreciation of what it takes to build a business, a career, a
race team.  Do you have a better appreciation for what your dad now has
gone through building this operation to what it is right now?  

 

ASHLEY FORCE:  The good thing in this company, in a family company, is
that you get to see all the different aspects of it.  When you become a
race car driver, it's not just that you race a car, it is that you work
with media, you promote your sponsors.  But there's a whole other side,
which is owning teams, running teams, teaching new drivers.  I don't
have all those responsibilities, but I get to see my dad having all
those different jobs in one and know that down the road I can start
teaching and showing my sisters and helping them to learn about sponsors
and stuff like that.  

 

It's a learning process, but there's definitely a lot more that goes
into it.  And doing this show came along at a time when my sisters and I
all jumped into this business.  It's a good way of showing our fans all
that goes into a race team besides just running down the track.  

 

Q.  John, Sonoma Infineon Raceway is also inducting you into the Hall of
Fame later this month.  I wanted to ask you about that honor and what
Sonoma means to you.  

 

JOHN FORCE:  I'm really excited about that.  Sonoma's fun because it's
California.  When you're at Pomona, you're on overload, the beginning of
the season and the end.  But Sonoma, even though we're there to win the
race, it's fun because we work with FRAM Autolite, we get to do their
banquet dinners out at the wineries.  We get to see a little bit of San
Francisco if we get in town a little bit early with the press
conferences.  We just love the area because we love the state of
California.  

 

Raced in Sacramento over the years.  Naturally we got a place that we'll
end up for a few days, even though they'll be shooting there again.
Lake Tahoe, we go over there.  It's a good time.  

 

But the track is excellent, the fans are great because we have a huge
following, as does Ron Capps being from that area up there, when we get
to the racetrack there.  The honor what they're giving me, when you can
get up there, I joke that I'm going after the Wally for the
championship, I'm going after an Oscar in Hollywood, that's kind of
joking.  But I'm going after NASCAR.  I don't mean I'm trying to drive
in NASCAR, I'm not trying to do anything like that.  I want to be one
with the others that help build our sport to the size of NASCAR someday.
I believe there's a shot at that with NHRA and Tom Compton, POWERade,
ESPN, everybody working that direction.  

 

Whenever I'm put on the likes of a wall with a Jeff Gordon and Bruton
Smith, his group honors me that way, it really is exciting to be put up
because you're there forever.  I'm really looking forward to that
induction on Sunday.  

 

Q.  Are you going to be filming here in Sonoma?  

 

JOHN FORCE:  Yup.  In fact, production people showed up here because
they're having kind of a screening on Monday after Denver.  We've got to
get back here to watch the show when it kicks off on Monday night, July
17 at 9 p.m.  The crews are going north to Seattle.  They're filming.
Ashley is going to the rodeo with Eric right before the Sonoma race.  Of
course, they're going to do the countryside.  They're going to Oakland
is where you're going to film ... ? 

 

ASHLEY FORCE:  Oakdale.  

 

JOHN FORCE:  Going to the rodeo with Eric Medlen who is from the rodeo
originally, and then they're going to coming over to film the race.
They're going to film naturally us being honored into that induction.
They're with us all the time.  

 

But you know what, I get up in the morning, I go to tuck in my pants,
half the time I'm shoving a wire in that's not even there.  Think you're
bugged, right?  It's just the way we live.  

 

But what I really (learned) most is that I really put my children and my
wife on overload.  In the first few weeks, it was fun, and then it
became painful.  But now all of a sudden we're starting to get the grip
of this deal, be yourself, do your thing, and go through the day.  We
spend a lot of time shooting green rooms, then we have to come back.
When we did a shot, the railroad train came by, they didn't get the
voice.  We have to dub that voice back in.  

 

My kids, if nothing else, I wanted to teach them the business.  They're
really learning it through racing, their own school.  My daughter
Brittany is pulling double-time with college.  Ashley is flying to New
York, flying to do a dinner with Oakley, then filming all the time.
They're really growing fast.  This has really helped us mature these
kids.  Ashley was already way, way ahead of everybody.  As you can see
on TV yesterday, she can outtalk me and throws me under the bus now on a
regular basis.  That's where I wanted her to evolve to, with respect.  

 

THE MODERATOR:  The show debuts Monday night at 9 eastern, 8 central on
the A&E Network.  

 

Q.  John, it seems like in the pre-advertising for this show, they
really in their teaser ads emphasize the sort of sex appeal angle with
your daughters.  Was that shocking to you at all or did you think this
was just part of the business?  

 

JOHN FORCE:  I was a little upset because, you know, my wife has raised
these kids, and I've been around all these years, I just missed
everything.  Like I said, I only see them in the winner's circle.  At
the end of the day when my work was done, I always tried to find some
time.  I really kind of failed as a father.  In fact, if you get
National Dragster this week of Denver, there's a story in there where I
try to explain the mistakes, how racing took me away, but it's given me
a chance to come back.  

 

But, you know, to be with the family, we have our issues, real-life
issues that they don't want to be told, and mother doesn't want to be
told.  There's just a lot of everything.  Like, what makes you come back
now and you want to run everything?  I don't want to run everything.  I
want to teach them the business so if I was to fall over dead tomorrow,
I know my kids will survive.  I know that Eric and Robert will survive.


 

But the girls have so much to learn.  Ashley is really their teacher.
She's the one that's really leading the two little ones.  But the sex
was something.  When they come to us and talked about magazines, they
wanted to put us in FHM, Maxim, I really fought against it.  We showed
up in People, Star, a lot of them.  But I was shocked when I saw the
commercials.  I called my attorney.  I said, 'This wasn't supposed to
be.  We know what we agreed to.  There would be no porn.'  The problem
is, in my overload, I've approved a lot of stuff I never really looked
at.  Somebody shows you a little tiny picture, you approve it.  Then
when it comes out, it's zippers undone.  

 

But my girls are good.  They really worked.  They don't let them go too
far because they're just really good kids.  But you can't stop it.  If
there's nude scenes of me that's going to probably ruin my career
because I don't look so good.  My kids look great, I don't look so good.


 

A&E has control.  The bottom line is they have the final word, but they
have to work in good faith.  They say, Come on, John, we're selling
Charlie's Angels, three girls that race cars and live day-to-day putting
up with you.  That's what this show is about.  

 

Like we said, if you want to see good racing, nobody does it better than
ESPN2.  If you want to see a little bit of racing and the day-to-day
lives of building a business, families trying to stay together like
every other family in America, that's what this show is about, the ups
and (downs of family life).  

 

Q.  John, are you going to be glad to get back to racing this weekend?
Sounds like you've had a pretty hectic schedule.  

 

JOHN FORCE:  You know, we spent -- if the other fellow is there from
Memphis, if I didn't lose him, we're looking to film Graceland, Beale
Street, because I have a car in Graceland.  There's a lot of
opportunities.  But, boy, you know one morning we left for the airport
at 5:00.  The camera crews were loaded in a truck behind us.  They made
a turnoff on the San Diego freeway.  When we got to the gates, we
checked our bags, it was like when we went through the metal detectors,
my kids, it tripped me, they were jumping up and down like, We ditched
them, we're free.  Everybody was laughing.  Then they call come running
through the door with their cameras.  They wouldn't let them with us.  

 

It's almost like freedom.  You don't realize what you appreciate just
having your space and not being watched all the time.  

 

But, boy, to go to Denver (Thursday) afternoon when I'm done with my
last show tomorrow at 1:00, I'm going to get on that plane and I'm
ready, you know.  

 

Q.  You had a tough tussle with Capps.  Seem to be breaking away in
Funny Car.  

 

JOHN FORCE:  He ain't breaking stride.  The kid is good as a driver.
(Capps's crew chief) Ed McCulloch, you can't get any better.  They got a
good, consistent car.  I believe our three Mustangs are faster, but we
don't have the consistency with this new combination.  We'll get right
to a final, we get knocked off.  

 

We've won a few races this year, but the championship's in sight.  Now
Tony Pedregon is starting to flex his muscles.  The problem is there's
so many cars can knock you off first round, you're really racing scared
first round on how to get a few rounds to get into the groove of the
day.  

 

Q.  When is Ashley going to get up there and join you in the Funny Car
ranks?  

 

ASHLEY FORCE:  I got licensed in Vegas about a month ago.  I've been
trying every race, Mondays after the races, to get back in the Funny Car
with Guido and different teams and keep practicing and training in it.
We're a little unclear.  We don't know what we're going to do for sure.
Maybe next year, maybe the following year, maybe part-time next year.
It's too soon I think in the season to tell.  I'm really still focused
to compete in my A/Fuel dragster because that's my car in competition
right now.  

 

JOHN FORCE:  We run 23 national events.  The A/Fuel dragster only runs
16.  What we were looking at is not to make this move too fast, plus my
other girls are moving up the ladder, which Brittany next would go to
A/Fuel.  But she's in (college), she really needs another season in
Super Comp.  What we've looked at is, Ashley's got her brand-new car,
she's getting a new body.  We have a couple of sponsor offers.  We've
got one already on the table.  Naturally, all the sponsors that are with
us will support Ashley: Castrol, Ford, Mac Tools, Brand Source, all
these people.  But we've got a new trailer from Featherlite.  We built a
state-of-the-art trailer, expando lounge.  We wanted a woman to have
more room, have her own dressing room, her own powder room, big screen
TVs.  Everything to make the trailer a little more comfortable for a
woman.  

 

But that trailer is coming in this week.  It's finished now.  But it's
just a matter of getting it together, if we can get her team organized.
The problem is, Guido, her crew chief, we have to pull out of our team.
We're training another man to take his place.  We've been training a
team for her already.  

 

I think she's ready to go.  She needs more experience.  You only get
experience by jumping into the cat fight.  So we're looking at putting
her into a national event later in the year, maybe Vegas, maybe Dallas.
We don't know for sure yet.  It's all about the points.  Then if she
doesn't go pro next year, and right now it looks pretty good that she's
going to go pro next season, but it's partly her decision and partly
sponsorship.  But if not, she is going to run like a limited schedule on
the circuit next year, not go after the championship, but she's going to
go into competition while she drives her A/Fueler and the Fuel Funny Car
at certain events.  

 

Q.  When she does go up, will there be a fourth Funny Car on your team?


 

JOHN FORCE:  Yeah.  I'm being honest, I'm under contract for another
five years.  But I'm looking toward retirement.  If I stay good for 10,
God bless him, I'll stay.  I ain't getting any younger.  Hell, I've lost
another 10 pounds just doing this series.  So I'm really good
health-wise, my eyesight is good, my motivation is good.  But my
motivation was really rejuvenated by Robert (Hight), Eric (Medlen),
Ashley (Force), my girls (Brittany and Courtney).  You get 57 years old,
you start thinking maybe retirement at 65, you know, 62.  All of a
sudden like, man, I don't want to retire.  I mean, you know, Ashley is
already talking smack, she's going to spank me our first time out.  It's
kind of like, okay, well, I'm going to stick around awhile, see how this
goes.  I haven't made that decision.  But, yes, it will be four Funny
Cars.  

 

Q.  60 is the new 40.  See you at Infineon.  

 

JOHN FORCE:  I love you saying that.  60, I like that.  

 

Q.  Ashley, I know you're asked about this a lot.  Do you have a feeling
that this is a real good time to make it in racing as a woman with so
many people finding success now, whether it's Danica (Patrick) getting
publicity, the NHRA has a great history of women.  Is there a sense for
you that now is a great time, that people are ready for this?  

 

ASHLEY FORCE:  I think it's a really exciting time for women in all
different kinds of motorsports.  I'm happy that I came in at a time when
people want us there and are excited to have us in the lane next to them
competing.  A lot of people ask me, Oh, why suddenly are women racing
now?  That isn't true.  I know for years and years there's been women
involved in drag racing.  Sure Shirley Muldowney, Kim LaHaie, tuning
cars.  They've always been there.  Now it's all of a sudden up a notch
and being noticed around the world.  It's a good time.  I've had a lot
of fun.  

 

I'm excited to have my sisters here with me competing and watching and
rooting for a lot of the other women, Melanie Troxel, Hillary Will, see
them move up to Top Fuel has been exciting.  I'm having a lot of fun.
It's a great time.  I encourage any women out there, I have a lot of
fans come up to the ropes, a lot of young girls saying they're getting a
new junior dragster next year and they're excited to start racing.  I
encourage them.  When you put your helmet on, it doesn't matter if it's
a girl or a guy competing.  All that matters is that you want to be
there competing.  So I'm having a lot of fun.  

 

Q.  Is it also a certain amount of pride because while there are these
other women in other series racing, really it's been the women in drag
racing that have actually won, won championships, won races, taken it to
that next level?  Is there a certain amount of pride and potential that
you feel because of that, too?  

 

ASHLEY FORCE:  Yeah, I don't know that much about other types of racing.
But I know in drag racing a big part of it, I think why there are so
many women, why they're so successful, it's definitely a family sport.
There's a lot of the sportsmen teams that they start out racing on the
weekends in Super Comp and Comp where they have their kids out there
helping them work on the cars.  It's kind of a family thing.  And those
are the kids that end up starting the junior drag racing, then they
would move into the Super Comp, then they kind of move up along the
ranks.  

 

It's great to see, Erica (Enders), she's doing great in Pro Stock, and
Angelle (Sampey, who leads the Pro Stock Motorcycle category).  There's
women in all the different categories, not just women can only do this
category or that category.  It's now spread through all the categories.
Jumping in the Funny Car, I hope to soon get a woman in there because
there hasn't been one in the last few seasons.  We need a girl in there.
That would be awesome to have a girl winner in each of the categories.
I think it's only a matter of time before that happens.  

 

Q.  Do you think also, with the show you're doing, is it important for
you to kind of get your personality out there, too, not just on the
racetrack?  Arguably a lot of people would say part of Danica's appeal
is she does all these shows out there, has this personality, she's very
outgoing.  Do you think that's very important or is it just that's how
it is for all racers, you don't need that necessarily because you're a
woman?  

 

ASHLEY FORCE:  I think that the good thing about drag racing, there are
so many great personalities in it and the fans get to interact with
them, where you don't just see the person from far away, you get to go
right up to the ropes and meet them and get autographs from them and
hear fun interviews from them.  You don't have to be like that, but I
think it makes you a better driver.  You know, whether you're excited to
be out there or not doesn't affect maybe how you drive when you're on
the track, but I definitely think it affects how your sponsors see you
and helps you to get sponsors and helps you to keep fans.  

 

So I think I've been fortunate.  I work with my family.  I'm very
comfortable in my job.  I have a lot of people around that support me
where I can really be how I want to be, having fun out there, that it's
not all business, I can go off and goof around.  I think the fans like
to see that.  When we pull pranks on dad sometimes -- not during race
day! -- but during qualifying, I think the fans like to see that.  And
with our show Driving Force, it really makes us more personable that
we're just a normal family, we're not just professional race car
drivers, but we're still young girls, you know, having fun, having
boyfriends, and of course picking on dad along the way, but learning the
racing business as we go.  

 

Q.  Champ (John Force), we've seen you on TV with your 120 or so wins.
You have a chance after you left the track to see yourself on TV, the
way you behave in the role of winning races and being a racer.  Being
involved in a project like this, seeing yourself as a father in a family
role, what have you learned about John Force?  

 

JOHN FORCE:  Well, to be honest, I thought I knew everything.  Being
around these girls, you know, maybe I'm guilty in life, with a lot of
employees -- except for Austin Coil -- people a lot of times tell you
what you want to hear.  In the world, in the business where you're a
celebrity and you win, in the boardroom it's a little bit different.
But basically in life everything kind of went the way that I wanted it
to be because that's how I believed it ought to be because I was trying
to direct and control my life.  

 

By opening up with my girls in this show, I saw another side of me that
was wrong.  It really shows in the show, and it's a struggle, but even
the way that I thought I was really close to my employees, so many
things that I missed along the way that my girls would say, 'Dad, did
you even know that (one of my employees) had two little kids?'  You know
what I mean?  While I knew him well, knew he was married ...  there's
just so many things that in this rush to be a champion, there were so
many things that I really wasn't in tune with.  

 

I've really gotten an education from my own children.  I tried to open
up myself more to my people.  I have a good rapport with our people.
They like me as an employer, as a boss and as a friend.  But there's so
much more you can do to build your machine stronger. 

 

By building the people around you, as teammates, making everybody equal,
that's what we try to find in our TV show, that we are a family, like
Ashley said.  We're just kids.  I might be the champ, but I'm just like
any father in America making mistakes, raising his kids, yelling and
getting mad, apologizing, and loving them every day.  You know what I'm
saying?  But I got a real wake-up call on a lot of mistakes I made in
the last 25 years.  I wished I could take a lot of it back, but I can't.
I'm just going to try to fix the future.  And that's the message we're
trying to send in this show.  

 

It isn't where the show started, it isn't where the show came from.  The
show was about just this family the show-runners never really knew.
Then after they watched it for months, they realized, This guy is trying
to teach his kids that he's really screwed up, and how can he fix it.
I'm trying, as much as I'm trying to teach them the business.  

 

Q.  John, at the very beginning I missed how long the show is supposed
to go on.  How long have you signed the contract and how many episodes
are there supposed to be?  

 

JOHN FORCE:  We signed the show -- most of the networks like MTV, Disney
Channel, they all wanted one to three shows.  A&E came in and said,
We'll take six.  Then when they met us, the family, they jumped at the
10.  They have seen four or five of the cuts already.  They've ordered
another four.  That's in the contract.  So we have 14 shows.  

 

Anywhere from 13, 14 or 15 shows is what they call a season.  So we've
been filming now for five almost six months.  We got a lot of work in
the next two months to finish up the 10 shows, even though we're
starting to roll next Monday, we go on July 17th.  They've ordered more
shows.  

 

I was surprised that they did that.  So was my attorney.  But right
after the kickoff, that's kind of when you'll find out if it's what the
people want.  Yeah, we have 14 shows now under contract.  

 

Q.  Is it fair to compare this to American Chopper or the Osbornes?
Which show do you see it similar to?  

 

JOHN FORCE:  That's a good question.  I see it -- you know, we've said,
if you want to turn on drag racing, turn on ESPN2, nobody does it
better.  If you want to watch a family that has the problems like every
family in America, yeah, they have a dad that has 13 championships, four
beautiful daughters, a wife that's really raised them, and in the middle
of that what their day-to-day lifestyle is, and now evolving them into
the business.  

 

Adria running the business, the bookkeeping, with her husband Robert
driving, then Ashley, Brittany, Courtney evolving.  It's what it's about
day to day.  It's not just about them going on dates, it's not about
them going to prom night, graduation.  It's a lot about that, but it's a
lot about them learning the business and the fights they go through.
They're real.  It's brought them to tears, it's brought me to tears.
Sometimes it gets really personal.  But at the end of the day, it's what
we do.  It's 300 mile-an-hour drag racing.  The show jumps around.  It
might go from the opening race and jump to the fourth race.  Some shows
may only have a little bit of racing in it.  Some shows have the drama
of racing, of winning and losing.  It's a combination.  

 

Like I said, the first three weeks, everybody was loving it, we're going
to be in Star Magazine, we're going to be on TV, billboards.  Then after
about two months, it was like, How in the hell did we get into this
mess?  You don't have a life.  I've had to hire more people in here to
help run the business just to take over my day-to-day stuff.  But now
all of a sudden after five months, now we're starting to see the
finished product, whether it's good or not.  There's a lot of old-time
movies in it from the old days of the kids when they were little,
relating to who was competitive then, who was a rebel then, to how they
are today.  It's really funny when you look at that.  

 

Pretty exciting times.  It's definitely a lot of work.  We've debated
whether we want to do more shows.  We agreed to take another four.  Now
we don't know where they'll go.  We know they have an option to go to 20
if they like the first 14 or 15.  So we'll see.  A&E really has the
control.  I've got to say for A&E, I've done a lot of stuff before and
been made a lot of promises.  These guys are marketeers.  You get off
the plane in New York, you're on billboards on freeways.  You're down in
Madison Square Garden, you're on buses going by on the highway and in
town.  Out here in Hollywood, down on Sunset Boulevard, right in the
prime spots with all the big TV -- news shows, Pirates of the Caribbean
with Johnny Depp.  Our sign is about four signs down from him.  They've
done their job to promote.  I hand it to A&E.  They definitely can kept
their word.  They're promoting drag racing.  NHRA is everywhere we go.  

 

Q.  Ashley, do you have any thoughts or reaction to what Richard Petty
recently said about women not belonging in professional motorsports?  

 

ASHLEY FORCE:  I think everyone has their own opinion.  I know that the
world has definitely changed over the years.  I've read books and
stories about Shirley Muldowney, the struggle they went through in the
beginning.  It's not that any person is right or wrong, it's just what
people are used to.  Years and years ago, there weren't women in racing,
so it was hard for men out there racing, building these cars, to
understand and accept, Why do women want to race?  How can they be good
racing?  

 

But you can't be upset about what people say or think; you can only do
what you want to do.  I know with me, and a lot of other women out here,
we want to race.  We want to compete with the guys and we want to
compete with the girls.  That's really what I focus on.  I've been
fortunate in drag racing.  They're all excited out there to have women
in the race.  The men I compete with have daughters that race junior
dragsters.  They're happy to have a woman in the lane next to them.
It's a great time for women to get into it.  You will always have people
who won't like you and won't like your team whether you're a guy or
girl.  It's just what is going to happen.  You can't make everyone
happy.  You can make your fans happy and your sponsors.  I know I enjoy
racing.  

 

Q.  Do you see anything at all that gives men an edge over women in
professional motorsports, drag racing?  

 

ASHLEY FORCE:  In drag racing, a big part of it is being focused and
being quick on the tree, reacting, not just reacting on the starting
line but going down the racetrack, reacting to your car, if it's going
out of the groove, dropping cylinders, making the right choices and
doing it.  I'm learning that with a Funny Car.  A big question I got,
since there haven't really been women in Funny Cars, 'Do you think
you're strong enough to handle this car?'  It's shorter wheel base.
It's not just going to go straight down the track.  It gets in your head
where you think, 'Am I strong enough?'  I look at Scelzi, these other
guys, muscles.  I think, I don't have that.  But getting in that car and
having the team I have, it's not about strength and muscling the car
down.  If your car gets out of the groove, then it's going to be about
strength.  But it's really about being quick and reacting and making the
right decisions.  

 

So I don't think -- I don't really think that it's a gender thing.  It
hasn't been so far.  Look at (POWERade Series Top Fuel points leader)
Melanie (Troxel) out there winning all these races this year.  I don't
think that's really the issue.  The only main issue maybe is when we
pull our helmet off, we have mascara running up the side of our face and
men don't have to worry about that.  

 

JOHN FORCE:  Can I jump in with something real quick?  In all respect to
Richard Petty, because I was along the same road, even though I loved
Shirley Muldowney, and I've watched how women have evolved.  Richard
Petty had sons.  His sons evolved into NASCAR.  He's from the old school
like me.  And that's the way that he kind of sees it day-to-day.  I can
see why his thinking was the men should stick to the racing and the
women, they shouldn't.  

 

Along the way I had daughters, so I didn't have the option of sons.  But
I remember when Laurie said, 'Ashley wants to go to driving school.'  I
was like, 'Oh, Jesus.  Do you know what it's like just having to put her
in a fire suit, tuck her long hair in a helmet?'  This ain't going to
work.  I was just like Richard Petty.  I had the same thought because I
didn't want to address it.  

 

I'm not taking sides with Petty, because now that I've seen the other
side, wow, this girl licensed in a Funny Car, there's a whole show on
A&E on Driving Force about what she went through to get to the
licensing.  It was unbelievable.  We set her on fire at Vegas.  She gets
out the car at the other end, I'm down there about to throw up.  Jesus,
she'll get out, she'll say she's finished.  She took off helmet, she was
covered with oil, and she's smiling like a Cheshire cat.  I'm thinking,
Boy, did I misunderstand this girl.  You know what I'm saying?  Then all
of a sudden Melanie Troxel is out there winning in the points lead,
Hillary Will's is out there. It's like, boy was I wrong.  

 

So is open for women in this sport?  The kids that are thinking, 'Is
there a chance for us?' Ten years ago I wouldn't have said, 'No, Shirley
Muldowney was just one that happened to make it from a lot of hard work,
but few more will come.'  Well, buddy, the world's going to change
because there's big money out there.  Corporate America, this could
change the face of drag racing that the fact that women are going to
bring more corporate dollars in here because it's never been tapped
until now.  

 

Q.  The big thing is, when one of these reality shows hits the airwaves,
you have the Internet today, all these bulletin boards, they're going to
light up with opinions.  There's going to be a thousand opinions like
there already are on your driving.  Are you ready for this?  Would this
have an effect on whether you do more shows or not?  

 

ASHLEY FORCE:  I don't -- it's hard to say.  I try not to get into all
that.  I can take things pretty personal.  I know there were times when
I first started racing, I'd read the Internet, it would take over my
day.  You don't read all the nice things that are said, but you remember
the one bad thing.  It was hard for me to handle that.  

 

But dad taught me, you know, there's always going to be people that like
you and don't like you.  You've just got to do what you do and do it in
a way that you want to do it.  I think it will be hard.  We're already
having people trying to compare the three of us sisters.  

 

The good thing about it, though, is that's not really our world.  We're
suddenly in Star Magazine and Entertainment Weekly, but our world is
still racing, our fans that know we have helmet hair.  We're just out
there having fun, racing.  They're people we've grown up with.  I think
if we can just remember that, kind of keep in our own group, with the
people that love us, keep doing what we love doing, that's kind of the
path I'm going towards.  

 

I don't know.  I'm not even really knowing what to expect when next week
hits.  Maybe I've got to get some tougher skin.  

 

JOHN FORCE:  A&E took us up with the Production Group ... we went up to
Hollywood to show us all the good stuff.  Then they sat us down and
said, We want you to know you're going to get blasted.  Some are going
to love it, some are going to hate it.  You better get used to that.  

 

I worry about my two littlest ones because they care what their friends
think.  I've learned to not watch the Internet.  I do read the papers.
If there's some issue on the Internet that's bad, I try to address it.
But everybody's got an opinion.  Nobody's going to love you.  Some are,
some aren't.  

 

Ashley has really evolved.  I want to say this to you.  I've become so
proud of her in the last few months, my wife said, 'Yeah, because she
drove a Fuel Funny Car and got her license.'  No, she's really helped me
so much with the two little ones.  I'm so overloaded, I can't hardly get
the day-to-day work done.  She's really taken over teaching Brittany and
Courtney, not just about how to do a reality show, because reality shows
just happen, they follow you, but how to get my girls out of bed, get
them to the tracks, get their credentials, get them to do interviews, to
really open them up.  

 

Ashley, I want to say this.  She has been fantastic.  This kid has
really evolved.  She's going to evolve way beyond me because she's
smart.  I listen to her on the TV show.  Yesterday when we did the
morning show, I've had comments just like you said.  People are saying
she's evolving.  Maybe I did all the talking.  That was the problem all
these years.  But she's coming out of her shell.  She's going to be
great for drag racing.  I'm really glad that I have these girls, and
especially her.  

 

Q.  John, you said it so well on the Richard Petty thing about the old
school.  There is always that one factor about women in racing.  I think
it's the same issue about women in the battle zone.  That is, when the
first female driver really gets seriously hurt, then what is everybody
going to say?  

 

JOHN FORCE:  I fear that like you can't imagine every time she goes down
the racetrack.  But it was not my choice.  But you're right, what is the
world going to think?  It's going to be tough because women are
different.  I'm not siding with Petty.  I'm not for him, I'm not against
him.  But women are different.  I said in interviews, you know, you can
set a man on fire, burn his hair, nobody thinks nothing about it.  But
you burn a woman, it's a little different deal.  You burn your kid, it's
a different deal.  

 

But this is her choice.  But you are right.  You know what?  She sucked
it up.  I've seen her get in and out of the car.  All we can do is hope
to God, and our crew, that we give her the best we can because sometimes
you create your own destiny.  We can't count on God to do everything.
He's on overload now.  But this is what she wants, this is her choice.
If she decides to walk away because of a bad crash, that's going to be
her call.  

 

I'll tell you, I saw her get out of a car that was a pretty good fire,
covered with oil, got out of the seat.  When her helmet came off, I
figured she's going to be crying.  I've seen her cry at the end of a
racetrack when she hit the wall at Indy during testing.  But the emotion
wasn't of fear.  She had that, too.  The emotion was she crashed dad's
race car a week before Indy.  She was upset she let me down.  She got
out with a big old smile because you know what, sometimes it's just
exciting being in the heat of battle.  If you love that excitement, then
you're going to want to do it.  

 

But you're right, what is the world going to say when it hits the fan?
I don't have an answer for that.  Do you, Ashley?  

 

ASHLEY FORCE:  No.  It definitely has to be something -- for a guy or a
girl, you can never put a person in a race car that they don't a hundred
percent want to be there and let them know that things can happen.
We're not naive.  My sisters and I, we grew up in racing. But in drag
racing, it even brings them closer together like a family, where when
things like that happen, you want to be at the track because they're the
ones there for you that support you and you get through it together.  

 

It's something in the back of your head that you think of, but you can't
go up to the track, go up on the starting line, think something is going
to happen to me on this run.  It's out there.  But I trust my team.  We
take every safety -- every new safety thing that comes along, we check
into it, put it on.  

 

It's strange now because dad is always worrying about me.  I'm like,
'Dad, this is what I want to do.  I feel safe in my car.'  But now I see
my sisters get in the car and I do the same thing.  'Are you sure you
want to be here?'  It would kill me if something ever happened to them.


 

But they know the dangers just like I do, just like the other women out
there now.  Just because we're a man or woman, it doesn't make it any
harder I don't think if you lost one or the other.  The pain is still
going to be there if it's a person you care about.  It's there but you
can't think about it, it's what we want to do.  

 

Q.  John, what is the time span of Driving Force?  You mentioned it
starts with early films of your kids, the beginning of the season.  With
the extension, do they plan to carry it throughout the 2006 professional
racing season?  

 

JOHN FORCE:  They don't really. The production company, they have what
they call show-runners.  They watch the trend of the family.  The show
started one direction in the beginning, and they realized what the story
was, because the story was real.  They try to capture that.  They're all
trying not to just go to a TV audience, to a drag racing type audience,
they're trying to go to an audience that someone out in the middle of
the country in Missouri that gets off work from working on the farm or
they work in a Dairy Queen in the town, they come home, they sit down to
dinner with the family, a normal typical American family and they turn
on TV.  They want to see the problems that other families have, whether
you're the president's daughter or you're a drag racer's daughter or
you're the daughter of a local banker or a mom that's a cook.  That is
where they're trying to do.  So the story does jump around.  

 

Right now Ron Capps at Topeka was a big show we filmed with Ron Capps
and myself and Gary Scelzi fighting for the title.  In fact, we went and
filmed at Hooter's because they wanted more sex.  We wouldn't give them
more sex, so we went to Hooter's to give them girls in bathing suits,
you know what I mean?  So it does jump around, but it captured a lot of
(Brittany and Courtney) racing Super Comp and their friends; Ashley, her
winning Gainesville, Ashley, her involvement in Funny Car because it's
really about teaching them the business.  It's not about winning the
championship.  This will come later if we get more shows.  Right now we
will film through Indy is where our first 14, 15 shows will go.  Then if
they take more, we'll move on from there.  

 

THE MODERATOR:  Thanks very much, John and Ashley, for giving us an hour
of your time.  Thanks for the media for joining in today.  The debut
show will be Monday, July 17th, at 9 eastern, 8 central, on A&E Network.


 

JOHN FORCE:  Thank you, everybody.  

 

ASHLEY FORCE:  Have a great week.  

 

Transcript provided by FastScripts by ASAP Sports