NHRA (MEMPHIS) - ASHLEY AIMING TO SUSTAIN MOMENTUM....

Torco Racing Fuels Funny Car driver Mike Ashley is determined to continue the momentum following up his dramatic win at the U.S. Nationals just two weeks ago, and his Gotham City Racing team is fully prepared to be his supporting cast this weekend at the O'Reilly NHRA Mid South Nationals in Memphis, Tenn.

"Trying to put that win into words is still difficult, but amazing and awesome come to mind right off the top," Ashley said. "I can't say it enough, that the win was a team effort, and I have the best team and sponsor in drag racing behind me."

Coming into Memphis, Ashley is ranked second in POWERade Championship points and just 21 points out of the lead -- solidly ensconced among the top four who will advance to the next stage in the NHRA championship battle: the Countdown to One. This weekend is the second of four events in the next month that determine which of the top teams will advance and compete for the Funny Car crown.

"We have a goal oriented culture. At the beginning of the year, the team set a goal to make it to the playoffs, and we accomplished that. Before the last race, we made another goal, to make it to the next step in the Countdown, and so far we're right on track," he said.

"Absolutely, winning Indy was huge, and moving into second place is an important milestone, but in the championship picture it's only the first step and there still are 12 rounds of racing left until the next cut, and we want to win as many of those as possible. I've won two world championships before in Pro Modified, and this class is no different. Every round, every run, every single action is critical to our outcome."

Funny Car qualifying in the O'Reilly Mid South Nationals is scheduled for 4:30 and 7 p.m. Friday, September 14, and 12:45 and 3:15 p.m. Saturday, September 15. Eliminations are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Sunday, September 16. ESPN2/ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at midnight Saturday night (EDT). At 11 a.m. on Sunday, September 16, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute news magazine show, and follow with three hours of eliminations coverage beginning at 7 p.m.