JOHN FORCE/ASHLEY FORCE HOOD PRE-RACE
 |
OVERVIEW:
John Force begins his 25th season with crew chief Austin Coil hoping to claim his 15th series title and re-establish his dominance in the NHRA Funny Car division. His daughter, Ashley, starts the year with a new name that reflects her December marriage to Daniel Hood.
The elder Force, who will turn 60 on May 4, spent last season regaining his strength after a 2007 crash in Dallas, Texas. The lengthy process was reflected in his 2008 stats (just one tour victory and a seventh place finish) but hew now says he is fully recovered from injuries that included a compound fracture of the left ankle and broken bones in his hands, toes, fingers and feet.
This year, he is embarked on what he has designated the “No Excuses�?? tour. With a completely revamped race car that includes a new clutch controller, new injector and new supercharger set-up, Force is both excited and optimistic.
He starts the year in a gold-and-black Ford Mustang touting Castrol Edge, a new synthetic from the company that has been his principal sponsor for the last 24 seasons. Although he’s won a record 101 rounds and 12 races at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, he’s won just four times in the Winternationals and only once since the turn of the century.
If he is to re-assert himself this year, Force likely will have to beat his own teammates to do so including Ashley, 26, son-in-law Robert Hight, 39, and crew chief-turned-driver Mike Neff, 42.
Ashley started her pro career at the 2007 Winternationals and reached the semifinals at last year’s event along with her father and brother-in-law. Hight went on to win the race for the second time in three years.