Ashley Force Hood knows when her crew is getting aggressive with the tune-up. They always cinch her belts a little tighter and give her the sly grin.

That’s her clue that she’s better hold the wheel tightly.

On a Saturday evening, the second-generation driver went to the top of the Funny Car charts with a 4.059 elapsed time, a run that equaled her father’s Friday evening personal best. A faster speed gave her the top seed headed into Sunday final eliminations.

Ashley Force Hood knows when her crew is getting aggressive with the tune-up. They always cinch her belts a little tighter and give her the sly grin.

That’s her clue that she’s better hold the wheel tightly.

On a Saturday evening, the second-generation driver went to the top of the Funny Car charts with a 4.059 elapsed time, a run that equaled her father’s Friday evening personal best. A faster speed gave her the top seed headed into Sunday final eliminations.

“When they said over the PA that it was a tie I was like, ‘What are the chances of that?’ and then when they said it would go to mph, we usually come up a little short on those kind of things but we were really excited when they said it was us. Then we realized we got around our boss and my dad.

“Ron and Guido they were going for it,” continued Force Hood. “The conditions were right and the car was there, why not do it. It is Saturday night in Pomona. It is the final race of the year. It is our home track and Robert clinched the championship.”

Part of that championship was hers because it was her team that assisted a wayward AAA team earlier in the season. But on Saturday, this was her time to shine.

She didn’t shed a tear like she did during Friday night’s run; but that didn’t mean she didn’t come close.

“I think I shed tears before the run because of the way everyone was acting,” Force Hood said. “They were pulling my belts tight and they were getting ready to send me on something. They know and they get excited. You can’t go for it on every run but when it’s there you want to go for it.”

Force Hood said her team, because they had lost out on the championship, felt they had nothing to lose on that final qualifying run.

“The team gets pumped when Ron and Guido say they’re going to put their big ball pants on,” Force Hood said shyly. “They always say that and then they get these evil grins on their faces. Then I’m thinking, ‘I’m the girl strapped in this thing you guys are sending.”

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