ASHLEY'S PEACEFUL MOMENTS
Knowing qualifying number one gives her that moment is why Ashley had a broad smile on her face when she nailed the throttle of her Castrol GTX-sponsored, Ford Mustang during Friday qualifying at the NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, N.J.. Her intuitions were rewarded with a 4.071 elapsed time at 303.37 miles per hour to land atop the field headed into Saturday.
Ever wonder why Ashley Force Hood has been so dominant in 2009 NHRA Funny Car qualifying? The No. 1 qualifying
efforts provide the second generation drag racer with her most peaceful
moments during an event. During the cart ride from the pits to the
press room for the post qualifying press conference gives her time to
decompress.
Knowing qualifying number one gives her that moment is why Ashley had
a broad smile on her face when she nailed the throttle of her Castrol
GTX-sponsored, Ford Mustang during Friday qualifying at the NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, N.J.. Her intuitions were rewarded with a 4.071
elapsed time at 303.37 miles per hour to land atop the field headed
into Saturday.
“When I left the starting line, I felt it pull harder than it usually
does,” Force Hood admitted. “It’s nice when what you felt in the run
matches what the crew chiefs are doing. They had told me that they were
trying to push the car harder earlier in the run since down track
wasn’t taking as much.”
Among those who smoked the tires down track were her 14-time world
championship winning father John Force, who rests in the No. 12 perch
with two sessions remaining in qualifications.
Force Hood noticed an unusual amount of tuning activity with each run
ahead of her. Her crew chiefs Dean “Guido” Antonelli and Ron Douglas
made constant adjustments in the lanes, likely backing down the
horsepower.
“They were making a lot of decisions and talking a lot,” she admitted.
“Usually we don’t talk a lot on the radio before a run. They have a
decision in their mind and usually don’t let the cars ahead of them
change their minds. They were chatting right up until made the run.
That can either mean it’s going to be a monster run or right on that
edge.”
So did her team back into the edge of the envelope?
“Yep,” she admitted.
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