Fans hoping for Ashley Force Hood's quick return to the NHRA Mello Yello series after the birth of her second child this May will be disappointed with what the two-time Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Funny Car winner had to say Friday afternoon.Ashley lowered those expectations while sitting in the John Force Racing motorcoach with sisters Courtney and Brittany between Arizona Nationals qualifying rounds at Firebird International Raceway.

"I don't know, to be honest," said Force Hood, the 2009 championship runner-up to brother-in-law Robert Hight. "Everyone thinks I have some secret plan in my head and I just don't tell it.

Fans hoping for Ashley Force Hood's quick return to the NHRA Mello Yello series after the birth of her second child this May will be disappointed with what the two-time Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Funny Car winner had to say Friday afternoon.

Ashley lowered those expectations while sitting in the John Force Racing motorcoach with sisters Courtney and Brittany between Arizona Nationals qualifying rounds at Firebird International Raceway.

"I don't know, to be honest," said Force Hood, the 2009 championship runner-up to brother-in-law Robert Hight. "Everyone thinks I have some secret plan in my head and I just don't tell it.

COURTNEY WINS THE RACE; DANICA GETS THE HEADLINES

How big is Sunday’s story line of Danica Patrick trying to win today’s Daytona 500 after becoming the first woman to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup series pole?

“I get that Danica got the pole is a big deal, but it is not like she delivered the baby Jesus,” John Force said.

Forgive the 15-time NHRA Funny Car champion for being blunt. READ THE FULL

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARIZONA REPUBLIC ARTICLEFans hoping for Ashley Force Hood's quick return to the NHRA Mello Yello series after the birth of her second child this May will be disappointed with what the two-time Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Funny Car winner had to say Friday afternoon.

Ashley lowered those expectations while sitting in the John Force Racing motorcoach with sisters Courtney and Brittany between Arizona Nationals qualifying rounds at Firebird International Raceway.

"I don't know, to be honest," said Force Hood, the 2009 championship runner-up to brother-in-law Robert Hight. "Everyone thinks I have some secret plan in my head and I just don't tell it.

"First, it's hard to look past this summer. To think of him (son Jacob John) and another newborn is coming, it (racing) probably would not be anytime soon, just because it would be too hard to juggle all that," she said. "You'd have to have a full-time nanny with you on the road. You're so busy (as a driver) and I couldn't count on my husband (Dan) because he's working on Courtney's car.

"I know people think I just don't want to tell them. If I knew, I would tell, because then people would know and not look at me like . . . I'm not good at keeping secrets," Force Hood said.

Ashley then politely engaged in one writer's theory that she might make a comeback in Top Fuel, as sister Brittany's teammate. (Brittany smiled and said, "Yeah," when the question was asked.)

"I would prefer Funny Car, only because I've driven them and have never driven a Top Fuel dragster," said Ashley. "There's a lot of factors that go into it. It's not just, 'I want to do this or that.' Is there a seat available? Is there a team available? Is there financial backing? It's not just, 'I want to do this in this car.'

"If I were to go back, I wouldn't say 100 percent it would be in Funny Car, but I'd pick that because that's where I came from. But I'd also pick to have my old team back. Dan said, 'That's a little bit of a stretch because your team is spread out.' My guys are (working) with them (sisters) and I feel comfortable with that because I know they're good and they're safe in their hands."  -- Michael Knight

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