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Ashley’s a Driving Force in Drag Racing
Nov 19 2007 by Kristin Varela
11/19/2007
'Being Female Isn't a Big Story Anymore'
I am teased incessantly about my lack of knowledge about anything television-related. I tend to live in a bit of a bubble: I work from home and there's no television in my office, plus I'm one of those people who's banned TV from my bedroom. When I'm not working from home, I'm on the road in a random hotel room, and a slight case of OCD means I avoid TV for days on end — who knows what the last person did with that nasty remote control? Ick!
With that disclaimer issued, I will say that I know exactly who Ashley Force is. In case you don't, she has a reality series on A&E, "Driving Force," that features her, her whacked-out drag-racing papa and several drag-racing sisters. I watch the show strictly for work research, which is the same reason I now watch "Dancing With the Stars." I have to see how hard that cute IndyCar racer shakes his — well, you know.
After watching several rounds of nitro-induced racing blurs, I sat down in Ashley's bipolar trailer (it's decked out with high-tech racing equipment and a crew of busy grease monkeys on one end, modern purple leather sofas and scented candles on the other). Ashley's 3-year-old niece, Autumn, joined us for the interview, climbing all over Ashley's lap and scribbling on the table while Ashley calmly handled the juggling act. Must have something to do with the nerves of steel she must need to light a bomb under her car and race her father down a strip at more than 300 mph.
Q: In other interviews, you've mentioned that you tend to minimize the whole gender aspect in drag racing, but the truth is you're a pretty big deal. Are you taught to be that modest in media training?
A: Being female isn't a big story anymore. I'm the only woman in Funny Car [a National Hot Ro'm a woman, but it's about more than just me. I have a team of eight great guys behind me who are highly skilled and all work together to make this happen.
Q: You've said that drag racing has a pretty large fan base of moms and kids. Just looking around the track today, I'm really surprised but I have to agree. I've even seen people on crews here with their infants wearing ear protection, strapped into Britax car seats fastened to the back of their crew golf carts. Also, your niece Autumn seems to own the place (and knows it). What is it that makes this sport so family-friendly?
A: NHRA allows its sponsors to do really cool things to keep kids entertained during long race days — rock walls, time reaction video games. There's such an array of different types of people here, but because it tends to be fairly clean, it's a good place for guy fans to bring their daughters, wives or girlfriends, who then also become fans.
Q: You have two action dolls modeled after you. I have to get those! I recently lifted my ban on Bratz dolls to buy my daughter the racecar driver one, but I'd rather her dolls not have collagen-injected lips.
A: The funny thing is that my niece loves those dolls. She takes the heads off of them. I think she put one through the washing machine recently and its hair got all weird and matted. It's neat to have little girls bring them to me to autograph. I even have guys bring the dolls to me to autograph and claim that they're for their daughters. I know better than to believe that.
Q: I also heard that you love to shop at Target, read trashy celeb mags and wear heels. I think we might be long-lost sisters. How do you feel about chocolate?
A: That's all true, but I'm trying to cut back on the magazines. I don't want to support what the paparazzi are doing to the celebrities. To get around that, I show up at the dentist a half-hour early so I can secretly catch up on the gossip there without actually buying the magazines.
At the end of our interview, I gave Ashley a chance to turn the tables and ask me a question. She said, "How do you moms do it? I watched my niece for the day recently when my dad was in the hospital. I was completely exhausted after! It didn't help that Autumn colored all over the walls at Denny's." Oh, Ashley, if only you knew.
In the days following our conversation, Ashley became the first woman to make it to the finals in Funny Car, and she was named 2007 Auto Club Rookie of the Year. Despite Ashley's modesty and its lighthearted name, Funny Car racing is ridiculously dangerous. Ashley lost a teammate earlier this year, and nearly lost her dad in a terrible accident recently. We Mother Proofers will keep an eye on Ashley's racing, hoping for her safety and for an easy recovery from her addiction to trash mags. The first step is admitting you have a problem. We're pulling for you!
Ashley - if you ever get bored of drag racing I think Formula 1 needs some women. Patty Wagstaff has beaten many men in unlimited aerobatics which is much more physically demanding and most would consider more dangerous.
Go girl!