History Made; Ashley Force Becomes First Woman to Take Event Title in Funny Car
By Bram • Apr 28th, 2008 • Category: NHRA, Notes, Results
COMMERCE, Ga. – In a final round for the ages Ashley Force beat father John, becoming the first woman in NHRA history to win a national event in Funny Car at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, Ga.
Ashley faced father and NHRA legend John Force in the final round, driving her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang pass the iconic legend with a run of 4.837 at 320.36. Though John was competing in his 500th race and came within one round win of reaching 1,000, it was the younger Force who stood in the winner’s circle at the end of the event.
“I’m just happy to win an event,” said Force. “That was the main thing. Being a female, that’s exciting for the record books and everything, but my team, we just wanted to get our first win. To get it finally done here in Atlanta, we’re just a little bit relieved but so excited as well.”
Force’s win gave her a 59 point cushion for the lead in Funny Car over Tim Wilkerson.
Antron Brown picked up his second win of the season in Top Fuel, beating points leader Tony Schumacher in the final round. Brown drove his Matco Tools dragster to a 4.537 run at 325.14, beating Schumacher on a holeshot.
“We just take it round by round at each race,” said Brown. “I’m just tickled to death to be a part of this race team and this car.”
In Pro Stock, Mike Edwards picked up his first win in over two years, driving his Young Life Pontiac GXP to a 6.680 run at 206.20. Edwards’ run was just enough to beat runner-up Jason Line, who appeared in his second consecutive final round.
“You just can’t describe the feeling of winning one of these races in this class,” said Edwards, whose last win had come nearly two years previous. “There are so many good teams and it’s been so long since I last won. It’s just an unbelievable feeling to win one of these races.”
Andrew Hines proved his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley Davidson Motorcycle winning with a run of 6.946 at 191.40.
“My motorcycle was just flawless,” said Hines. “I can’t say enough on what the guys have done for the engines on these things.”
COMMERCE, Ga. — Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at the 28th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. The race is the sixth of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
1. Antron Brown; 2. Tony Schumacher; 3. Rod Fuller; 4. Bob Vandergriff; 5. Cory McClenathan; 6. Hillary Will; 7. J.R. Todd; 8. Doug Herbert; 9. David Grubnic; 10. Morgan Lucas; 11. Brandon Bernstein; 12. Terry McMillen; 13. Alan Bradshaw; 14. Doug Kalitta; 15. Todd Paton; 16.
Larry Dixon.
FUNNY CAR:
1. Ashley Force, Ford Mustang; 2. John Force, Mustang; 3. Bob Tasca III, Mustang; 4. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger; 5. Tim Wilkerson, Chevy Impala; 6. Gary Densham, Impala; 7. Cruz Pedregon, Impala; 8. Jim Head, Toyota Solara; 9. Tony Pedregon, Impala; 10. Jack Beckman, Charger; 11. Robert Hight, Mustang; 12. Tony Bartone, Chevy Monte Carlo; 13. Jerry Toliver, Charger; 14. Mike Neff, Mustang; 15. Gary Scelzi, Charger; 16. Del Worsham, Impala.
PRO STOCK:
1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP; 2. Jason Line, GXP; 3. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt; 4. Justin Humphreys, GXP; 5. Ron Krisher, Cobalt; 6. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt; 7. Greg Anderson, GXP; 8. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus; 9. Dave Connolly, Cobalt; 10. Warren Johnson, GXP; 11. Greg Stanfield, GXP; 12. Rickie Jones, Stratus; 13. Dave Northrop, Pontiac GTO; 14. V. Gaines, Stratus; 15. Bill Glidden, GTO; 16. Todd Hoerner, Stratus.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson; 2. Chip Ellis, Suzuki; 3. Craig Treble, Suzuki; 4. Angelle Sampey, Buell; 5. Matt Guidera, Buell; 6. Shawn Gann, Suzuki; 7. Matt Smith, Buell; 8. Chris Rivas, Buell; 9. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson; 10. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki; 11. Hector Arana, Buell; 12. Mike Berry, Suzuki; 13. Junior Pippin, Buell; 14. Edward Murphy, Suzuki; 15. Michael Phillips, Suzuki; 16. Steve Johnson, Suzuki.
COMMERCE, Ga. — Sunday’s final results from the 28th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. The race is the sixth of 24 in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing
Series:
Top Fuel — Antron Brown, 4.537 seconds, 325.14 mph def. Tony Schumacher, 4.521 seconds, 329.58 mph.
Funny Car — Ashley Force, Ford Mustang, 4.837, 320.36 def. John Force, Mustang, 11.223, 85.97.
Pro Stock — Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.680, 206.20 def. Jason Line, GXP, 6.680, 206.92.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.946, 191.40 def. Chip Ellis, Suzuki, 6.958, 190.70.
Top Alcohol Dragster — Spencer Massey, 5.356, 268.92 def. Bill Reichert, 13.147, 84.11.
Top Alcohol Funny Car — Frank Manzo, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.558, 260.81 def. Steve Harker, Monte Carlo, 5.569, 257.83.
Competition Eliminator — Rick Brown, Chevy S-10, 8.339, 160.90 def. David Rampy, Bantam, 7.342, 168.28.
Super Stock — Kevin Helms, Olds Achieva, 9.718, 110.84 def. Jeff Gillman, Pontiac Sunfire, 9.733, 107.50.
Stock Eliminator — Lee Zane, Pontiac Firebird, 11.020, 101.94 def. Adam Davis, Chevy Camaro, 11.327, 93.98.
Super Comp — Bubba Watts, Dragster, 8.919, 170.51 def. Tom Ratliff, Chevy Corvette, 8.894, 157.93.
Super Street — Gary Federico, Buick Grand National, 10.886, 153.42 def. Lamar Stevenson, Chevy Camaro, 10.885, 125.29.
