Backstretch Motorsports

CLERMONT, Ind. – Funny Car driver Ashley Force will start from the No. 1 position in the NHRA U.S. Smokeless Showdown on Aug. 31 at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, as she goes for her first victory in the special bonus event for qualified Funny Car drivers.

Force is the first female driver to qualify for the Funny Car bonus event in NHRA history.

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TOPEKA, Kan. – Hillary Will became the 11th woman in NHRA history to win a national event when she raced to the win in the Top Fuel category at the O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals.

John Force and Ron Krisher also won in their respective categories at Heartland Park Topeka in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event.

Will drove her KB dragster to a 4.744-second run at 304.53 mph, which was just enough to get past No. 1 qualifier Larry Dixon and pick up her first win.

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With Milestones and History in Tow, Force Heads to Thunder Valley

BRISTOL, Tenn. – In what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive Funny Car seasons in NHRA history, John Force and his daughter Ashley have teamed up to provide plenty of early season buzz with some memorable milestone performances.

First, at Las Vegas in early April, 25-year-old Ashley became the first female to lead the Funny Car point standings with a runner-up finish in her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang. John then arrived at Atlanta Dragway in late April and became only the second driver in NHRA history to attend 500 NHRA events, joining Pro Stock legend Warren Johnson on that short list.

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WILKERSON, FULLER, K. JOHNSON AND HINES WIN; FORCE EARNS 1,000TH ROUND WIN

MADISON, Ill. - Tim Wilkerson denied John Force Racing’s Mike Neff his first career win on the same day Neff’s boss made history at the 12th annual O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by Castrol.

Rod Fuller, Kurt Johnson and Andrew Hines also were winners in their respective categories Sunday at Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis.

Wilkerson earned his first win at his hometown track, his second of the season and seventh of his career when he drove his Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevy Impala SS to a 4.874-second finish at 317.27 mph to Neff’s 4.886 at 321.58 in his Old Spice Ford Mustang.

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FORCE BECOMES SECOND DRIVER TO REACH 500 EVENT MARK; ALSO POISED TO MAKE HISTORY AS FIRST TO REACH 1,000 ROUND WINS

COMMERCE, Ga. – In the late 1970s Tom McEwen was already “The Mongoose,” a fabled character in the Funny Car category with a fan base of his own.

That’s when he met a dreamer.

McEwen remembers John Force as the guy whose car was always on fire.

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