Ashley Sanford throwing KC first pitch

May 16, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Ashley Sanford to throw opening pitch in KC Royals home game

Rising NHRA Drag Racing A/Fuel sensation, Ashley Sanford will be the guest of honor at the Kansas City Royals home game on Wednesday, May 20th. Sanford will be throwing out the opening pitch in their game against the Cincinnati Reds in front of the hometown crowd at Kaufmann Stadium in Kansas City.

I am so honored and blessed to be given such a memorable and amazing opportunity! I’m currently crossing my fingers that I won’t trip or throw the ball at someone’s face,” says Sanford about the game opening first pitch duties.

Ashley Sanford’s Gelish A/Fuel drag racing team arrives in Kansas for the NHRA Topeka National event, where she will be competing.

Join Team Angelle

May 16, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Star Racing and three-time NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Angelle Sampey just announced a crowd funding fan sponsorship campaign called Join Team Angelle designed to provide fans with unique opportunities to get closer to the action and the inner workings of the drag racing team. Today at the 35th Annual Summit Racing NHRA Southern Nationals, Star Racing team owner George Bryce and Angelle Sampey-Drago, the winningest female motorsport athlete in history held a press conference at the Atlanta Dragway to share the details of the new campaign.

Join Team Angelle

The team announced that through a new website JoinTeamAngelle.com, visitors will have access to latest news and behind-the-scenes perspectives from Sampey and Bryce, through team blogs, YouTube videos and social media posts from the track, the shop and testing grounds. JoinTeamAngelle.com also allows fans a chance to get involved in the action, with details on sponsorship opportunities that have been designed to deliver enhanced access to the team and one-of-a-kind collectables from Team Angelle and Star Racing.

When I was asked to return to the NHRA circuit last year by George and Jackie Bryce of Star Racing, the overpowering pull that ultimately brought me back to the track was my connection with our fans. At Star Racing, we believe that the time has arrived to change the dynamics involved with funding a race team. Through this campaign, we are striving to provide our fans with opportunities to enjoy unmatched experiences,” said Sampey.

One of the crowd favorites, Angelle regularly interacts with fans online and at the track between rounds, sharing information about her life on the road, her family and other interesting aspects of her colorful personality. Faced with an uncertain future in funding of her program, she was bombarded by fans who wanted the opportunity to help.

Over my more than 40 years in racing, I’ve lost count of how many fans I’ve met who have a deep love for our sport and also have the desire to get as close as they possibly can to it. The passion people have for our sport and the support our fans continually provide for our Star Racing Team continues to amaze me,” said Bryce. “Those fans who become members of Team Angelle will have access to unique experiences that promise to bring fans closer to our team in a significant way.”

From a $100 Join Team Angelle membership to event sponsorships of $7,500 and above, the crowd funding program offers a range of options which seek to provide fans with memorable benefits. The team has structured its sponsorship levels to place experiences within reach of fans and it has also designed the upper-level sponsorships packages with smaller and mid-sized businesses in mind.

Through the success of this campaign, we believe that we will consistently race to the Winner’s Circle and we will be in the hunt for the Championship this season,” said Sampey. “We also believe the time has arrived to give fans the opportunity to see the inner workings of a NHRA team. The packages we are offering to our fans as memberships have been designed to provide unique experiences that will take our fans behind the ropes of our race operation.”

There is no doubt that Angelle has what it takes to return to the winner’s circle and capture the winningest driver in the class, a feat she trails by 4 wins. She has already overcome a season-ending injury late last year, powering through rehabilitation and training to return to the bike in time for the season opening Pro Stock bike race. Since her return from retirement, there has been a different vibe surrounding her team. The vibe is a more personal feeling, a closer connection to fans that may be attributed to the old adage, “absence only makes the heart grow fonder”. Her long awaited homecoming has been a treasure appreciated on both sides.

I’ve been in winner’s circle and held the championship trophy many times in my career, but our success this year promises to be the sweetest one of all. This year, we will have a special opportunity to share our victories in the most meaningful of ways with our fans,” said Bryce.

Watch Angelle and George’s Announcement

For more information on the fan sponsorship campaign, visit JoinTeamAngelle.com.

Monster Energy Top Fuel unveiled

May 15, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Brittany Force debuts new Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster

Brittany Force and John Force Racing just unveiled their new Monster Energy Top Fuel Dragster at the 35th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, GA. The unveiling took place in the Force Racing pits amidst the media and spectators.

The 3 year sponsorship announcement for the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster was made Wednesday by Monster and the John Force Racing team.

Photos: Gary Nastase Photography/ John Force Racing

Monster Energy last appeared in NHRA competition with the support of Kenny Bernstein’s Monster Energy Funny Car. Brittany and Courtney are credited with landing the sponsorship deal for John Force Racing, presenting their motorsports / female racer pitch to the company themselves and working out the details of the arrangement. Company executives were so impressed by the women’s business savvy and presence, they were sold on the idea. John Force himself had tried many times for a meeting with Monster related to sponsorship, but was unsuccessful at ever even gaining a meeting.

Changes for Taylor Ferns at Plymouth Speedway

May 15, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Although it won’t be the first time for Taylor Ferns at Plymouth Speedway, there won’t be much familiarity for 20 year-old sprint car racer entering this weekend’s Engine Pro Sprints on Dirt event. Since her last visit to the Indiana track, it has undergone a conversion from a half-mile paved configuration to three-eighths-of-a-mile dirt format. Her last appearance at the track was at the wheel of a midget three years ago, and returns this weekend aboard the Eco-Mend/Jimmy’s Towing Maxim, a winged sprint car.

Taylor Ferns ready for Plymouth Speedway

Saturday, May 16th begins the action for the Engine Pro Sprints event, presented by ARP. A full racing program is on tap for the winged 360-sprint car series based in Michigan. Taylor’s last 360-sprint car experience came last fall at Waynesfield Raceway Park in Ohio, where she won a heat race and started eighth in the main event. Contact with another car led to a flip on the second lap, which ended her night.

Going from a 410 (sprint car) to a 360 (sprint car), I think easier than going from a 360 to a 410,” explained Ferns. “Everything happens a lot slower in a 360, and it is easier to adapt. A big difference is that they usually draw for starting spots in a 360, so you have to try to pass a lot of cars in order to get a good starting spot in the main event.”

Previous track experience of little value

Ferns’ most recent start at Plymouth in 2012 with the Honda USAC National Midget Series yielded a third-fastest qualifying effort for that event, her best-career qualifying effort with the series. She ran fourth in a heat race, finishing 10th in the main event. During the same season, she also raced with the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour.

Prior to that, Ferns competed in a co-sanctioned race with the USAC D1 Midget Series and STARS National Midget Series, finishing 10th in a 40-lap feature, after winning a heat race in 2011. She made her debut at Plymouth in 2009, with the Kenyon Midget Series.

Having been to Plymouth before will help, but that’s probably about the only thing we can take away from our last trip there to this time,” said Ferns. “It’s going to be a completely different experience. We’ve had a tough start to the season, so we are looking to get things turned around at Plymouth.”

Last weekend, Ferns raced at Eldora Speedway in Ohio, which featured both the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series in the “Mother of All Sprint Car Weekends.” Though she would finish ninth in the third heat race and wound up 14th in the B-main during the Friday opener, she encoutnered engine trouble in time trials Saturday that forced her to scratch for the remainder of the race program.

Two weekends ago, Ferns competed at Atomic Speedway in Ohio with the Ohio Valley Sprint Car Association. She finished fourth in the first heat race to transfer to the main event. In the A-Feature, she finished 17th.

We have been trying some different things, so hopefully we can have a good weekend and everything will go smoothly,” said Ferns. “We have had so much going on this year and haven’t been able to catch a break, so a smooth weekend is what we are after.”

What could have been… Pro 5.0 Maverick

May 14, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Here’s a little-known Throwback Thursday fact for you!

Back in late 2004, just after I had made the decision to try and sell my beloved Drag Radial coupe off to chase my Pro 5.0/Pro Mod dreams, there was another path that almost came to fruition. Before the Thunderbird, before even the radial car found a new home, there was another Ford that almost became my first Pro 5.0 race car.

1972 Pro 5.0 Maverick

Wanting to move up to the Pro 5.0 class and end my long run in Drag Radial to pursue faster time slips, I knew I needed to find a full tube chassis car on a very limited budget, hoping that I could transplant my build little 302-based turbocharged bullet into it for a rookie run at Pro 5.0. A long-unfinished Pro Street project from back home at Lugo Performance sat untouched, but posed a perfect opportunity for a partnership. Dennis made a few calls, and it was agreed that I could pick up the car and get to work on putting my engine/transmission combo in for a joint Pro 5.0 Maverick venture.

A trip down to Florida, and the car was brought back up to Parker Chassis to get down to work. We started mocking up mid-plates and removing the sheet metal to send out for powder coating, Unfortunately, early in the process, I received another phone call. Apparently, the owner’s wife wasn’t too keen on having someone else racing the car, and they decided against continuing. It put a damper on my spirits at the time, but it wasn’t too long afterwards that I got a message from good friend, Mike Herring — a lead on the Thunderbird that would give me my great start in Pro Mod.

But, had it come to fruition, this would have been the first Horsepower & Heels Pro 5.0 Race car, a 1972 Pro 5.0 Maverick.

What a difference in what Horsepower & Heels’ first Pro Mod could have been!

Pippa Mann uninjured in Indy practice crash

May 14, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Pippa Mann, one of two women racing to qualify for the 99th Annual Indianapolis 500, suffered minor injuries in a practice crash late afternoon Wednesday. Her #63 Dale Coyne Racing prepped Honda got sideways exiting turn 4, sending her down the bank and into the edge of the pit wall before spinning wildly back to the high side of the bank.

Bruised and Sore

Mann suffered a few bruises and general soreness, but was cleared by the track medical staff. She told press that losing control was a mistake on her part, an unfortunate result of her infrequency in the seat leading up to this event.

I have a few new bruises, and I’m making friends with some ice packs tonight, but I am fine. I am, however, completely gutted for all of the hard working crew who now have to put a race car back together again,” said Mann following the incident.

Prior to the crash, she had posted the 14th fastest lap time of the 33 cars in practice Wednesday. Her team will try and repair the damage for Pippa’s qualifying runs this weekend. With Pippa Mann uninjured, she remains focused on the primary objective of her Indy 500 race quest, to represent and raise money for the Susan G. Komen organization in the fight against Breast Cancer.

If you really want to cheer me up tonight… There’s a certain campaign that stays rolling even while the race car is down!!

Mann’s Get Involved campaign has raised over $29,000 for Susan G. Komen, with 13 days to go before it reaches its conclusion just after the close of the Indy 500. Fans can contribute by visiting pippamann.com/getinvolved or following #GetInvolved in social media.

Watch the Pippa Man crash from Indianapolis (video: Indycar)

Brittany Force lands Monster Sponsorship

May 13, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

The long-awaiting announcement of the primary sponsorship on the Top Fuel dragster of Brittany Force was just announced. Monster Energy Drinks has come on-board at John Force Racing to fully-fund the program, starting at this weekend’s 35th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta, GA. The contract with Brittany and the Top Fuel operation will extend for the next 3 years as a primary sponsor, with associate billing on the rest of the John Force Racing camp.

Monster Sponsorship

VP of Sports Marketing for Monster Energy, Mitch Covington, is excited for the company’s return to drag racing, having previously backed veteran driver, Kenny Bernstein in 2006.

““You can’t even mention drag racing without including John Force and John Force Racing,” said Monster Vice President of Sports Marketing Mitch Covington. “Their winning dominance and high performance heritage are simply unmatchable. John is a personality that actually transcends the sport and his daughter Brittany is every bit the fierce competitor as her dad – and she’s a lot prettier than John. The next generation of JFR, Monster Energy is thrilled to have Brittany at the controls of the Monster Energy Top Fuel Dragster this season. Monster is all about unleashing the beast, and there is no other beast like a 10,000 horsepower, asphalt wrinkling, Nitro guzzling dragster.”

Having tried to make in-roads himself with Monster previously no to avail, news of a meeting from persistent efforts by Brittany and Courtney left him skeptical. But the girls were able to put the presentation and pitch together, landing a deal that pleasantly surprised Force.

John Force first approached us about this deal over a year ago, but it wasn’t his presence that sold this opportunity,” said Covington. “The credit for this goes directly to Brittany and Courtney Force, who were the ones that really delivered the presentation, and put this deal into motion.”

“When the meeting finally occurred with Monster, you could already feel an electricity in the room. It was as if they were already Brittany’s best friends. I am so proud of this next generation, because they are showing they have what it takes not only on the racetrack, but that they are doing what it takes on the business end as well.” John Force, CEO of John Force Racing, Inc.

Monster’s activation of their brand and their athletes is also a great added bonus to the partnership between the companies. Known for the cross-promotion of their athletes across a wide variety of different extreme sports, Brittany’s likeness would join that of Ken Block, Rob Dyrdek, Vaughn Gittin Jr and many more in the Monster camp. The expected involvement with NHRA Drag Racing will be similar to their presence with NASCAR in terms of marketing activation, with some limitations in respect to the series title sponsor, also a beverage company.

Brittany Force could not be more pleased with the pairing, saying that her entire team are huge fans of Monster, stocking the drinks in their pits long before the announcement was made.

I am so excited to be teamed up with Monster Energy as the primary sponsor on my Top Fuel Dragster. You see the Monster logo on everything from NASCAR to Action Sports and to have them back in the NHRA seems like a perfect fit. The great thing about partnering up with Monster is how easy it will be for me to promote their brand because my team and I love to drink Monster. I can’t wait to get them into the winner’s circle. My whole team is fired up and we will definitely unleash the beast starting this weekend,” said Brittany.

The team is expected to debut their full Monster Energy livery at this weekend’s NHRA event in Commerce, GA .

Shannon McIntosh launches new website

May 13, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Newly redesigned ShannonMcIntosh.com

20 year racing veteran Shannon McIntosh has just announced the launch of her newly redesigned website, www.shannonmcintosh.com. Starting when she was just a child, Shannon has driven over 30+ cars in a wide range of motorsport categories, anything from Quarter Midgets, Micro Sprints, Dirt Late Models, Indycar and most recently ARCA stock car racing. She has amassed over 100 wins, and race on over 50 tracks across the county.

Moving and planning for the future

The Ohio-born McIntosh recently relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina from the St. Petersburg, FL area, and is currently exploring some Late Model (pavement) and Dirt Track racing opportunities. She is focused on securing new sponsors and marketing partners for a full-time racing return.

Be sure to check out her new site, and stay tuned for more updates on her racing career.

FiA Women in Motorsports Newsletter

May 11, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

The FiA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) has a wonderful newsletter dedicated to Women in Motorsports and a page devoted to archiving news for the ladies called Auto+ FIA Women in Motorsports Newsletter.

The newsletter features coverage of women in all different forms of racing, from female drag racing drivers to ladies racing in open wheel and all-girl rally teams.

Check out the FIA Women In Motorsports Newsletter and page: http://www.fia.com/campaigns/women-motorsport/news

Re-inspired Vision and Direction of Horsepower & Heels

May 8, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

The Mission & Direction of Horsepower & Heels

2005 Horsepower and Heels — The Horsepower & Heels website back in 2005. (Courtesy: Wayback Machine)

In March 2005, after dabbling in self-learned website construction for a number of years on friends and family’s websites, I finally got the idea that I needed to build a website of my own. Initially, it was a site to update my family and friends, and to experiment with the brand new world of Blogging. (Do you know how many people asked me what the heck was a BLOG back then, lol?) During that time, I was in the process of selling my radial car, purchasing the Pro 5.0 Thunderbird, and making all the changes to go Pro 5.0 racing.

From its start in early 2005, through my “golden season” in 2006, and even for a few years afterwards as we embarked on the new build, the site grew beyond my wildest expectations, averaging 10,000+ unique visitors a month. I found my voice in the racing world, and enjoyed the discussions I shared with readers who commented and contributed to the stories. During that time is when I began to struggle, and those readers really helped me through some tough times I faced alone.

The Dark Times

By 2009, I was pretty involved with fighting my personal battles. I felt myself starting to sound like a broken record of defeat on the racing front, as I just didn’t have the energy available to take on my struggles and finish the race car too. That alone quieted the blog significantly from past years, but the final nail in the coffin was actually on the technical side. Long story short, my blogging platform ceased support to externally hosted blogs, so while my content remained, I no longer had the ability to add new blog posts or update without starting over on a new website.

Examiner.com

Not having much in the way of energy to devote to the daunting task of setting up a new website and hand-transferring 4+ years of content, I decided to try another outlet for my writing in March 2010. I signed up to be a columnist for Examiner.com, and was granted my own Women In Motorsports column after a few months of other assignments proved my merit for the site. Always a labor of love (I probably made less in the past 4 years on all of my articles than the cost of all the Lattes I bought staying up late to write them), I had always hoped that being part of a larger News organization would grow my readership and my catalog of published work vastly, until that ever-elusive motorsports PR/Freelance position would finally materialize (still waiting).

Changing Direction

4 years and 450+ articles later, I believe I have accomplished all I set out for with my Examiner.com Women in Motorsports column. Even after I was finally able to relaunch the new site in October 2011 on the improved WordPress platform, I still had a hard time leaving my Examiner column behind. It gave me a voice when my site was broken, and allowed me to continue to support all female racers and women competing in motorsports. I am proud of the work I did and the wonderful press relationships that were made during these years.

But now that I am finally feeling 100% again, and able to invest the time and effort into making Horsepower & Heels everything I originally envisioned it could be for Women in Racing, I have re-evaluated my role with Examiner. Though Examiner is a mass-media platform, my column was a highly specific niche and thus never more than a ripple on the site’s radar. The majority of my readers were those sent to the articles via my own promotional efforts, and not a result of a larger Examiner readership. The reality is, I was putting in hours of work to not own any of the content, all for essentially free.

Women in Racing Advocacy

I don’t want to lose the work I’ve done there, so I still plan to write once or twice a month for Examiner (the minimum to keep my column active), but will now concentrate my effort on bringing content to THIS WEBSITE again. I’ve set aside an entire category for Women in Racing, from regular news updates (much like what you’ve seen on Examiner), featured sites related to ladies in racing, resources for women in motorsports, and much more. There’s a lot of housekeeping work still left to do to make it more user friendly, but I plan to continue to expand and grow this site as a powerful central source for all girls out there racing, to best tell our stories and celebrate our successes. I hope you will continue to follow my work here, as I would love to hear and interact with all of you like never before.

Thanks for allowing me to chase my passion and advocate for all Women in Motorsports, then, now and into the future.