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Congrats Force girls

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You know, nitro Funny Car driver Ashley Force-Hood has been having a heckuva year. She’s won several events, led the points chase, been to a handful of finals…. Girl is on Fire. (not literally. That would be BAD.)

Love it.

 

Courtney Force scored a win

But there are 2 more Force girls out there racing worth the mention, and one looks to me to be making quite the splash too. Younger Force spawn Brittany and Courtney are both competing in Top Alcohol Dragster while they are attending college. Courtney is also all over the internets with a column in USA Today and participating in all sorts of cool Fiesta Movement shenanigans. (check out her twitter here or youtube antics here)

 

This past weekend in Seattle, both younger sisters made it to the semi-finals, having to face off against each other. With Courtney taking the win in that pairing, she would be the lone Force car left heading to the final rounds for that day.
Courtney Force defeated Chris Demke in that final to score her first TAD win, the lone Wally in the JFR pit for the day.
I’m a huge fan of all the Force girls, but something just stands out to me about Courtney, and I’m really excited to see her move up and join her dad and sister in the nitro categories. I *suspect* it may just be in a JFR dragster and not the typical flopper, but its just a hunch and would be cool to see. My fear is that her eventual move to funny car may be filling the seat of her retiring dad, and I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.
Where ever she ends up, she seems to have the whole package: trademark Force good looks, articulate, engaging, and royal drag racing blood to boot.
Congrats Courtney on the first of many wins!

Another black and pink racecar

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One of the biggest things I’ve missed is my signature Black & Pink racecar paint jobs. Which is why I’m really excited that the other Erica racing is not only driving a Mustang this year too, but has gone with a Black/Pink color scheme for her DragStar Pro Stock ride.

Its been a tough road for racers lately, so I’m super excited for Erica Enders getting back to the Pro Stock arena. The car, which is sponsored by DragStar Racing, will be part of Cunningham Ford Pro Stock Racing program.
Amazingly, this year we are sharing not only the first name, but both of us are driving mustangs, and both cars will rock a similar paint scheme. Although I originally planned a similar Black/Pink theme based on my blog format, my car will now be a dark charcoal color with the pink/black accents instead.
With any luck, this will be the year for the Ericas Comeback Tour– Enders taking on the Pro Stock boys, and myself dealing with the Pro Street crowd! Good luck, Enders!

A million hearts just BROKE

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Congrats to NHRA Funny Car driver Ashley Force and Danny Hood, who tied the knot on December 13th in Lake Tahoe amidst a beautiful snowfall.

Guests included other drag racing families such as the Bernstein, Worsham and Wilkerson families.

It was snowing on my wedding day and my photographers said they didn’t care that we were going to go out and take pictures outside in the snow. I am glad they did that now but at the time I was freezing and I would have liked to have been in my firesuit. — Ashley Force-Hood

And what did the girl who is most comfortable in a 20 layer clutch-dust ridden firesuit and a helmet think of her billowy white wedding dress and formal attire?

It was kind of fun to wear a dress. I thought I might not like it as much as I did. I loved the dress I picked but I was kind of dreading being in a dress and heels all night. I was thinking this is going to stink and I am going to be so miserable and uncomfortable but I think that since it is your one day in your life that you do that you try and enjoy it. I snuck in and wore, not race boots but, Ugg boots kind of the same style. That made it a lot easier to take off the heels after a while and slip on those boots.” –Ashley Force-Hood

*Shhhh!*

 

That sound you hear is about a million hearts breaking across the Drag Racing nation, as the 2007 AOL Hottest Athlete of the Year is officially off the market now.

 

I wonder if she will now be Mrs. Ashley Force-Hood or if Danny will just be Mr. Ashley Force? Hmmm.

Congrats to the newlyweds from all of us here at Horsepower & Heels!

 

Photos: (top left) Flower girl and niece Autumn Hight, Ashley, and Danny. (bottom right) the Bridal party all bundled up and shivering for snowy wedding portraits

 

All Photos courtesy: NHRA.com

Features Site: Female Racing News

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First off,

WELCOME ALL NEW READERS AND SUBSCRIBERS!

Thanks for stopping by and supporting Horsepower & Heels! We really appreciate you, and hope that you stick around and enjoy life behind the scenes with Horsepower & Heels Racing as we are getting ready to annouce some big new things…. AND…. GASP! Get the CAR back out to the racetrack! (I know, FINALLY!)

I wanted to take a moment to tell you all about a new site that is launching, Female Racing News. As most of you know, I’m a huge supporter of anything related to women in motorsports, and FRN’s creator, Amanda Martin, is working to give all women racing a place devoted to sharing their news and promoting women in the sport.

FYI: H&H TV Episode 1 is the Featured Video on the site. 🙂

For those ladies involved in motorsports reading this, FRN is definitely one to add to your list. And if you’re the outspoken type (or like me, who never shut up), they’re even recruiting writers to contribute to site. (yes, look for my ramblings to appear in a future FRN article to be announced)

Non-Subscribers: If you want to stay up-to-the-minute on Horsepower & Heels, I invite you to check out the little subscribe box at the top right of this blog (and on the Horsepower & Heels TV page as well!). By plugging in your email, you will automatically be notified of new posts, so you never miss any of the action. Best part… its FREE! (and you’ll be helping me out with potential sponsors, so THANKS!)

Lookout Barbie, a new pink car in town

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Ashley Force is debuting a pink rendition of her Castrol sponsored Mustang Nitro Funny car at “The Big GO” in Indy this weekend.

As much as she’s a proponent of Girl Power, I wondered why she had never incorporated a pink theme into her graphics. Well, this weekend she will be racing a Bubble Gum Pink racecar as her Rookie of the Year themed entry. The special edition is a one-race appearance, so unfortunately it will be short-lived.
What a great idea in getting back to the Shirley Muldowney-inspired symbolism! Big thumbs up for this one!
(photo courtesey: John Force Racing)

Ashley Force poetry

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Found this on Ashley Force’s Myspace. I think its great!

‘Twas the Week Before Indy…..
‘Twas the week before Indy and all through the town
I ran last minute errands in my Mustang all around
To the dry cleaners to pick up my dirty fire suit
The hair salon to touch up and condition my roots
Packing my luggage…I’d be gone for 12 days!
The piles of clothes in my closet had become quite a maze!
So hopeful I was for this upcoming race
To beat up on the boys and try to take first place
For now the big challenge was not to win rounds
But to pack up my luggage in less than 50 pounds
Off to LAX airport we hoped not to be late
We checked in, went to security, then up to our gate
Race credentials and schedules filled up my bags
But of course I had room to grab a couple gossip mags!
Now I sit on this plane thinking of my upcoming week
The packed schedule of race teams is not for the meek!
But I made sure to relax and get my rest
To be ready for our upcoming race and feel my best
Indy brings many memories, some high some low
Now it’s time again, so here we go!
First we stop by Chicago to visit family
Then Florida to film a show about Sanyo TV’s
Tuesday we head up to Indy on an evening flight
In time for dinner at Andy’s for our weekly team night
Wednesday a press conference in downtown Indianapolis
We’ll talk about the Indy race that no fan will want to miss!
Some radio, newspaper and magazine interviews
I’ll talk about racing dad, and how I hope not to lose!
And also how motivated Team Force is to win
Then it’s back to our Indy shop to film with ESPN
Wednesday winds to an end but the fun just began
We’ll head to the bowling alley with our crews and their fam
I’m not too good at bowling unless it’s on Wii
If you’re in the lane next to me you might want to flee!
Early the next morning after a quick Starbucks run
It’ll be off to Ford to meet fans and have a little fun
A few more interviews and a trip to Wal-mart
Things for my trailer and the race, fill up my cart
We’ll head to our home (the Comfort Inn Suites)
To clean up and change…and rest our feet!
Then back to the city for a Mac Tools event
After that it’s to bed…what a week! I’m spent!
As I climb in to bed I don’t have to count sheep
While brushing my teeth I’d twice fallen asleep!
What a crazy but fun busy week this has been
And tomorrow is when the race will actually begin!
I can’t wait to get to the track with my team
Meet with sponsors and fans and drive that Funny Car machine
We hope to race and get qualified so that we can play
On the day we all look forward to racing on…Race Day!
National Anthem, Prayer and then the cars start
Engines roaring to life is for sure the best part!
Many memories and great times at this historic place
And now I’m so excited to be a part of the big Indy Race!

The year of girl power

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What a year its shaping up to be for women in Motorsports!

Danica Patrick started it off getting her first win for IRL in Japan. She became the first woman to do so for the league.
Then, Ashley Force grabs her first win in NHRA Funny Car at the Southern Nationals in Atlanta. Ashley became the first woman to ever win in NHRA Nitro Funny Car, making history in a win over her father.

She was followed close behind by Melanie Troxel also in Funny Car. Melanie became the first woman to win both in the Top Fuel and Funny Car categories, in only her 8th start in the floppers.
And now Hillary Will, the lone Top Fuel lady for 2008 grabs her first win in T/F Dragster!
Congratulations ladies and thanks for representing us women and what we are capable of in Motorsports!

Mother of drag racing

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Its Mother’s Day, and I thought I’d pay tribute to a different kind of mother…. the Mother of Drag Racing.

Shirley Muldowney is undeniably the Mother of Drag Racing. She came to find drag racing in its infancy, back in the 60’s, when women were not expected or ALLOWED to be involved in such a sport. She fought for acceptance when most would not allow her in their midst, gaining her NHRA competition license in 1965 through much trouble and discouragement. No only would she show that a female could drive a car faster than stock, but she worked up the ladder all the way to the pinnacle class of the sport, Top Fuel, where she competed for over 30 years.
Shirley’s hard fought battles opened the doors for all of us women in drag racing and in all motorsports. She was the first woman to win a major autosport in 1976 at the NHRA Spring Nationals, and went on to win 3 World Championships in her Top Fuel career.
Though the gender barrier can still sometimes exist today, Shirley pioneered the sport for all women and made it easier to be accepted in a man’s world. Each of us women involved in racing today owes a lot to the woman who fought the fight for us early on, and made our dreams possible.
This mother’s day goes out to our own Mother of Drag Racing, Shirley Muldowney!

Upper Body Strength: Fact or Fiction?

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I’ve been seeing a lot of commentary on the subject of upper body strength and driving the nitro cars…. funny car especially. Seems that many question whether women, at a natural disadvantage in the upper body strength department with their male counterparts, are physically able to handle the demands of driving one of these “beasts”.

In fact, earlier last year, when I had my dream interview with Don Schumacher about the possibility of piloting the Oakley Funny Car, one of the questions he asked was did I think I’d be able to “man-handle” the “beast” down the track, and that it was something he found concerning about women driving in funny car. It threw me off, and it was a question that never driving one, I couldn’t guarantee the answer for, and coming from one of the most knowledgeable people in the industry, it rattled me. Sure, if desire could move mountains, I’d be able to steer one with my pinkie and my eyes closed, but would it be a real problem??

Being that I want to best prepare for any possible opportunities, I’ve beefed up my training regimine in the upper body section, just in case. But as an aspiring driver, its a question that I’d like to know the REAL answer to. There has been more than one woman to pilot a funny car, and none I would consider to be overly-built in that area of strength (re: none of them were amazons or anything like that). Yes, women do have less upper body strength than males by nature, but is it really a cause for concern as many imply, on their ability to control the cars at speed?

It was a question that was largely repeated last year for Ashley Force entering the Funny Car Gentleman’s club. She had risen from the Top Alcohol Dragster ranks, and stories circulated about her inability to get the car down the track. That talk increased after her incident in Seattle. But was this more a case of a learning rookie driver or a direct result of lacking upper body strength?

Though I have never spoken to Ashley, nor do I know anyone with inside answers to any of these questions as it pertains to her, I do think we saw some truth to the struggles she had on episode #5 of Driving Force as she was getting her license. But, as I mentioned in my comparison then, I took it more to be the differences between men and women in how we approach learning something different. Women are more cautious, and use our “feel” a little more. Men, just strap in, hold on, and go about it with a more wild abandon. Melanie further backed up my feelings on it in her recent interview. Get us used to it a little more gradually, let us learn what it is we are feeling, and we’re on even footing.

Perhaps Melanie Troxel will be the better indicator as the latest female to enter the funny car world. Melanie was already a respected driver in Top Fuel, and although she seems much smaller in person than her website lists her 5’9″ 129lbs. frame, she definitely would be comparable in size to your average woman. Its too early to judge her driving at once race into the season, but her initial comments seems to disprove the myth of upper body strength being a major hurdle.

“I’d say when you’re actually driving and going down the track it’s not something that enters my mind, I can’t actually sit there and think, ‘Wow I can’t. This is hard to do.” Troxel said.
It’s definitely harder but I don’t think it’s so much harder that somebody couldn’t overcome it if they wanted to do that you could pretty easily.”

Either way, I’m not taking any chances. I’ll continue to go through the extra motions of beefing-up-the-up-top and make it a non-issue.

Source: Competition Plus