Media Matters: Force Hood's star rising higher
Phillip Gary Smith, go2geiger Media Columnist
Tuesday, 06 October 2009
I seized an opportunity to ask Ashley Force Hood non-typical questions thanks to a Ford Motor Company interview session with some of their top performers in auto racing, I wondered how Ashley views her perch as the top female motor sports driver on the globe, according to my observation. Her thoughtful response might surprise you.
“I think our (sport) is so much more difficult, and the fact that women are in it is old news since so many have gone before ... the focus is on my team and drag racing.”
Her comments carefully avoid exposing any lofty personal ego that would not represent the whole group-concept of JFR and carefully, by not reacting to the question of her ranking, dismissing any notion of her personal rising stardom.
She obviously is a magnet for all race fans but particularly for her gender by commenting, “It is so exciting to see so many women and girls at races.”
She reminisced on attending events as a little girl and “now I’m on the other side of the rope, I know how it is to be a fan.”
She put that wholesome attitude to good use at Memphis on Saturday morning, before the qualifying rounds, where she met with a Girl Scout troop accompanied by their dads. Asked by one trooper how schooling prepared her for this career, Ashley did not talk about studying motors and tires rather, “It might seem surprising, but for me writing and speech classes have really come in handy.” She probably had not yet realized her success in a racing life would be determined by tiny fractions of a second either.
And what happens when two women powerhouses in motor racing, Ashley and Danica Patrick, star in the IndyCar Series, get together at a social event? Ashley said, “Danica came over and introduced herself. We talked about weddings; we were two women race car drivers talking like girls.”
"NHRA RaceDay" show
Mike Edwards: “Making a mockery of Pro stock if he can avoid mistakes,” in a strong statement by Dave Rieff.
Thanks, G-Man!: Gary Gerould began an interview in the cool, wet morning by thanking the race fans who turned out in bad conditions to attend the show.
Lucas Oil Rapid Fire: Noted Top Fuel is continuing to be a battle right down to the end of the season, providing terrific drag race entertainment.
Advice for all: What can we learn from this sport to apply to the other parts of our lives? Plenty, such as this comment by Tony Schumacher on handling big moments:
“Recognize big moments, prepare for it, and be ready for it.”
Do-or-Dunn line: Mike Dunn’s mark separating those in the Countdown to 1 who are still "in it" from those who are likely already toast is taken seriously in the pits. John Force in his time on stage during the program talked about the pressure this designation puts on teams to stay on the rankings "good side," having to explain the situation to the key spectator at a race, the team’s sponsor. John went so far to say, “My whole life is trying to get above that line – I’ll prove it to you even if I crash trying.”
Way to go, Mike, making those hard calls .
Before the Memphis results are in, his line reflects the best races remain in the two nitro classes as the top five are on the good side of his mark. Both Pro Stock classes have three teams still in the running.
Is it possible for a team on the dark side of the line, in the "not likely" category, to win the Countdown? Although unlikely, some team could run the table, a kind of "Countdown Swing" like the Western Swing, winning max qualifying points, and end up as a winner. What a story THAT would be for the annals of drag racing.
Krista Marie imitation: Not likely to replace drag racing performer Krista in the singing department, but performed with as much heart, Hector Arana sang, “It feels good, ta-da da-da” when asked about his running a stunning Pro Stock Motorcycle elapsed time. It was a Miami version of a James Brown classic.
Rick Green of Summit Fast News was humorous in his understated way with this account:
“Right Lane: Hector Arana...Runs 6.851/195.03, Now #1...Best prior Run: 7.033/189.44, Was #12...I guess Arana must have solved his problems from yesterday. He makes a great pass here, the quickest in Pro Stock Motorcycle history, and he takes the pole for now.”
Having trouble keeping up with the points awarded during qualifying? Don’t sweat it, since Rick also keeps up with these for us and lists them at the conclusion of his daily reports.
Best action shot: Ever see a Pro Stock blower blow from the driver’s point of view? We got the chance by riding along with Jeg Coughlin.
Match-up to watch: Top Fuel teammates, Morgan Lucas and Shawn Langdon, are selected by Mike Dunn as the most interesting first round pairing.
Too much time away from home: John Force sent along an “I Love Mike Dunn” to the amiable co-host at Dallas, letting Mike off the hook for his blunt analysis of the conflict witnessed at Indy. While interviewing John on this week’s show, Mike reached over and, as best he could with one of those microphones wrapped around his mouth, bussed the Funny Car legend on the cheek. In polite circles, those are called ‘air kisses.’
Best ‘keeping a sponsor happy’ award: Referring to how comfortable he is in his Auto Club Ford Mustang Funny Car, Robert Hight exclaimed, “My Funny Car is driving as good as my F-150!”
Stat central: Where else would one find the Stat Man, Lewis Bloom, but in Stat Central? He cooked up this week’s stat-of-the-race that John Force is the first in drag racing history to be in the points contention for 25 years!
Sportsman Dallas Show
Dave Rieff announced the theme in the opening credits as “Young Guns and Heat,” perhaps an unintentional, but delightful, double entendre. Bob Frye commented on the soaring temperatures by uttering, “Unbearable!”
Best looking paint: Sportsman classes have the tops in cars and paint styles. My favorite was Jay Payne’s FireIce big flames on a white shell.
Best example of tire shake: With slow motion cameras, Brandon Lewis’ A/FD dragster bounces around wildly. This was so dramatic (“Worst I’ve ever seen,” noted Bob Frye) that Mike Dunn used it as an example to explain tire shake in the Memphis show.
Patron Tequilla Funny Car: Give Alexis De Joria credit for a grand performance at Dallas, particularly after her crash at Englishtown was replayed. Rick Green’s Summit Fast News account gives one enough material to imagine the potential horror:
“De Joria was trailing at 60 feet but got by (Fred)Tigges shortly afterward. As De Joria's car crossed the finish line, she let the chutes out. The chutes blossomed and came off the car. De Joria's car continued through the shutdown area and hit the first two safety nets and three rows of water barrels. De Joria was out of the car quickly and was walking around, so she appears to be okay.”
Not mentioned in the broadcast, but in the previous round at Englishtown Marty Nothstein suffered a similar crash:
At the end of the race, the chutes did not open on Nothstein's car. Nothstein hit the brakes hard and the car bounced as he tried to get it stopped. The car went into the sand trap and turned sideways as it hit the catch net. When the car hit the net, it turned over, then flipped back up on its wheels. Nothstein got out of the car right away and was walking around the shutdown area
Back to Dallas, Alexis makes the finals along with John Lombardo, Jr., both in their first ever race for a Wally. Lombardo passes her at the 1,000 foot mark to win the race, adding to father’s two wins back in the first half of the 1980’s. Quite a dramatic end for a dramatic class.
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