Ashley Force Hood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ashley Force Hood |
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Force at SEMA in 2007
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| Born | Ashley Corinne Force November 29, 1982 Yorba Linda, California, U.S. |
| Retired | 2011 |
| Related to | John Force (father) Laurie Force (mother) Daniel Hood (husband) Adria Hight (sister) Courtney Force (sister) Brittany Force (sister) Robert Hight (ex brother-in-law) Graham Rahal (brother-in-law) Autumn Hight (niece) Jacob and Noah Hood (sons) Harlan Rahal (niece) Tinley Rahal (niece) |
| National Hot Rod Association | |
| Years active | 2007–2010 |
| Teams | John Force Racing |
Ashley Corinne Force Hood (born November 29, 1982) is a former professional drag racing driver. She raced Funny Cars for John Force Racing in the NHRA. Ashley is the daughter of John Force, a 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion. Her mother is Laurie Force. She is married to Daniel Hood, who also works for John Force Racing. Ashley took a break from racing in 2011 to have her first child. After her son was born, she decided to retire from competitive racing.
In November 2007, Ashley was named the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series' Rookie of the Year for the Funny Car division. On April 27, 2008, she made history. Ashley won her first NHRA professional race at the Summit NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, Georgia. She beat her own father in the final round. This made her the first woman ever to win a Top Fuel Funny Car event.
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Ashley's Drag Racing Career
Ashley started her racing career in 2004 in the Top Alcohol Dragster class. She quickly showed her talent by winning three of the last five races that season. This included a big win at the 50th annual Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. She also won the season-ending event in Pomona. At the Pomona race, she and her father both won their categories. This was the first time a father and daughter had won races together in NHRA history. Ashley finished her rookie year ranked fourth in national driver points.
Racing in 2007
In 2007, Ashley moved up to the professional ranks. She began driving a Castrol-sponsored Mustang Top Fuel Funny Car for her father's team, John Force Racing.
In April, Ashley and her father made NHRA history in Atlanta. They became the first father and daughter to race against each other in a professional round. Ashley won that race with a fast time of 4.779 seconds and a top speed of 317.05 miles per hour (510.24 km/h). She reached the semifinals, which was the best finish for a female Funny Car driver at that time.
Later in October 2007, at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Ashley reached another milestone. She became the first female to compete in a national series Top Fuel Funny Car final round. However, she was narrowly defeated by Tony Pedregon.
Racing in 2008
Ashley started the 2008 racing season very strong. She reached the final round in three races in a row: Houston, Las Vegas, and Atlanta. Her first final of the year was on March 30 in Houston, where she lost to Del Worsham. At Las Vegas, she was beaten by Tim Wilkerson in the final. Even with the loss, she became the first female racer ever to lead the NHRA Funny Car points standings.
On April 27, 2008, in Atlanta, Ashley faced her father, John Force, in the final. John was trying to get his 1000th career round win. But Ashley won her first-ever NHRA Funny Car event that day. This was also the first win for a woman in the Funny Car class. She had a winning time of 4.837 seconds, which was one of the fastest of the weekend.
Racing in 2009
Ashley earned her second career event win on March 29, 2009, at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals. In the final race, she beat her former instructor, Jack Beckman.
Beckman later beat Ashley in the first round of eliminations at the next race in Las Vegas. However, Ashley then earned her fourth career #1 qualifier spot at the Southern Nationals. Beckman again beat her in the final at that event. Ashley also got her fifth career #1 qualifier at the Thunder Valley Nationals.
At the U.S. Nationals, Ashley beat her teammate Robert Hight. This win made her the first female Funny Car driver to win at Indianapolis. It also made her the first female driver to win in two different racing classes. She finished the 2009 season in 2nd place in points. This was the highest a woman had ever finished in Funny Car history.
Later Years and Retirement
On January 25, 2011, Ashley announced she would become the President of John Force Entertainment. This is a part of John Force Racing that creates media projects. At the same press conference, Ashley also shared that she and her husband were expecting their first child in August. She said she would take a break from racing for the season. Her father, John Force, drove her Castrol GTX Ford car that year. Mike Neff, a former driver, took over driving the Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford. Ashley's sister, Courtney Force, became a fourth driver for the team.
In January 2012, Ashley officially took on the role of President for John Force Entertainment. She did not say her driving career was completely over at that time.
In 2014, Ashley did some test driving for John Force Racing. She drove her sister Courtney's Funny Car during a testing session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This testing helped her renew her NHRA Funny Car license, which had expired. Having her license renewed means she can test or be a backup driver if needed.
Television Appearances
Ashley and her family were featured on the A&E reality show Driving Force. The show gave viewers a look into their lives and racing world.
Personal Life
Ashley has two younger sisters, Courtney and Brittany, who are also drag racers. She also has an older half-sister named Adria. On December 13, 2008, Ashley married Daniel Hood in Lake Tahoe. Daniel was the parts manager for the Castrol GTX Funny Car team. After getting married, she became known as Ashley Force Hood. On August 18, 2011, Ashley and Daniel welcomed their first son, Jacob John Hood.
Ashley went to Esperanza High School in Anaheim, California, where she was a cheerleader. In 2003, she graduated from California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). She earned a degree in communications, focusing on television and video. In 2007, an AOL Sports Poll voted her the "Hottest Athlete." She even beat famous athletes like Tom Brady and Danica Patrick.
Ashley and her husband own two American Bobtail cats named Simba and Gizmo. Their cats were even featured on Animal Planet's show Cats 101 on September 18, 2010.
Today, Ashley Force Hood is a director and runs her own production studio called John Force Entertainment. She creates new videos every week for her fans, which can be found on YouTube.
Images for kids
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Force at SEMA in 2007
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Force in August 2007
