Mike Ashley has plenty to be thankful for these days. The former Pro Modified champion-turned-Funny Car driver has had the car to beat at the last three events on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing schedule, and for him having that title is sufficient for now. He just hasn’t reached the winner’s circle yet.

That’s the Ashley way. Take a situation that would frustrate an average drive and put a positive spin on it. Three consecutive pole positions have yielded runner-up, semifinal, and first round finishes.

“It’s not disheartening at all — because I really look at the whole picture,” Ashley said of his performance thus far. “I’ve been racing a long time, and I know that when two cars go to the line, one wins, the other doesn’t.  That’s racing. We’ve been Funny Car racing for a year and half, almost two, and I’ve been the owner/driver for, what is it now, seven races?  We’ve come so incredibly far in such a short time — it’s very positive.”

That’s why Ashley cannot be angered with less than a win. Following his semifinal departure at St. Louis, Ashley joined members of his crew in a post-race meal and a few minutes into the silent gathering uttered, “Did you think we’d see the day when a semifinal finish would bum us out?”

Ashley needed to look no further than 2005 to gain inspiration.

“Well, when we were doing so well in Pro Mod, we’d won four in a row, then [teammate Coughlin] Troy won, and then we won again -- we were all disappointed that we didn’t win them all — because you get accustomed to success. It’s something that comes with being prepared and working hard

”Bummed? Not really — just, well, we wanted to win — but I know that will come when the time is right. I can’t force the win. I just have to let everything work together.  It’s going to happen, really soon. I know — but look, I’m fourth in points — and come September, that’s what counts, and that’s how this championship will be won.  Not by going out and just winning a race. It’s a marathon season, and this is just the beginning.”

THE PROGRAM

Ashley has made it public knowledge that he and his crew have found something that has led to their recent success and he even provided a hint where it can be found.

“We made a significant change on the chassis of this car,” Ashley said. “It has made it much easier to drive. We’ve made a significant discovery inside the car between the chassis and the clutch that has helped us to develop a measure of consistency. We are able to apply the power better. We can do it when it is hot or cold. We found this in testing. Having a consistent car means round wins.”

Ashley’s success oddly enough appeared after multi-time Funny Car champion Mark Oswald tested the car in Las Vegas. Yes, the car qualified on the pole in Vegas, but lost in the first round.

After Oswald? The team netted a runner-up and a semifinal finish. Nothing conveys experience better than a past champion taking the wheel.

“Mark is such an amazing guy — talented and brilliant,” Ashley said. “I was really excited to get his input when he got in the seat again — and he even said it himself; this thing is fast.  What we found, well I could tell you, but I’m the driver, not the crew chief — that’s Mark and Brian and Chuck and Steve — it’s their call, and they did learn a lot — from all of the testing we did. It is good to have Mark’s input on driving, because he has so much experience, and he can translate what the car does into what to do in the engine and things — that’s something I’m not trained in.  So, in a round about way — yes, it definitely helped having him drive, and the results are obvious.”

THE ONE-TWO PUNCH

Ashley is quick to convey that employing a team concept has been the secret of his success. He has employed a potent one-two punch by having test drivers Dean Skuza and Oswald make the necessary research and development runs. That has been a must for Ashley, whose mortgage industry has experienced some tough times in 2007. Having the two veteran drivers offer input has amounted to having a second and third set of eyes behind the wheel and another opinion to convey to crew chief Brian Corradi.

“If you really look at it, this whole thing is a team effort; it’s not really about any one person,” Ashley said. “I built Lend America by getting the best people in place, communicating my vision, training them, giving them the tools and resources they needed, encouraging them, and really just letting them loose. The race team is the same way — we all work together, and it’s a great, no, incredible group of guys. It really works like this — because I have Dean and Mark testing, I can go work on Lend America and not worry about the team — because it’s in such good hands.

”It doesn’t take much research to know that the mortgage industry has been really rocky as of late, and I have had to focus a lot on it in order to keep things moving in the right direction. I’m so busy there, and I have confidence over here racing with everyone and everything — they are awesome, and I really put my life in their hands every time I strap in. I trust them all.

”After every run, we all get together and analyze what happened, and I really don’t think I miss much — but, more eyes is better because of their perspective, so, yeah, It all works together.”

For Ashley, it’s a common theme. Seek out the input of as many champions as you can. 

“After all of that, I sit with Frank Hawley to go over the driving part of things, and how I can improve on that, so, we’ve got a lot of great input — and, like I said before, the results are obvious,” Ashley said. “I’ve never been afraid to get the help I needed in order to get to where I wanted to be or to change something that needs to be fixed.” 

If Ashley has a choice, he’d prefer testing in a testing venue and not during qualifying.

”Testing is the key to the success of any program, not just ours,” Ashley said. “Think about it — if you don’t test, you’re using qualifying to try to work things out — and if you screw up on one little thing, you get behind the eight ball and can end up with a DNQ. Trust me — I know about that!  I don’t care if it’s a Super Comp car, a Pro Mod, or a rocket ship — you have to test things out before you get to the performance.  It’s being prepared, and success comes when preparation meets opportunity. We’re just at that intersection right now — and having a great time.”

THE CORRADI FACTOR

Ashley and crew chief Brian Corradi first teamed up when the driver left Worsham Racing last summer to join forces with Don Schumacher Racing. Corradi had previously assisted on the Whit Bazemore team. Mark Oswald had the chore of tuning Ashley prior to the move but elected not to go to DSR.

Once Ashley and sponsor Evan Knoll left DSR, Oswald happily joined Corradi as assistant crew chief, along with Steve Boggs.

Ashley knew all to well what to expect from Corradi. After all, when Corradi was tuning for Frank Pedregon, the two used to play Ashley like a fiddle. Corradi’s “team first” philosophy would prove to be a perfect fit with Ashley’s philosophies.

Teaming with Ashley could be considered as Corradi’s best opportunity to shine. 

“It’s not really about me — we just figured some things out about this particular car and how it reacts in certain circumstances, and we’ve been able to put it all together at one time,” Corradi said. “We have a great team with Steve Boggs, Mark Oswald, Chuck, Dan, Robb, Tom, Mick, Ben, Cameron, Bob, Danimal, Country, even Hershell — did I miss anyone? Probably — but, the point is — we’re all showcased here. Sometimes, I just feel like it’s my family on the line when we go out there. It’s personal, it’s business — it’s racing. Period — and we’re a team.  Angelo tells me there’s no ‘I’ in team — and like to admit it or not, he is right in that case. Mike has given us the very best, and Evan supports us — and that’s an exciting place to be. Good things come in time for all of us, and we all work hard to get there.”

THE FORCE FACTOR

You had to feel sorry for Ashley. He gained his first career pole position in Las Vegas and John Force stole the headlines when his 395-race qualifying streak was broken.

He repeated the feat in Atlanta and John Force racing daughter Ashley in Sunday’s first round nabbed top billing in the media.

The three Force cars were qualified 1-2-3 when Ashley pulled to the line for his final qualifying attempt in St. Louis and from there he wrote his own headline with a 4.799 elapsed time with a track record 331.77 mph blast.

It has been more than two years since another Funny Car driver qualified on top for three consecutive events. You guessed it – John Force did it in 2004.

Ashley powered past the pack in the heat of the day with a blistering 4.799/331.77 run. His speed once again set a track record, eclipsing the mark of 330.23 mph set by Gary Scelzi in June 2004. Ashley's speed also surpassed every Top Fuel Dragster, making his Torco Race Fuels Dodge Charger literally the fastest car on the grounds.

"I learned from my Pro Mod days that you win championships by being consistent, and this car is definitely that. Every lap counts, every round counts, every point counts, and we're all working together to reach the goal of reaching the Countdown to Eight in Indy, and then working forward from there," Ashley said.

STARTING FROM THE TOP

Ashley says that the best offense is a strong defense.

“I think psychologically everyone handles racing differently,” Ashley said. “I’ve won a couple of Pro Modified championships and never went after anyone. I never think about the guy in the other lane. I only think about me. I have to race the race track in front of me and I can only do what I can do.”

 Ashley’s been tempted to jump into the head games a time or two.

“We come out there and give the race track what it can take,” Ashley said. “We’ve gotten bit by the bug that entices us to back it down to make it down the track and then we end up shaking the tires. Basically we go out and give the track what we think it will take and don’t worry about what position we are qualified in or who we are racing against.”