ASHLEY FORCE PHOTO SEQUENCE
Ashley Force followed her father down the track in the second pairing
of Round 2. Right after he advanced by defeating Tony Pedregon, the
14-time champion praised his daughter’s progress but said that every
run provides a learning experience. He alluded to the rookie’s
accomplishments but joked, “It took me 30 years and I still suck!“
Ashley Force followed her father down the track in the second pairing
of Round 2. Right after he advanced by defeating Tony Pedregon, the
14-time champion praised his daughter’s progress but said that every
run provides a learning experience. He alluded to the rookie’s
accomplishments but joked, “It took me 30 years and I still suck!“
But within seconds, Ashley Force, running against Kenny Bernstein and
the Monster Energy Dodge Charger, hit the wall nearly head-on around
half-track as both she and Bernstein had to pedal their cars. Her
Castrol Ford Mustang fishtailed several times, crushed into the wall,
and spun around with a flash of fire, folding the body all the way
back.
She was unhurt, popping from her seat right away, even smiling and
within a minute wrapping her hair back in a ponytail and she spoke with
her dad and Safety Safari members.
“I am just fine,” she said gamely. “I am sorry for my family and team,
because I know what that’s like from watching my dad. I got into some
trouble. My team is great, and I trust them. We’ll be back at the next
race, at Sonoma.”
She said correctly that pedaling a car is not something a driver can learn without being forced to do it.
“That’s the toughest thing,” Ashley Force said. “In testing, you don’t practice pedaling.
I don’t have that experience. I can only get better by practicing -- but not like that!”
