Driving an 8,000 horsepower, nitro-burning Funny Car can provide an excellent school of higher learning for a drag racer. The challenging of harnessing the inordinate amount of horsepower through a short wheelbase chassis demands the best from a driver and the experience can make even the most seasoned driver better for the experience.

 

Mike Ashley wholeheartedly subscribes to the theory. The two-time Pro Modified driver has returned to the comparably volatile world of fast doorslammer racing after a two-year hiatus while racing the NHRA POWERade division exclusively. He’s still seeking his first national event win since the return and the New York mortgage banker is banking on the idea this title could come during this weekend’s NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, Ga., located north of Atlanta.

 

Ashley admits a win for the Gotham City Racing operation would be huge, considering his partner Roger Burgess is based in Atlanta and calls Atlanta Dragway his home track.

 

Driving an 8,000 horsepower, nitro-burning Funny Car can provide an excellent school of higher learning for a drag racer. The challenging of harnessing the inordinate amount of horsepower through a short wheelbase chassis demands the best from a driver and the experience can make even the most seasoned driver better for the experience.

 

Mike Ashley wholeheartedly subscribes to the theory. The two-time Pro Modified driver has returned to the comparably volatile world of fast doorslammer racing after a two-year hiatus while racing the NHRA POWERade division exclusively. He’s still seeking his first national event win since the return and the New York mortgage banker is banking on the idea this title could come during this weekend’s NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, Ga., located north of Atlanta.

 

Ashley admits a win for the Gotham City Racing operation would be huge, considering his partner Roger Burgess is based in Atlanta and calls Atlanta Dragway his home track.

 

“You naturally want to win every race you enter but you get a few of them where you really want to win badly,” Ashley said. “I really want to win, but I would be probably more than excited if Roger were to win this one. When one of us wins; we all win.”

 

Ashley’s had more than his share of experience while racing in Pro Modified, dating back to his days as a pioneer of the class when it ran exclusively under the International Hot Rod Association banner. He is credited with scoring the first-ever No. 1 qualifying honor in 1990 and also won a national event title en route to a championship runner-up. The NHRA adopted Pro Modified in 2001 and since then has won eight times in eleven finals.

 

Statistics aside, Ashley’s really hoping to make an impact on the weekend’s racing action because of the exceptionally special weekend his team has planned. Ashley, Burgess and the Gotham City Racing team will undertake a fundraiser benefiting the Dream House for Medically Fragile Children on Saturday, April 27, at Chateau Élan Winery & Resort in Braselton, Ga.

 

The purpose of the event is to recognize the impact Dream House has in providing for medically fragile children.

 

“Listen, races will come and go, but when you can win for a worthwhile cause such as the Dream House, nothing else matters,” Ashley explained. “The points and money all take a backseat to this.”

 

Ashley has a precedent for racing under the inspiration of charity and winning. Last year, as a nitro Funny Car driver, Ashley honored the Eric Blake Faulkner Foundation at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis and won the most prestigious event in drag racing history. The Eric Blake Faulkner Foundation was formed in support of families who have lost children through miscarriage or at birth.

 

In addition to Ashley and Burgess, the entire Jegs ProMod field has verbally committed to run a Dream House decal on their cars ensuring the winning entry will promote the cause.