Ashley says a lot of her comfort on camera comes from her Cal State Fullerton college experience. Her radio/TV/film studies en route to a degree in Communications showed her what to expect when her own media opportunities arrived.
CSUF assistant professor Philippe Perebinossoff taught Ashley in several classes and said he was flabbergasted the first time he asked about her weekend plans and heard, “Driving my dragster.”
“She was probably the last person I would have expected to give that answer.”
Ashley has since returned to share racing and TV production stories with Perebinossoff’s students during Communications Week.
For her part, Ashley says she regrets not being more involved in campus activities during her college career. Mixing studies with racing left her with little free time.
“A lot of times I would go to school and then right to the airport to go racing,” she said.
These days, Ashley exercises her filmmaking muscles when Force Racing prepares promotional tapes for sponsors. And each year she makes a film that’s shown during the team’s Christmas party. A recent production featured her dad in the role of Scrooge. She titled it “The Bi-Polar Express.”
John Force admits he has made mistakes – that he neglected his family while he chased his early racing dream.
“Racing took me away,” he says, “but it’s given me a chance to come back.”
Ashley remembers a great childhood – one full of fast cars and fun times. She would travel with her mom to the summer races, where they would watch dad and hang out with his crew.
“I thought the crew members were the coolest guys,” she said. “I always thought that was what I wanted to do – to go out on the road and have fun with this big extended family.”
She never worried about her dad getting hurt, although she does recall when she was 6 or 7 seeing him crash at the track in Pomona. His chutes didn’t open, and the car flipped into the hard sand at the end of the run.
“The car caught fire, but no one was panicked, except that I thought he was still in the car,” Ashley recalled. “It turned out he had already gotten out and was on the other side of a fire truck, doing an interview. I remember feeling it was just normal.”
At 16, Ashley announced she wanted to race, too, and she enrolled in Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School in Florida. Then the real training began when she went on the road with her dad.
Now Ashley and her father share a passion – although she says she’s glad her racing experience won’t mirror his.
“For my dad, it’s all about the championships,” she said. “I know that even if I never win the championships, I’ll still race. I love the speed, the travel, meeting the people.”
With Ashley’s move to Funny Car will come higher expectations and more demands.
“The next few years are going to be tough,” she said. “I’ve done testing (in the Funny Car), but I know I haven’t even dipped into what’s going to be happening (this) year.”
Her dad said he worries every time Ashley gets behind the wheel. But it’s clear he couldn’t be more proud of her career choice or her accomplishments.
“I’ve told her, ‘You have the talent to win – I believe it’s in you,’” he said. “Without a doubt, she can be a champion.”
The view from inside a Funny Car is one of the worst in racing. A massive injector sticks up through the car’s fiberglass shell, obscuring a driver’s vision, and clutch dust can coat the windshield in a hazy film. But Ashley Force can see far enough down the road to know she’s headed in the right direction.
“There are demands and responsibilities, but I’m still having fun,” she said. “There’s no point in being out here if it isn’t fun. Hey, this is drag racing – we’re playing every day. And I’m having a blast.” 
