Meeting The Fans
Following our final-round finish at the NHRA Full Throttle event last week in Atlanta, Ga., we had a busy week ahead of us, though one of a very different kind away from racetracks, helmets and clutch dust. My father John, my husband Dan and I flew to Birmingham, Ala., on Monday morning to do an autograph signing for our sponsor Castrol. We went to a town called Chelsea and visited a Wal-Mart Superstore to sign autographs for employees and local fans.
For the past six months, Castrol has held a national contest for its Tire and Lube Express locations at Wal-Mart, and at the end of it, all the stores in Chelsea came out on top with the highest car count and best Castrol GTX High Mileage sales in the country. As the driver of the Castrol GTX funny car, this was great news, and I was excited to meet everyone. I wasn't sure what to expect since most of our autograph signings take place at or near a racetrack, but the people of Chelsea went all out for our arrival, and did a great job in making us feel welcome. Everyone was so nice, and when we arrived, there was a big banner on the front that said "Welcome John and Ashley Force." We met with all of the employees, their families and many local fans and people who happened to be shopping at Wal-Mart that afternoon. In its electronics department, there was a whole wall filled with televisions playing our racing footage. They also had cake for everyone and set up a wonderful display with our names spelled out of Coke cans and boxes. We met the mayor of Chelsea, Mr. Nivens Sr., who is the local law enforcement, and also visited with lots of race fans, many of whom had been in Atlanta.
Once our signing ended, it was off to the airport. I had a day and a half at home to get caught up, and then it was time to pack up again. I'm sponsored by Nordic Boats, and they invited me to Lake Havasu for the weekend to ride in their boats and take part in a poker run. My husband and I stayed with my cousins, Rob and Lori Ettinger, who are also close friends with Randy and Sandy Davis, the owners of Nordic Boat. We had a great weekend and relaxed, got some sun and saw some beautiful Nordic Boats in action. Everyone was so much fun and we had a fantastic time!
Now it's back to the races this week, in St. Louis, Mo. Though my routine is a little more what I'm used to, (sunscreen and bathing suits have been traded out for helmets and fire suits), I will proudly run my funny car with Castrol and Nordic Boats, along with all of my other great sponsors over the weekend and hopefully get them into another winner's circle. NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing is already off to another exciting and intense season even though we're only seven races in. It'll be tough, but I'll be out there fighting it out with the boys until the very end. I'll be the one with the nice tan!
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