by Dylan Trujillo

CORRESPONDENT

National Hot Rod Association's funny car points leader and last year's Hottest Athlete in Sports, Ashley Force, came out with Ford Racing to experience first hand what Miller Motorsports Park (MMP) and its road course has to offer.

"This is an unbelievable place, I want to come back out here," Force said.

In the middle of the season, Force and the Ford Racing team didn't have much time to stay. This past Wednesday and Thursday Force and teammates Robert Hight, and Mike Neff all hopped into MMP's school Mustang cars and learned what it's like to experience a turn here and there.

"This was a great learning experience, I have a new appreciation for road racing now," Force said. "When you grow up in something you have your heart with it, my heart is definitely with drag racing."

On the first day the team was taken out in the skid cars where they learned how to handle losing control of the car. They were then taken out with instructors in the school Mustang series, after they got the hang of the course and how to control the speeds around the turns, they were moved up a class into the Mustang challenge series. "These cars are close to what we drive on the street." Force said.

Because there are many types of racing a driver can be considered a legend in one and an amateur in another.

"A person that can hit a baseball doesn't mean they can hit a golf ball," Ford Racing Director Dan Davis said. Force, Neff, or Hight were able to keep their cars on the track without any spinouts. "It took me a long time to get the lines, I used to play arcade games and I thought you had to be in as far as possible but it's not like that at all," Force said. "In these cars you have to be prepared of what is ahead of you, if you just take it turn-by-turn things won't go so well for you."

"The funny cars are completely different, in the funny car you really don't have time to react, in the Mustang your brain has the time to register what is happening." Hight said. There is a huge difference between a straight quarter mile and a multi-lap track, and the cars might be a little different too.

When the team was told about Tooele, the thought that crossed most of their minds was where the heck is that?

"I was told it was in Tooele County, I thought middle of the desert." Force said. "I was nervous about coming out here I didn't know much about road racing, or Utah, but when I got here it is so beautiful, the mountains are so nice. The staff out here is so nice." Out on the course the instructors were helping them with every detail that was done right or wrong.

"The instructors were so nice it was nice racing without pressure." Force said. Throughout the day the instructors and everyone out there kept pressing Ashley about her father and legend John Force, if he would come out and race. "I talked to him about it and he told me that he would if it were private," Force said.

"We want all the Ford Team out here. You leave here a better driver." Davis said. "It also shows the diversity of Ford Racing."