2011 Season Preview

Heading into 2011...

With some of the Lucas Oil Drag Race Series divisions already under way and the the NHRA season opening Winternationals this weekend Ashwell Racing, and team driver Jeff Ashwell, still have roughly 3 months to go before their race season officially begins. 2011 will be the teams' sophomore season in Division 6 and Jeff has set some lofty goals for himself and his team. Of course the number one goal would be to win a race. Also because more than likely to win a race you would have to beat reigning Division 6 Champion Brian Hough and perennial threat Clint Thompson, who are considered to be the powerhouses of Division 6 TAFC. Jeff only raced Clint once in 2010, at the LODRS event in Spokane with Clint winning, Jeff, though, went 0-5 against Hough throughout the year including a heartbreak final round loss at the LODRS in Woodburn. Not only was that Jeff's first final round appearance in his career it also captured the team their first round wins ever to get there which makes getting more round wins in 2011 another goal. Jeff earned three round wins in 2010, two at the LODRS in Woodburn and one at the LODRS in Medford, so getting more round wins would be great for a team who is known more for their match racing then their prowess in competition. One thing that held the team back was a frustrating clutch issue that started mid season and stayed with the team throughout the entire rest of the year which resulted in numerous parts breakage. For a low funded team it had a crushing outcome. In Medford, after getting by the first round Jeff and the team realized that they hurt yet another motor which resulted in them not being able to finish the race. A bye round in the semi's would've put them in the final round and possibly into second place in the final Division 6 standings. With that in mind car owner Todd Ashwell, Jeff's brother, and Greg Ashwell, Jeff's father, decided to sell all their old engines and to upgrade to newer, more competitive components. With respected alcohol tuner Norm Christensen coming back to lend his expertise the team is optimistic and hopeful that their engine woes will be behind them. Jeff and the team did finish in third place their first year out but with the likes of Ken Webster, Sean Bellemeur, John Evanchuk plus Hough and Thompson claiming Division 6 this year repeating might not be that easy but our driver is preparing himself for the challenge as well. Jeff, who is training to be in a triathlon has a strict work out and eating regime going on that not only has him mentally and physically sharp but it has also trimmed weight off the car to get it closer to the minimum weight allowed for TAFC set by the NHRA. "I really would like to break the 250 mph mark this season and if we can dip into the .60's this year, even better," says Jeff, who has gone as quick as a 5.74 at 248 mph, "I want to do all that I can mentally, physically, whatever, to make our team more competitive and for myself as a driver."

Ashwell Racing plans to attend all LODRS events in Division 6 plus the Division 7 race out of Fallon, Nevada. "I'm really looking forward to going to Fallon which is a track I've never been or raced at. Last year was my first trip to Mission and Spokane was my first time driving at night in a very, very long time. I enjoy the new challenges that this opportunity has given me," Jeff has said about the travelling and competing at different venues. "For a long time there my family and I just raced at Woodburn and maybe Madras. I love Woodburn Dragstrip, it's my home track, and my team and I have been racing there forever. We have more data there than we do anywhere else. I also can not wait to try out the new concrete race surface. Should be a cool time."

With all that had gone down in our rookie season the thing that we are most proud of is the recognition we got in the media. "We were the subject of a feature story in the Statesman Journal sport's section that had us on the cover as well as being selected by The Maple Valley Reporter for a preview article of the NHRA national event in Seattle. I also couldn't believe when I was contacted by respected drag racing journalist Kelly Wade for a feature article on Drag Race Central. I remember logging on to the website and saw my name and our car on the front page. That was huge", recalls Jeff, "Maybe if we have another successful year we can get into National Dragster. That would be the ultimate. I can't wait for the race season to begin. I can't wait to change my competition number to 63. Some people may think finishing third is a let down or a crummy season but we worked hard for that and proud to have it on the car. I also want to thank Wilson's Napa Auto for coming back this year as well as Walery's Pizza, and G & S Machine. This was and always will be a team effort and what can I say I got the best."