Ashley Force Bradenton wrap up

ASHLEY EXITS EARLY IN LUCAS SERIES RACE AT BRADENTON

Coming off a victory in the ACDelco Gatornationals at Gainesville, Fla., that thrust her into the national Top Alcohol Dragster points lead, Ashley Force stumbled in the first round Sunday at Bradenton Motor Sports Park when she was guilty of a foul start against Artie Allen of Jacksonville, Fla.

After qualifying third at 5.337 seconds in the Castrol dragster owned by Jerry Darien and Ken Meadows, Ms. Force suffered just the second foul start loss of her career. She was joined on the sidelines at the Lucas Sportsman Series race by No. 1 qualifier John Finke, who also was guilty of a first round foul start.

The left things wide open for Aaron Olivarez, who won his second consecutive Southeast Division event and moved back into the national points lead, shuffling Ashley to the No. 2 position. Ashley likely will be able to exclude the Bradenton result in a complicated points system which allows drivers to race in eight national races and eight regional races and then claim the points in the five best at each level.

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Race Winners At-A-Glance:

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER: Aaron Olivarez, Sandy, Utah, 5.357, 270.92 mph, def. Arthur Gallant, Boxboro, Mass., 5.418, 272.71 mph.
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR: Danny Townsend, Muncie, Ind., 2005 Dodge Stratus, 5.692, 252.52 mph, def. Bob Newberry, Schenectady, N.Y., 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 5.825, 256.04 mph.
TOP SPORTSMAN: Jerry Duke Jr., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., 2000 Pontiac Firebird, def. Ronnie Davis, Suwanee, Ga., 1963 Chevrolet Corvette.
COMPETITION: Douglas Stewart, Edwardsburg, Mich., 2003 Dodge Stratus, def. Glen Treadwell, Sorrento, Fla., dragster
SUPER STOCK: Peter Biondo, Maspeth, N.Y., 2000 Pontiac Firebird, def. Dave Ficacci, E. Hanover, N.J., 2002 Pontiac.
STOCK: Jim Marshall, Scottsville, N.Y., 1980 Chevrolet Corvette, def. Todd Ewing, Cullman, Ala., 1967 Chevrolet.
SUPER COMP: Steve Cohen, Trilby, Fla., dragster, def. Corky Markwart, Pinellas Park, Fla., dragster.
SUPER GAS: Ron Erks, Clinton, Ohio, 1963 Chevrolet Corvette, def. Craig Porter, Silver Spring, Md., 1993 Ford Mustang.
SUPER STREET: John Tillman, Longwood, Fla., 1969 Dodge, def. Edward Arvonio, Cocoa, Fla., 1982 Chevy S-10 truck.

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TEAM CASTROL Details:

ASHLEY FORCE, 23, Castrol Top Alcohol Dragster
Qualifying position and performance: 3rd at 5.337 seconds, 269.54 mph.
Race results: Lost to Artie Allen.
Notable: Suffered only her third first round loss in 18 Lucas Sportsman Series regional events; her first since June, 2005.

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Ashley’s NEXT EVENTS:
March 31-April 2 O’Reilly Auto Parts Spring Nationals Houston, Texas
April 7-9 Summitracing.com Nationals Las Vegas, Nev.
April 28-30 Lucas Sportsman Series/Division 4 Dallas, Texas
May 5-7 Summit Southern Nationals Atlanta, Ga.
May 26-28 O’Reilly Summer Nationals Topeka, Kan.

-www.Castrol.com/us-