Championship Drag Racing

ProCare Rx NHRA SuperNationals
Englishtown, NJ
(June 21-24)

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Driver Profile

Mike Ashley ProCare RX Dodge Charger

Englishtown, prerace: Mike Ashley, driver of the Torco Race Fuels Dodge Charger, is no stranger to the quarter-mile drag strip at Old Bridge Raceway. The New York mortgage banker started his drag racing career at the legendary track behind the wheel of a nitrous-powered Top Comp car, and returns this weekend for the ProCare Rx NHRA SuperNationals presented by R2B2 Motors fielding the fastest nitro Funny Car in the world.

"I've got a lot of great memories from this place, and I'm really excited to be racing here this weekend. Since our unfortunate DNQ in Chicago I couldn't wait to get back to the track. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's not if your get knocked down it's if you get up, and our team is ready to get up," Ashley said.

Ashley and his Gotham City Racing team have been on a steady and consistent march in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, winning the event held recently in Topeka, Kansas and setting numerous track speed records en route to his current No. 4 position in the points chase. Early in the season at Las Vegas, Ashley recorded the fastest speed ever in a nitro Funny Car at 334.32 mph.

"There's no doubt we've had one of the baddest hot rods out there during the past several races, and [crew chief] Brian Corradi and the guys are ready to start this next stretch of six races in a row the same way we've been running all year - consistent and fast," he said.

The race this weekend marks the first of six weekends in a row that the team will be competing, crossing the country from New Jersey to West Coast stops in Seattle and Sonoma Calif., with and Midwest events in Denver, Bristol, Tenn. and Norwalk, Ohio.

"I'll definitely be working on those frequent flyer miles," he joked. When he's not at the track racing, Ashley is heavily involved with Lend America, a nationwide mortgage bank headquartered in Melville, N.Y.

"With so many events in a row, everyone on the team will be forced to pace themselves to keep focused, but I'm confident that all of our guys are up to the challenge," he said. "We've learned that the way to win championships is to qualify well and win rounds."

Ashley is a two-time world champion in the AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge, winning back-to-back titles in 2004-2005 before making the jump to nitro in 2006.

"Because this track is so close to my home on Long Island, I'll have a lot of family, friends and employees at the race this weekend, and it'll be great to show them the exciting world of NHRA drag racing," he said.

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