Ashley Force Hood

Ashley Force Hood is a former professional drag racer known for her achievements in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). An American former NHRA Funny Car drag racer for John Force Racing, she is the daughter of 16-time NHRA Top Fuel Funny Car national champion John Force. Force Hood pursued her education at California State University, Fullerton, earning a degree in communications while developing her racing career.

As a Top Alcohol Dragster rookie, Force Hood won three of the season's final five races and finished fourth in national driver points, sharing the winners' circle with her father and becoming part of the first father-daughter winners in NHRA history. In her first full professional season, she advanced to the professional ranks with John Force Racing, driving a Castrol-sponsored Mustang Top Fuel Funny Car. She was named NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Rookie of the Year in the Funny Car division and became the first female racer to lead the NHRA Funny Car point standings at Las Vegas.

At the NHRA Summit Southern Nationals in Atlanta, Force Hood competed against her father in the final round, securing her first NHRA Funny Car win and becoming the first woman to achieve this milestone. Her 4.837-second elapsed time was the second quickest of the weekend in the Funny Car class. The victory was recognized as No. 5 on NHRA's fan-voted list of Top 75 Moments in NHRA history. Prior to her win, there had not been a woman Funny Car winner in 569 events. Force Hood continued her success by defeating teammate Robert Hight at the U.S. Nationals, becoming the first female Funny Car driver to win at Indianapolis and the first female driver to win in two different classes. She finished that season second in points, the highest finish for a woman in Funny Car history.

Force Hood's career includes four professional-level wins in 16 final round appearances, with back-to-back victories at the U.S. Nationals. She set a record with a 4.032-second run at 311.99 mph. Outside of racing, Force Hood and her family were featured on A&E's reality show "Driving Force," which documented the lives and careers of the Force family in drag racing. Since her historic achievements, three more women have won in the Funny Car category, including her sister Courtney Force, while her sister Brittany Force won the Mello Yello Top Fuel championship.

Following her racing career, Force Hood became president of John Force Entertainment, a subsidiary of John Force Racing focused on media projects and products. She also served as vice president of John Force Racing, and oversaw content production and business operations. Force Hood's contributions played a significant role in increasing the visibility and acceptance of women in motorsports and drag racing.