NHRA
Topeka: Mike Ashley preview
ASHLEY READY TO DEFEND HIS TITLE IN TOPEKA TOPEKA, Kan. (May 28, 2008) - Heartland Park Topeka holds a very special place in the heart ProCare Rx Dodge Charger driver Mike Ashley. More than the site of his first NHRA nitro Funny Car win, Topeka is ...
Edited: May 30, 2008, 11:10 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
ASHLEY READY TO DEFEND HIS TITLE IN TOPEKA
TOPEKA, Kan. (May 28, 2008) - Heartland Park Topeka holds a very special place in the heart ProCare Rx Dodge Charger driver Mike Ashley. More than the site of his first NHRA nitro Funny Car win, Topeka is the place where Ashley said "it all just came together."
"Last year, we'd done everything except win an event: we'd been to the finals in Atlanta, been number one qualifier three times in a row, and we even had a DNQ to keep us humble," Ashley explained.
"All day Sunday, we just had everything running like clockwork. Brian Corradi [Crew Chief] and the team were in 'the zone' and we just knew it was right. I always go the line expecting to win, and everything worked as planned.
"As my first season with the jobs of both team owner as well as driver, the win was extremely satisfying," said the mortgage banker from New York.
Heading into this weekend's O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals as the defending event champion, Ashley is determined to hold onto his title.
"It's been more of a testing season for me up to this point. I've had such a busy schedule with Lend America and the state of the mortgage and housing situation in America, I couldn't commit to a full season. When [team co-owner] Roger Burgess and I talked about me running more races, I definitely knew I wanted to be in Topeka to defend my title. It's just something I had to do," he said.
Ashley said he's committed to run at least three other races this season, and although he sees his role as test car for his team's primary driver - Melanie Troxel - his determination to win is as strong as ever.
"I really believe that if you expect mediocre results, you'll achieve them every time, but if you expect to win, you will. If not the first time or every time, you'll learn to get to your goal, and our win here last year is proof," he said.
He said he is extremely pleased with the progress his team has made this year, and with his teammate Troxel's win at the last event in Bristol, Tenn., the momentum is definitely going the right way.
"We're confident going into the event this weekend, and there's nothing I'd like more than to meet Melanie in the final. That would be the very best of all," he said.
-credit: gcr
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Hitech Racing Thruxton test summary
Next article Acropolis Rally SS2 results
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Melanie Troxel
Top 20 moments of 2014, #20: 100th win for a woman in NHRA
NHRA
NHRA
Courtney Force earns 100th victory for females
Top 20 moments of 2014, #20: 100th win for a woman in NHRA
Funny car driver Courtney Force earns 100th victory for females
NHRA
NHRA
Funny car driver Courtney Force earns 100th victory for females
Courtney Force makes history: 100th NHRA Pro win for a female driver
NHRA
NHRA
Courtney Force makes history: 100th NHRA Pro win for a female driver
Latest news
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
7 h
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
7 h
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 8 h
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
8 h
Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe