ASHLEY THUNDERS TO THIRD
STRAIGHT WIN
Mike Ashley
Words by Duke Ritenhouse
Photos by Ian Tocher
5/6/05
Bristol, Tenn. (May 1, 2005) — Just
a few weeks ago, the buzz among followers of Pro Mod racing
centered around the potential of an exciting new rivalry
between AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge presented by
TLR defending champion Mike Ashley and alcohol-class standout
Jay Payne, who squared off in two of the first three NHRA
Pro Mod finals of the season.
Now, though, the attention
has shifted dramatically toward just one of those drivers.
It’s a situation that has everyone — Pro Mod
drivers, crew chiefs, and fans alike — asking a simple
question: “Just who is going to stop Mike Ashley?”
Ashley won his third consecutive AMS/TLR series event Sunday
— a feat accomplished just once before — by
beating Zach Barklage (RP Lumber ’37 Chevy) in the
O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals final, 6.13
to 6.22. The final capped an amazing race-day performance
for Ashley and the Chuck Ford-led Torco Racing Fuels team,
which posted three straight 6.11s to open eliminations and
finished with the low ET of every round except the first,
when Quain Stott (LeeBoy Paving ’63 Corvette) was
six-thousandths quicker, 6.110 to 6.116. The only blemish
on the team’s weekend performance was a forgivable
6.97 in Saturday’s one-shot qualifying session, a
time that left Ashley starting from the No. 11 position.
With his Bristol win backing up his earlier titles in Las
Vegas and Belle Rose, La., Ashley has taken firm control
of the AMS/TLR Cup points standings. His 2,151 points are
680 more than second-place Payne (Valvoline ’05 Stratus)
has earned, or the equivalent of nearly seven round-wins.
Third-place Troy Critchley (AMS Staff Leasing ’41
Willys), a first-round loser for the second straight week,
is more than 1,000 points back at 1,130.
The only other driver to win three consecutive Pro Mod
Challenge events was Shannon Jenkins, who swept the Madison,
Indianapolis, and Memphis events in 2002, a season in which
he finished with six event wins in eight appearances and
won the NHRA Pro Mod championship.
Zach Barklage
