If she were a super hero, former NHRA star Ashley Force Hood would be Cat Woman

By May 8, 2014, 5:30 PM EDT
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If former drag racer Ashley Force Hood were a superhero, she’d definitely be Cat Woman.

Detailing her fondness for cats, particularly her own Simba and Gizmo – who love to go to the race track with her – Force Hood was featured recently in a lengthy story on Catster.com.

The daughter of 16-time National Hot Rod Association champion John Force, sister of current NHRA stars Brittany and Courtney and a former Funny Car star herself (she recently renewed her NHRA competition license after a three-year layoff), Force Hood proudly states she has been an avid cat lover her entire life.

When asked, she quickly rattled off names of all the cats she’s ever owned: Taffy, Caramel, Licorice, Licorice #2, Coco, Caramel Corn, Sierra, Snowy, Timber and her current cats, Simba and Gizmo (named after the Gremlins movie by husband Dan).

“Simba was a birthday gift to me from my husband the year we got married in 2008, and then we got Gizmo the following year so Simba would have a buddy,” Force Hood said. “Both Simba and Gizmo are American Bobtails.

“We have had several kinds of cats over the years, but what I like most about the American Bobtails is they are so beautiful, very personable, and good around kids. At the time I had a little niece and we knew there were going to be kids around so after researching cat breeds we knew the American Bobtails would be good with kids.

“Our cats want to be on your neck when you wake up in the morning. They will push your face with their faces. It’s the most adorable thing. I’ve never had a cat that is as personable as Simba, almost too much, as you’re like, “I need my space, you’re in my bubble.” He so wants to be near you.

“Gizmo is a little more crazy. He just wants to run around and be a cat. Sometimes he will come over to you but he is definitely more of the crazy one. It’s amazing that they are both American Bobtails, because personality-wise they couldn’t be more different.”

Force Hood recalled one instance where she took her cats to a race and disaster almost struck.

“I’m not actively competing right now, as we have two young sons,” Force Hood said. “But when I was on the circuit we were traveling a lot and would take the cats on the road with us.

“Being on the road with them was a lot of fun. However, one time were at a race in Seattle and we had our RV set up with all of the other racers. Gizmo somehow got out and under the trailer. We were really close to the track, and it would have been really bad if Gizmo had gotten onto the track as the cars are going 320 miles per hour.

“We had all the racers and their wives trying to get under the trailer to get Gizmo out, and he kept going from underneath one trailer to the next — having the time of his life being chased, of course. We finally got him and put him back in the RV, and we’re like, ‘Okay, we have to be careful with this door!'”

Her current cats even have their own fan following, Force Hood said.

“I have a lot of young fans, and I swear I have gotten more attention because of the cats than anything I have done during a race,” she said. “People will make poster signs for them.

“One time I was doing an interview on ESPN and in the crowd someone was holding up a sign that said ‘Simba and Gizmo.’ It was funny. I even briefly started a blog for them. The fans really love them.

“I think the fans really like that I have cats. There are a lot of racers, and I think me having cats is something the fans can relate to. People will bring them little goodies and gifts, and even though they may not have a lot in common with a race-car driver, they do with someone who has cats. I have a lot of people who will bring me pictures of their cats; it’s neat and interesting. You don’t think of cats and puppies necessarily when you think of the drag racing crowd, so it’s something that is a little different.”

If you’re a cat lover and want to read more of Force Hood’s interview, click here.

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Ford unveils a new Mustang for 2024 Le Mans in motorsports ‘lifestyle brand’ retooling

Associated PressJun 9, 2023, 7:00 PM EDT
Ford Mustang Le Mans
Ford Performance
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LE MANS, France — Ford has planned a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic Mustang muscle car next year under a massive rebranding of Ford Performance aimed at bringing the automotive manufacturer “into the racing business.”

The Friday unveil of the new Mustang Dark Horse-based race car follows Ford’s announcement in February (and a ballyhooed test at Sebring in March) that it will return to Formula One in 2026 in partnership with reigning world champion Red Bull.

The Mustang will enter the GT3 category next year with at least two cars in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, and is hopeful to earn an invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The IMSA entries will be a factory Ford Performance program run by Multimatic, and a customer program in WEC with Proton Competition.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, also an amateur sports car racer, told The Associated Press the Mustang will be available to compete in various GT3 series across the globe to customer teams. But more important, Farley said, is the overall rebranding of Ford Performance – done by renowned motorsports designer Troy Lee – that is aimed at making Ford a lifestyle brand with a sporting mindset.

“It’s kind of like the company finding its own, and rediscovering its icons, and doubling down on them,” Farley told the AP. “And then this motorsports activity is getting serious about connecting enthusiast customers with those rediscovered icons. It’s a big switch for the company – this is really about building strong, iconic vehicles with enthusiasts at the center of our marketing.”

Ford last competed in sports car racing in 2019 as part of a three-year program with Chip Ganassi Racing. The team scored the class win at Le Mans in 2016 in a targeted performance aimed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford snapping Ferrari’s six-year winning streak.

Ford on Friday displayed a Mustang with a Lee-designed livery that showcased the cleaner, simplified look that will soon be featured on all its racing vehicles. The traditional blue oval with Ford Performance in white lettering underneath will now be branded simply FP.

The new mark will be used across car liveries, merchandise and apparel, display assets, parts and accessories and in advertising.

Farley cited Porsche as an automaker that has successfully figured out how to sell cars to consumers and race cars in various series around the world while creating a culture of brand enthusiasts. He believes Ford’s new direction will help the company sell street cars, race cars, boost interest in driving schools, and create a merchandise line that convinces consumers that a stalwart of American automakers is a hip, cool brand.

“We’re going to build a global motorsports business off road and on road,” Farley told the AP, adding that the design of the Mustang is “unapologetically American.”

He lauded the work of Lee, who is considered the top helmet designer among race car drivers.

“We’re in the first inning of a nine inning game, and going to Le Mans is really important,” Farley said. “But for customer cars, getting the graphics right, designing race cars that win at all different levels, and then designing a racing brand for Ford Performance that gets rebranded and elevated is super important.”

He said he’s kept a close eye on how Porsche and Aston Martin have built their motorsports businesses and said Ford will be better.

“We’re going in the exact same direction. We just want to be better than them, that’s all,” Farley said. “Second is the first loser.”

Farley, an avid amateur racer himself, did not travel to Le Mans for the announcement. The race that begins Saturday features an entry from NASCAR, and Ford is the reigning Cup Series champion with Joey Logano and Team Penske.

The NASCAR “Garage 56” entry is a collaboration between Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, and is being widely celebrated throughout the industry. Farley did feel left out of the party in France – a sentiment NASCAR tried to avoid by inviting many of its partners to attend the race so that it wouldn’t seem like a Chevrolet-only celebration.

“They’re going right and I’m going left – that NASCAR thing is a one-year deal, right? It’s Garage 56 and they can have their NASCAR party, but that’s a one-year party,” Farley said. “We won Le Mans outright four times, we won in the GT class, and we’re coming back with Mustang and it’s not a one-year deal.

“So they can get all excited about Garage 56. I almost see that as a marketing exercise for NASCAR, but for me, that’s a science project,” Farley continued. “I don’t live in a world of science projects. I live in the world of building a vital company that everyone is excited about. To do that, we’re not going to do a Garage 56 – I’ve got to beat Porsche and Aston Martin and Ferrari year after year after year.”

Ford’s announcement comes on the heels of General Motors changing its GT3 strategy next season and ending its factory Corvette program. GM, which unlike Ford competes in the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype division (with its Cadillac brand), will shift fully to a customer model for Corvettes in 2024 (with some factory support in the IMSA GTD Pro category).