Race Results:
37th Annual Season Opener
Woodburn Dragstrip
Woodburn, Oregon
May 15-16, 2010

It seemed to me that the off season this year was way longer than in year's past. Maybe it is because we have a new 2009 Mustang for this year or a cool new paint job, but it has felt like a very long time since we last raced at Woodburn. The weather was great for Saturday with sunny skies and pleasant temperatures. Ashwell Racing was scheduled to make their run about 1pm on Saturday but with track delays didn't get on the track until about 2:30. Jeff made his first pass in the left lane against Dave Germain and things didn't go quite as planned. The car broke a rocker arm adjuster and cause a little bit of engine damage. As soon as the team got back into the pits it was a mad dash to get down the highway to the shop in Keizer, Oregon to get the spare motor. Luckily Keizer is only a 15 minute drive away from Woodburn Dragstrip. Todd and Isaac then proceeded to spend a good chunk of the evening installing the new motor to get ready for Sunday.


Upon waking up on Sunday morning rain showers greeted the team, but it didn't last long thankfully. Todd wanted to make two passes today and we were slated to go at noon and 2pm with the finals being around 4:30. After firing the car and running thru the routine the team towed to the line for the first pass. Again in the left lane Jeff was now up against Brian Hough. The car left great with no tire shake but then it started drifting close to the centerline to the point where Jeff had to lift. Still the car ran a decent 5.96 at 211. That was a good baseline to tune it up for the next round.

After some between round maintenance the team towed to the line for the last pass of the weekend. This time Jeff was in the right lane against Dave Germain. Again the car left great and it went straight and smooth to click off a 5.85 at 241mph. Overall it was a great weekend and the team feels that it has a competitive car for the year. Both Brian Hough and Larry Miner were running low to mid 5.80 passes which put us right where we need to be to be a fixture on the Lucas oil circuit. 

Many thanks to our sponsors Wilson's Napa Auto, Walery's Pizza, G & S Machine, NGK, Valvoline, Goodyear, and Sunbelt Rentals for their support of Ashwell Racing.

The next event for Ashwell Racing will be the Lucas Oil Division 6 race at Mission Raceway in Mission, BC, Canada. This will be the first time the team has competed not only at Mission but in Division 6 full time. Wish us luck and see you at the track!