Gelish/Lucas Oil racer Ashley Sanford prepped for close to 2016

LAS VEGAS – Gelish/Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster driver Ashley Sanford will be a busy woman in the next two weeks, and no one is happier about that than her.

After an absence of nearly three months, the 22-year-old from Fullerton, Calif., will climb behind the wheel of her family’s race car for three events over 10 days, starting with the NHRA Toyota Nationals this weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“Oh, my gosh, I’m so excited,” Sanford said. “It’s kind of like I’m in a daze because it feels like it’s been so long, and I’ve been waiting so long for it to finally come.”

In addition to the NHRA national event, Sanford will compete in the rain-delayed divisional race next Thursday, followed the regularly schedule divisional event – all at The Strip. Then, she’ll also race in the national event at Pomona, Calif., on Nov. 10-13.

“I look forward to four races back-to-back, three weekends in a row,” Sanford said. “It’s already overwhelming thinking about it, but at the same time I couldn’t be more excited because that’s when we really thrive, when we get to go back-to-back and gain some momentum.

“Vegas has always treated us well. We’ve always run well there as a team, so we’re extremely excited to get the chance to get three Wallys in a matter of 10 days. It’s a lot to look forward to, and it’s going to be a lot of work, but we can do it.”

Her team has been preparing for the three-week grind to finish the season since Seattle, getting ready for every obstacle.

“We’ve been preparing since we got back from Seattle,” Sanford said. “I think we’re absolutely ready to go. The car is ready: We put in a new motor, and we have our spare ready to go. We’ve done as much as we can to prepare for the worst to happen, but we’re praying it doesn’t go down that way. With that many races back-to-back, you have to have everything on deck.”