When you're the daughter of 12-time NHRA POWERade Funny Car champion John Force, it's not a complete shock to show an interest in pursuing a drag racing career. After all, Force has become the winningest driver in the sport's history, building an enormous army of fans worldwide and enjoying a seven-figure income thanks to his grateful sponsors.

John's 21-year-old daughter, Ashley, who recently graduated from Cal State-Fullerton, near the family's home in Yorba Linda, Calif., spent the last two seasons racing in the Super Comp category of the NHRA's Sportsman series. Former Sportsman standout Rob Slavinski has served as her tutor and tuner, giving Ashley a thorough curriculum on handling her 8-second, 160-plus mile per hour dragster.

But changes are coming for 2004, when Ashley moves into an A/Fuel dragster, driving for the same team which nearly won this year's Lucas Oil World Championship with young Morgan Lucas at the wheel, and which won the Division 7 Lucas Oil title two years ago with Brandon Bernstein, son of Kenny, handling the driving. The Jerry Darrien-Ken Meadows operation has taken a number of young drivers -- such as Gary Scelzi, Frank Pedregon, and Melanie Troxel -- and given them the experience needed to graduate into full-bore nitro machines.

This weekend, Ashley has been testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in her new ride and it appears the transition will be a smooth one.

"It's a lot different than my Super Comp car," she says. "It picks up speed a lot faster and really sets you back in the seat all the way down the track. But it's exciting and that's the feeling that you want to have when you race."

Ashley's younger sister, Brittany, who is 17, will compete next year in Ashley's Super Comp dragster. She is also at the track in Las Vegas this weekend getting accustomed to the sensation of driving at speeds that most teenagers will never experience. As for the family patriarch, his excitement and enthusiasm is tempered by the risks that any form of racing present.

"I'm excited to the point of being sick," says John. "I was standing at the starting line when Ashley made her first pass in that A/Fuel car and I have to be honest, I had a knot in my stomach. But I've seen what those other young kids have done in that Darrien car like Bernstein's kid and the rest of them and I know Ashley's serious about this and she's learning from one of the best."

When asked if her plans to race in the Top Alcohol Dragster class in the A/Fuel car next year is part of the long-term goal of eventually driving one of her dad's nitro Funny Cars, Ashley doesn't get too far ahead of herself.

"This is a big step by itself," she says. "I want to see how next year goes and how well I do before I can start thinking about what comes after. This is exciting all by itself and that's what I'm going to concentrate on for now."

Says her dad, "Don't anybody retire me just yet. She can't get my ol' Mustang until I'm through with it and I won't be through with it for a while."

Bill Stephens covers the NHRA for ESPN and ESPN.com.