POMONA — Ashley Force lost in the first round of eliminations Sunday in the NHRA’s Winternationals, the second-generation racer’s first professional event.

Force, the 10th woman to drive a Funny Car in professional drag racing competition, saw her chances of beating teammate and brother-in-law Robert Hight go up in smoke when her Castrol/Auto Club Ford Mustang lost traction midway down the quarter-mile strip.

The 24-year-old is Funny Car star John Force’s daughter.

“I knew it was going to be pretty crazy,” she said. “First of all, Pomona, the first race of the year here at the home track, is always really hectic and there’s a lot of stuff going on. Then moving up into Funny Car and having the ‘Driving Force’ (reality television) show here with us again. I was kind of expecting it. I knew it would be kicked up a notch.

“I wasn’t expecting how it would get to me internally. I’m usually a pretty calm person. But I was more terrified in that last qualifying session (Saturday evening) than up there with Robert (on Sunday). I was actually having fun getting up there. I was in a way better place when I was starting the car for the first round because I was just happy and I knew whatever the outcome, it was good.”

In the last of the event’s four qualifying sessions on Saturday, Force was bumped from the 16-car field by her father, then re-qualified by bumping her dad’s longtime friend and mentor, Gary Densham. She wound up 15th in the field and was paired with Hight, the No. 2 qualifier. They made their run immediately after John Force was beaten by Cruz Pedregon.

Hight, who lost the final to Gary Scelzi when he was disqualified after crossing the center line and hitting a timing cone, said he felt bad for Ashley, because he also lost in the first round in his debut two years ago. But he was impressed by the way she handled everything during the weekend.

“With her last name, and her dad, and her being a female, she’s had more pressure than I could even imagine standing,” Hight said. “I’m proud of her.”

Dad was, too, particularly because of the resilience she displayed re-qualifying.

“I worried that this could be make-it-or-break-it, and it was critical for her mentally to make the show,” John Force said. “Guys that are veterans, they know things can go bad. It’s talent and luck.

“I didn’t know how it would affect her to not make it. I didn’t know where she would go mentally. But under the pressure she made the show and she’s over there right now with a big old smile on her face. She wants back in her hot rod. She’s going to be fine.”

J.R. Todd won the Top Fuel division with a 4.482-second run at 324.98 mph, and Greg Anderson topped the Pro Stock cars with a 6.651-second run at 207.05 mph in the Summit Racing Pontiac. Scelzi ran a 4.716 at 332.26 in the Mopar/Oakley Dodger Charger.