Competing in her final season in Coolshirt Systems Pro Jr. Dragster presented by Philadelphia Racing Products, Ashley Franklin clinched her first world championship in the Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series. She joined her older sister, Amber Denton, who won the 2024 Pro 632 world championship to go along with her 2022 Pro 632 title and her 2017 Pro Jr. Dragster championship. The sisters’ father, Tommy Franklin, is also a three-time Pro Nitrous world champion, and Ashley’s brother-in-law, Blake Denton, won the Super Street world championship in 2023. Franklin secured the title with one win in two final-round appearances.
“It’s definitely very rewarding,” Franklin said. “My whole team and family – everybody has worked so hard for this championship. It’s definitely been a stressful year, but we finally got it done.”
Franklin in her ’21 Half Scale dragster kicked off the season with a runner-up finish at the East Coast Nationals at GALOT Motorsports Park. She followed that up with a win at one of her home races, the Mid-Atlantic Showdown at Virginia Motorsports Park. Franklin also reached the final round at the Summit Racing Equipment PDRA ProStars all-star race at Virginia, though it wasn’t a points-earning event.
Franklin went into the Brian Olson Memorial World Finals ranked second in points behind Ryan Harris. The door opened when Harris didn’t qualify for the ultra-competitive 32-car field. The championship chase intensified when Franklin lost in the first round of eliminations. She had to wait and see how far Alyssa Tilghman and Makenzie Alexander advanced in eliminations. Tilghman lost in the second round, then Alexander went out in the semifinals, crowning Franklin as the champion.
“It was definitely very stressful,” Franklin said. “I went up to the starting line to watch every round.”
Ashley joined sister Amber in the championship winner’s circle, as Amber clinched the Pro 632 title one race before the World Finals. The sisters are now both Pro Jr. Dragster world champions, as Amber won the championship in 2017, sharing the championship stage with her father, who won Pro Nitrous championships in 2016, 2017, and 2023, and was in contention for the 2024 title until he lost in the semifinals of the World Finals.
“Being able to win the championship with her definitely made it a whole lot better than if I was just to do it myself,” Ashley said.
The Tommy Franklin Motorsports team is a family-driven operation, and now Ashley has added a championship of her own to the team’s trophy case.
“I want to thank God because without Him, none of it would be possible,” Franklin said. “Thanks to my parents [Tommy and Judy], Amber, Blake [Denton], all the crew, all the family and friends that watch back home, Half Scale Jr. Dragsters, Nic Woods Racing, Mark Beatty with Red Line Oil, and Hoosier Racing Tires.”
Franklin won’t defend her championship in 2025, as she’s instead moving up to Laris Motorsports Insurance Top Dragster presented by Younce RV. She’s already started to make the transition to a “big car,” making passes in the TFM bracket cars during test sessions and bracket races at VMP.
“Top Dragster is a super-competitive class that I can’t wait to be a part of,” Franklin said. “My short-term goals are to win a couple of rounds, with long-term goals of race wins and championships. I really enjoy driving the car and getting laps to try to get better.”
Alexander, the championship runner-up, finished the season with three semifinal finishes in her Mechanicsville, Virginia-based ’17 Half Scale dragster. Harris, the son of newly crowned Elite Top Dragster world champion Kyle Harris, finished third with two victories in his Burford, Ontario, Canada-based ’08 Half Scale dragster.
The Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series will celebrate its 2024 world champions at the annual PDRA Championship Awards Banquet on Friday, Dec. 13 in downtown Indianapolis.
This story was originally published on November 20, 2024. 
