For the Wilson family in Bienfait, racing is a more than a bit of a drag.
But that's no problem, since the Bienfait clan has won multiple titles in the sport at the Magic City International Racetrack in Minot over the last few years. Ashley is a top competitor on the junior cicruit, having recently won her second crown there.
Drag racing is a family affair as her sisters Amanda and Megan race there along with their dad Dean.
“My sister (Amanda) started racing in 2010, my sister and my dad,” said Ashley. “My sister started in the junior I have now. And I just thought it looked fun so I said 'Dad, I want to do that', and he got me a junior. I got in and I was scared to start off. But the first run was so exciting. I just kept doing it because it was something I loved.”
The family had been to the National Hot Rod Association shows in Brainerd, Minnesota in the past to watch Funny Cars and the like, and went to Denver over the summer. But it was watching her older sister and father doing it that really sparked her interest.
“I just wanted to race like Amanda and Dad,” she said.
In Wilson's 47XX, she accumulated 2,000 points in the season, edging second place competitors by 100. Her sister Amanda raced in the Top ET class and finished 11th at Minot and Dean finished 13th at the end of the season in the Modified ET. Megan finished in 4th place, 300 points back of sister Ashley.
In 2016, Ashley placed 1st in the junior dragster category with 2,200 points while Megan was third, 400 points behind her.
Once again, this year Wilson sacrificed a summer in her teenage years in order to fully commit to her drag racing pursuit.
“I worked all summer and I wanted to hang out with friends but I was gone almost every other weekend, sometimes back to back weekends,” said the Estevan Comprehensive School student. “But I made it through and it was a great summer.”
They didn't go to different places this summer until last weekend, when the family went to Rivers, Manitoba for races at the Baseline Dragway there.
They've races in Gimli, Manitoba and Edmonton for the Summit Series in the past.
Because this was her last year in junior after six years in the circuit, Ashley will now look to build a truck in the off-season. Dean built his own drag car once and she helped a bit but will be a bit more involved this time.
“It's going to take a lot of hard work and time,” Ashley said.
