A lot of parents block certain programs on their television with a V-Chip to keep their children from watching unsuitable programs.

Luckily the Disney Channel is still safe.

The Disney movie "Right On Track" changed Ashley Fritts' life in a positive fashion.

The flick featured an 8-year-old girl who started drag racing when the National Hot Rod Association began a new league for kids. The girl and her sister beat the boys who were competitively trying to overtake them.

Fritts, who was 10 at the time, told her dad, Dennis, that she wanted to begin drag racing.

Dennis Fritts grew up with a dad who drag raced in the 1960s.

Dennis has even competed in it himself.

He was ecstatic when his daughter showed an interest in motor sports.

"We just had to get it past mom," Dennis Fritts said. "We decided to do research on the cars. We went to Motivational Tubing in Kansas and picked a car up."

Drag racing just wasn't a phase Ashley Fritts went through. Ashley who is now 14 and will be a freshman at Mandan High School is running stronger than ever.

Ashley is racing in the Junior Dragster division. She runs in the 890 class, which means her car can reach 70-plus mph in 8.90 seconds.

She mainly competes at Dakota Flat Track in Minot, but has also raced in Jamestown, Fargo and Pierre, S.D. The Juniors run on an 1/8-mile track.

"We (Dennis and his wife) were both a nervous wreck when she took her first trip down the drag strip," Dennis said. "She has turned into a good driver. She knows how to do all the little tricks that are involved."

Ashley's goal this season is to become the first girl to win the points title at Dakota Flat Track.

She's sitting in sixth place with 500 points and is 900 points out of first place.

She's also aiming at having an NHRA-sanctioned track, such as Fargo or Pierre, invite her to compete in Denver nationals, which features more than 3,000 Junior dragsters

"She was second in points last year," Dennis said. "It came down to the last race of the season, and she was nosed out by a hair."

A way of life

Drag racing has been more than just a hobby for Ashley. Like a lot of race teams, she sought help from local businesses. Ashley is sponsored by Cenex Fuel and Lubricants, United Printing, Spit'n Image and Race Day Lube and Wash.

"We needed the sponsors to help with the entry fees and the gas," Ashley said.

It seems Ashley was bred to be on the race track. The first time she drove on the track, it wasn't in a competitive racing situation. She was supposed to cruise next to an ATV four-wheeler at Dakota Flat Track.

Once the green light flashed, Ashley put the pedal to the medal and passed the four-wheeler.

"Her first pass ever was a 12-second pass," Dennis said. "We figured it would be a 16- or a 20-second pass. The gal on the ATV just looked back, shrugged and held her hands out."

Even though Ashley drag races as often as she can in the summer, she hopes to get her driver's license in the near future. She is in the process of learning the art of everyday driving with her learner's permit.

Even though Ashley isn't a licensed driver, her parents trust her abilities inside her racer.

The cars are structured similar to the top fuel cars that go faster than 300 mph. A five-point harness is used to hold a driver over the shoulder, across the waist, between the legs.

"It's in a controlled atmosphere," Dennis said. "They are required to wear arm restraints to where their arms are limited to steering the car, and their arms can't fly out. They wear a fire retardant suits. You have to wear a top-notch helmet and a neck brace."

Dennis said the ratio of boys to girls in the Juniors at Dakota Flat Track is about half-and-half.

"It's funny how many women go out in their own cars," Dennis said. "There are getting to be a lot more women in it."

Ashley plans to spend one more year in the Juniors. She's also looking to race in the 790 class where her car reaches 85-plus mph in 7.90 seconds.

Ashley stays busy during the school year by being involved in volleyball and the Just For Kicks dance team.