MELVILLE, NY and Blogs.NHRA.com (October, 2007) -- At the beginning of the season, I set a goal of winning the Funny Car Championship. I talked with the team in Pomona, and each of us committed ourselves to working to achieve that goal. All along the way this year, we worked toward that goal, and for a first-year team, we did what I have to say was an outstanding job. We won three - actually four - including the biggest race of the year - the US Nationals, we were number one qualifier five times, we set records - and honestly, the season isn't even over yet.

The way I look at it is really simple: you have to start with a goal, and when you don't achieve it, you have to stop and ask yourself, does that mean you lower your expectations?

No - absolutely not.

The idea for this team is that our goal is the championship and we set our standards high. We might not have won the championship in 2007, but we got as close as we could get without making it. The moral of the story is, set your goals high.

There's an old saying that goes, "if you set your goals and you achieve it the first time, you set them too low." And at the end of the day, we set our goals to win a World championship, but we didn't do that, maybe we didn't win the war, but we won a battle, and the war isn't over - not by a long shot.

This Torco/Gotham City team did great, we did everything we could do. At the end of the season, what we have now is a championship contending team, a group that is capable at any time of winning races and contending for a championship.

The numbers for the season are the proof. And the fact is, that if we had just tried to make the playoffs, we wouldn't have made it as far as we did. We probably wouldn't have even made them.

For me not making the Countdown to One is not the end, it's the beginning. It's just the beginning, it's a chapter in a book that's going to have a lot of chapters, and we will continue to race, and I have a lot of faith in these guys, and I know that we will always be able to contend for a championship, and it's only a matter of time before we seal the deal and win one.

My team did a great job, they remained focused, and in terms of the rest of the year, we want to go out and win Vegas and Pomona, and we feel like we have the car that can go there and win. Look - Richmond proved that we have a car that can make laps and run numbers.

Also, you know, it's important to look at why didn't we win - what's the flip side, what kept us from winning? We want to examine that - and, honestly, it all comes down to experience. There were some decisions made along the way that I made, that for lack of experience, it hurt us. For example, Brian wanted to change cars, and I refused to because I was in my comfort zone. We ran it at least 50 runs too long, and it cost us qualifying in Reading and Memphis. As soon as we changed the car out, you saw in Richmond we went right back to the head of the pack.

The second thing is -- I don't believe in jacking around on the starting line, and I never will, but I will be more aware of other people who are willing to do that like Timmy [Tim Wilkerson] did in the first round at Richmond. I don't have anything against Timmy at all, but you can't deny that he intentionally tried to grab a starting-line advantage, and it worked. He out-drove me. And I have to be more aware of those things.

It was a great year, and it's the beginning of the 2008 season for us. And that's it.

The lesson to learn, really, is to ask yourself, did you set your goal too high, or do you just need to give yourself more time. If you achieve too fast, the goal is too low. The life lesson is, if you don't reach your goals, don't lower your expectations, just extend the time you give yourself to achieve it.

I want to publicly acknowledge that our success is a team effort and I know I'm lucky and blessed to have the team we do. From Evan, Latrell and the entire Torco organization to our crew, crew chiefs, our PR firms, Frank Hawley, and of course my family and our fans -- they are what makes this team, special, outstanding, wonderful and champions. Yes, I said champions. We may not have won the NHRA world championship, but that doesn't mean these people are not champions at what they do and who they are. It just means that we haven't done it yet....

Expect to win,

Mike

Read More Blogs from Mike at blogs.nhra.com

Gotham City Racing is fully sponsored by Torco Race Fuels, Inc., the world's largest independently owned race fuel manufacturer. Torco Race Fuels, Inc. has a full line of racing gasoline including methanol and nitromethane. Their full product line of fuels and additives is complimented by SKULL Shine -- a complete line of automotive care and appearance products and SKULL Gear -- an innovative and trendy clothing line. Product can be purchased by calling 1-800-67-TORCO or by visiting their website: www.torcoracefuels.com

Mike Ashley's Gotham City Racing is also sponsored by:

Knoll Gas Motorsports: www.torcoracefuels.com
Lucas Oil Products: www.lucasoil.com
A&R Transport: www.artransport.com
Oakley: www.oakley.com
The Hyperbaric Therapy Center: www.hypertc.com
Lend America: www.lendamerica.com

Lend America is a nationwide direct lender, specializing in residential financing for one to four family homes. Lend America combines a flexible, common sense loan review process with hundreds of loan programs to provide exceptional service for its clients. Lend America's Motto "Don't take NO for an answer" is in direct relation to its commitment to service borrowers with "lending or credit challenges." Contact Lend America today, (877) 4-RACE-LOAN.

Mike Ashley and Gotham City Racing support Autism Awareness through their support of the Hyperbaric Therapy Center. A 2007 Centers for Disease Control report found that 1 in 150 children in America today have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and an estimated 1.5 million Americans and their families are now affected. Autism is a national health crisis, and Gotham City Racing is working to help educate the public about ways they can get involved.

Visit the Heal Autism Now website for more information about how you can get involved: www.healautismnow.org