Ashley Force sixth after a round of qualifying

A convergence of old and new occurred Thursday as the National Hot Rod Assn. opened its 56th season with the 47th version of its annual Winternationals sponsored by Carquest Auto Parts.

Ashley Force, 24, daughter of legendary funny car driver John Force, made the first professional run of her career with a solo pass down the quarter-mile at Pomona Raceway.

She was followed by Kenny Bernstein, 60, who is racing a funny car for the first time since 1989. Bernstein, who had retired as a top-fuel driver after the 2003 season, was runner-up in that class here in 1973.

Ashley Force reeled off a 4.81-second run at 281.19 mph in her Ford Mustang and finished sixth through the first of four rounds of qualifying. She even qualified better than her father, who went 5.085 at 122.96 mph and was 14th.

“When I left the starting line, Dad was up here running around screaming, and then when I got down there, he was running around screaming,” Ashley said. “I don’t know how he beat me down there.”

Bernstein’s son, Brandon, was the No. 1 qualifier in top fuel with a time of 4.494 seconds at 331.61 mph, ahead of 2006 runner-up Doug Kalitta and Rod Fuller in the sub-4.5-second club.

But Thursday, all eyes were on Ashley Force, who gives her father the fourth driver on his team. She joins her dad and Robert Hight, last year’s runner-up, and Eric Medlen.

From one through 16, this year’s funny car field figures to be the toughest in history as teams embark on a new championship format: Only the top eight in the points after 17 events advance to a six-race “playoff.”

“It’s Thursday at Pomona, and guys are already thinking about it, getting nervous about it, and wondering what’s going to happen with all these tough cars,” said Ron Capps, who figures to be the primary challenger to Team Force.

Capps drives one of three Dodge Chargers in the Don Schumacher stable, which includes 2005 champion Gary Scelzi, and Jack Beckman, who set national elapsed-time and speed records on this same track in November in only his fifth race.

Then there’s the Chevrolet contingent, Del Worsham’s two-car team and the Pedregon brothers, Tony, who won the 2003 championship, and Cruz, the 1992 champ.

When the fumes settled Thursday, Hight was the No. 1 funny car qualifier with a 4.693-second run at 326.79 mph. Scelzi was next at 4.728 and 330.80 mph, Capps at 4.741 and 327.82 mph. Tommy Johnson Jr., on the one-car Don Prudhomme team, and owner-driver Jim Head rounded out the top five.

martin.henderson@latimes.com