Bob Tasca III
Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford Shelby Mustang
Nitro Funny Car class
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series
40th Annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals
Gainesville Raceway at Gainesville, Florida
March 13-15, 2009
FAST, FASTER, FASTEST.
BOB TASCA III AND HIS MOTORCRAFT/QUICK LANE FORD SHELBY MUSTANG NITRO FUNNY CAR ROAR INTO GAINESVILLE THIS WEEKEND
FAST: Gainesville Raceway is a comforting place to Bob Tasca III, driver of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Shelby Mustang. In 2007, Tasca set the record for the quickest pass at Gainesville in his Top Alcohol Funny Car with a time of 5.451 seconds.
Two years later Tasca attacks the Florida track hoping to secure a similar feat. The combination of extraordinary racing and enthusiastic fans makes Gainesville one of Tasca’s favorite tracks on the NHRA circuit.
“Traditionally, this is a race that you circle on the calendar in the off-season because it’s potentially one of the quickest tracks in the country. The track is phenomenal, but most importantly the fans are phenomenal. This is track is packed with energy and packed with people.”
FASTER: In the opening races of 2009, Tasca has shown improvement and posting faster times at each race. In Pomona, Tasca’s fastest time was 4.127 seconds at 302.89 miles per hour. During the Phoenix race, Tasca posted his personal best time in his Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Shelby Mustang Funny Car with a 4.095 second run at 302.41 miles per hour. With a full year of experience under his belt and 24 test runs in the off-season, Tasca has shown improvement from last year.
“Racing at a track like Gainesville where you know you can put down some great runs is very exciting. We’re just looking forward to getting there with Tim Wilkerson. In Gainesville you’ll start to see us progressively work closer and closer together where the data will be very useful. There’s a lot of good things going on and I think Gainesville is definitely going to be an exciting weekend.”
Ford Customer Service Division (FCSD) returns to Gainesville with The Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing Experience, an interactive 4,800 square foot display that features two interactive games.
FASTEST: In the “Quick Lane Challenge” two contestants are pit against each other in a timed competition. Participants will remove and install oil filters, batteries and air filters, along with removing and replacing lug nuts on the wheels, of their respective vehicles for their chance to win Quick Lane branded prizes. In the “Motorcraft Holeshot Challenge” Tasca will visit the display and set a holeshot time for participants to beat. Participants will undergo the entire Funny Car experience as they heat up their tires, line-up their car, follow the Christmas Tree and steer their virtual Mustangs down the track in a quest to win. Prizes will be awarded to the display visitors who post the FASTEST times.
“The Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing Experience allows the fans to have a pretty cool interactive experience. Whether it’s the pit crew contest on the Quick Lane side or the Holeshot contest on the Motorcraft side, there is something for everyone there,” said Tasca. “We’re also going to have the Tasca Cobra Jet in Gainesville. Since our car was in the area, Motorcraft and Ford asked us to have our Cobra Jet on display. It’s the new Cobra Jet, but lettered up like the nostalgia one back in the 60s. We’re happy to have it out in front of the display.”
Full Throttle Points Standings – Funny Car
1. Ron Capps, 229; 2t. Robert Hight, 132; 2t. Del Worsham, 132; 4. Mike Neff, 129; 5. Jim Head, 124; 6. Bob Tasca III, 107; 7. Jack Beckman, 105; 8. Gary Densham, 104; 9. Ashley Force Hood, 88; 10. Matt Hagan, 84.
Open for Business:
The Motorcraft/Quick Lane interactive consumer display will debut this weekend in NHRA Nitro Alley. Fans can enter to win prizes and participate in the Motorcraft Holeshot Challenge, the Quick Lane Challenge and the Custom Accessories “Instant Win” Game. Tasca will visit the display area each day to set a new holeshot time for fans to try and beat.
Hours of Operation:
Friday, March 13 – 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 14 – 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 15 – 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Gainesville Race Notes:
- Tasca holds the record for quickest pass at Gainesville in his Top Alcohol Funny Car. He set that record in 2007 with a time of 5.451 seconds.
- Tasca’s seventh place qualifying efforts at Phoenix marks the fifth time he has claimed a top-five spot in qualifying. His first round win marked the ninth time he had advanced past the opening round in the Nitro Ladder.
- Tasca moved up one position in the points standings, he sits in sixth heading into round three of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
Motorcraft/Quick Lane Notes:
- 2009 marks the second year Ford Customer Service Division brands Motorcraft and Quick Lane sponsor Bob Tasca III and Tasca Racing.
- Motorcraft® continues its relationship with NHRA, having sponsored Hall-of-Fame NHRA driver Bob Glidden and drag racing legend Kenny Bernstein, among others, in the late 80s and early 90s.
- Motorcraft® products strike the perfect balance of precision, quality and pricing. Manufactured to strict specifications, they install quickly and give the confidence of doing a job right the first time. Motorcraft is the preferred choice of Ford Motor Company.
- Quick Lane Tire® & Auto Centers provide the services your car or truck needs most, performed by factory-trained experts and on your schedule. You’ll never need an appointment and you’ll get service while you wait, even on evenings and weekends. We’ll take care of any make, or model using quality Motorcraft® parts. Give them a try and see why life is better in the Quick Lane®.
- Quick Lane offers routine maintenance and light repair services, such as oil and filter changes, brake repairs and tire replacement for all makes and models.
- Quick Lane celebrated the opening of its 500th tire and auto center in 2008. Visit http://www.quicklane.com/ to find any of the 20 Quick Lanes in Florida.
Television:
Sunday, March 15 – ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 2 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, March 15 – ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will re-air 90 minutes of qualifying highlights at 10 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, March 15 – ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute news magazine show, at 11:30 a.m. (ET) Sunday, March 15, ESPN and ESPN HD will televise three hours of coverage starting at 3 p.m. (ET).
Satellite (Analog feed):
Friday, March 13, 9 - 9:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 15 / Transponder 8K (11860 MHz, horizontal) Saturday, March 14, 7:30 - 8 p.m. (ET), AMC 15 / Transponder 7K (11840 MHz, vertical) Sunday, March 15, 6:30 - 7 p.m. (ET), AMC 15 / Transponder 7K (11840 MHz, vertical) Video news release contains race action highlights each day and winners' interviews on Sunday
About Motorcraft
Motorcraft offers a complete line of original equipment-approved parts that are recommended and approved by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood and powertrain repairs, Motorcraft parts offer exceptional value with the highest quality and right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available locally and are backed nationwide by Ford Motor Company's Service Parts Limited Warranty. For more information, visit http://www.motorcraft.com/.
About Quick Lane
Quick Lane® provides automotive quick services for all makes and models. Quick Lane's® nationwide network of over 500 facilities provides the convenience of an aftermarket company (no appointment necessary, service while you wait, evening and weekend hours, competitive prices) with the confidence of a major automotive manufacturer (quality parts, factory-trained technicians). Quick Lane® is a registered trademark of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit http://www.quicklane.com/.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With more than 213,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s wholly owned brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit http://www.ford.com/
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