Friday, July 17, 2009

Tasca and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing Team Expect Solid Rounds in Seattle


Bob Tasca III
Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford Shelby Mustang
Nitro Funny Car class
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series

22nd Annual NHRA Northwest Nationals
Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington July 17-19, 2009
Race 14 of 24

TASCA AND THE MOTORCRAFT/QUICK LANE RACING TEAM EXPECT SOLID ROUNDS IN SEATTLE

To improve the future, Bob Tasca III and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang team study the past. One year ago, with just over a dozen races under his belt, Tasca and the team qualified 13th and lost in the first round at the northwestern track. The team reviewed the 2008 data, compared their performance from 2009 and set a plan in motion for this weekend’s race in Emerald City.

“I’m looking forward to Seattle and getting back to sea level because we’re getting back to a tune up that we’ve been very successful with this year,” said Tasca. “Seattle is a race that I want a little personal redemption. The first round last year wasn’t one of my shining moments.”

During the 2008 season, Tasca achieved eight round wins and 22 losses. Tasca and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang team failed to advance to the second round during last year’s West Coast Swing. This season, Tasca achieved one round win in Denver bringing his year to date round win total to 15 round wins and 12 losses.

“Last year, we did not win a round on the West Coast Swing. We’re already one up from where we were last year, so we’re showing improvement,” said Tasca. “We’re off to a decent start leaving Denver. A round win is better than no round wins, but we want to dramatically improve. We’re happy to have won a round in Denver, but we plan to take Seattle by storm.”

Eager to get that second career win, Tasca and the team have assembled a consistent Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby for all track conditions. Now with 37 races under his belt, Tasca is focused on round wins, his second Wally and a place in the Countdown to 1.

“We’re going to get back to Seattle and put ourselves in a position to win, something we’ve done consistently each race this season,” said Tasca. “We’re at a point in the season where drivers can lock themselves into the championship run and we want to be one of those cars. We’re looking to go rounds and avoid first round losses. Seattle is a race where we need to compete and we have a lot of expectations to do well.”

Second Annual Funny Car Design Contest
Now through August 14, the public is invited to visit www.jdrf.org/ford, view more than 300 paint scheme designs and vote for their favorite children’s design by making a monetary donation to JDRF, all as part of Ford Customer Service Division’s second annual Funny Car Design Contest.

The top five donation-earning designs will go in front of a panel of judges and narrowed down to one. The winning design will be featured on Motorcraft/Quick Lane sponsored Mustang Shelby driven by Bob Tasca III during the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC, on Sept. 18-20.

Race Hot to a Mustang Sweepstakes
Enter to win a 2010 Ford Mustang GT equipped with a Ford Racing Performance Parts package and upgrades courtesy of Ford Custom Accessories in the Ford Customer Service Division ‘Race Hot to a Mustang Sweepstakes.’ Enter online until November 23, 2009, at www.motorcraft.com, www.quicklane.com, www.racefanoffers.com and www.bobtasca.com. The Race Hot Sweepstakes is open to all licensed U.S. citizens over the age of 18.

Full Throttle Points Standings – Funny Car
1t. Ashley Force Hood and Ron Capps, 965; 3. Tony Pedregon, 911; 4. Jack Beckman, 804; 5. Del Worsham, 759; 6. Bob Tasca III, 732; 7. Tim Wilkerson, 691; 8. John Force, 665; 9. Matt Hagan, 633; 10. Cruz Pedregon, 630.

Seattle Race Notes
- Tasca qualified 13th during last year’s event at Seattle and lost in the first round to Mike Neff.
- Tasca is currently sixth in points heading into the 14th race of the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

Tasca Funny Car Achievements
- First round win, defeated Melanie Troxel, February 10, 2008, NHRA Winternationals, Pomona, CA
- First time in the semi-finals, April 27, 2008, NHRA Southern Nationals, Atlanta, GA
- First No. 1 qualifier, March 14, 2009, Gatornationals, Gainesville, FL
- First win, March 15, 2009, Gatornationals, Gainesville, FL
- First back-to-back semi-final appearances this season (Englishtown, NJ and Norwalk, OH)
- Tasca has qualified eighth or better in the first 13 races during the 2009 season

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. They’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 www.quicklane.com to find the Quick Lanes in the greater Seattle area.

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing on the Web
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/MQL_Racing
Facebook – http://tinyurl.com/MotorcraftQuickLaneRacing
Flickr – http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorcraftquicklaneracing/

Television
Saturday, July 18: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 7 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 19: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will air NHRA Race Day, at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 19: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final eliminations at 9 p.m. (ET).

Satellite (Analog feed)
Friday, July 17, 11 - 11:30 p.m. (ET), Galaxy 18 / Transponder 23K (12160 MHz, vertical)
Saturday, July 18, 9:30 - 10 p.m. (ET), Galaxy 18 / Transponder 23K (12160 MHz, vertical)
Sunday, July 19, 9 - 9:30 p.m. (ET), Galaxy 18 / Transponder 23K (12160 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 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 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 www.ford.com

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