Bob Tasca III
Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford Shelby Mustang
Nitro Funny Car class
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series
25th Annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals
Maple Grove Raceway August 20-23, 2009
Race 17 of 24
TASCA AND MOTORCRAFT/QUICK LANE RACING TEAM DETERMINED TO MAKE NEW MEMORIES AT READING
DEARBORN, MI – August 19, 2009 – Bob Tasca III brings the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team with him to a memorable place. Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, PA, was where Tasca climbed into a professional race car for the very first time.
Tasca is quite familiar with Maple Grove Raceway after his runner-up Top Alcohol Funny Car finish in 2006. Three years later, Tasca hopes to mirror that performance but walk away with the trophy.
“Reading is a special place for me and it always will be,” said Tasca. “Reading is the site where I first hit the gas in a my Top Alcohol Funny Car. I’m really excited to get back there.”
Currently in sixth place in the NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car point standings, Tasca and his team are focused on one goal, and one goal only: being a championship contender.
“This is a pivotal point of the season for us,” said Tasca. “We’re not so much trying to make the top 10, but really focusing on positioning ourselves to make a strong run for this championship. I’m thrilled to be in this spot, literally less than two years from when we started this program. I’m feeling pretty good right now.”
Although Tasca considers Englishtown is home track, Reading, is not too far away. Tasca heads to Pennsylvania hoping to recapture the magic he had back at his home track earlier in the season.
“There will be a lot of Rhode Islanders in Reading,” said Tasca. “We did really well in Englishtown getting to the semi-finals. We have our sights set on picking up another win before the Countdown to 1 starts. We’ll definitely have some hometown people at Reading.”
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 http://www.motorcraft.com/, http://www.quicklane.com/, http://www.racefanoffers.com/ and http://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
1. Tony Pedregon, 1,215; 2. Ron Capps, 1,187; 3. Ashley Force Hood, 1,090; 4. Jack Beckman, 960; 5. Tim Wilkerson, 950; 6. Bob Tasca III, 894; 7. Del Worsham, 877; 8. John Force, 846; 9. Mike Neff, 778; 10. Cruz Pedregon, 768.
Reading Race Notes
- Tasca qualified 13th during last year’s event at Brainerd and lost in the second round to Tim Wilkerson.
- Tasca is currently sixth in points heading into the 17th 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 11 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 http://www.quicklane.com/ to find the Quick Lanes in the greater Reading 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, August 23: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 1 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, August 23: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will air NHRA Race Day, at 11:30 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, August 23: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final eliminations at 10 p.m. (ET).
Satellite (Analog feed)
Friday, August 21, 8:30 – 8 p.m. (ET), AMC 15 / Transponder 6K (11820 MHz, horizontal)
Saturday, August 22, 6:30 - 7 p.m. (ET), AMC 15 / Transponder 6K (11820 MHz, horizontal)
Sunday, August 23, 6:30 - 7 p.m. (ET), AMC 15 / Transponder 6K (11820 MHz, horizontal)
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 530 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 https://portal.hostedmail.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=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 about 201,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s 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 https://portal.hostedmail.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.ford.com/.
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