Bob Tasca III
Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford Shelby Mustang
Nitro Funny Car class
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series
10th Annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway October 30-November 1, 2009
Race 23 of 24
5th Race in Countdown to 1
TASCA AND MOTORCRAFT/QUICK LANE RACING QUALIFIES FIFTH IN LAS VEGAS
LAS VEGAS, NV – October 31, 2009 – Bob Tasca III and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing were looking forward to getting to Las Vegas this weekend in hopes of moving up the Funny Car points ladder.
In what he called his ‘Game 7,’ Tasca posted solid runs during four rounds of qualifying in Las Vegas. During the opening session, Tasca ran a 4.136 second pass at 307.02 miles per hour. Later on Friday afternoon during the second session, Tasca improved his ET with to 4.107 seconds at a speed of 307.02 miles per hour run.
At the conclusion of Friday, Tasca and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang team sat comfortably in the fifth qualifying position.
“I said coming into this race it was our ‘Game 7’ and a must win. But winning starts with qualifying and running well and we’re certainly on our way to that win with our qualifying efforts this weekend. Friday was a great day; we posted two 307-mile per hour runs, two of the fastest runs that I’ve ever been on in my career.”
During the third qualifying session, Tasca posted a time of 4.932 seconds at 160.82 miles per hour, after smoking the tires at the 500-foot marker.
“We were trying something on Saturday during the early session and smoked the tires,” said Tasca. “Even though the run was less than what we wanted, it is still good data, because we know how far we can push our Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang.”
In Tasca’s final pass of the weekend, he posted a 4.130 second pass at 303.98 miles per hour.
“In the night session, I was really surprised that the whole field didn’t run better,” said Tasca. “We’ve rated ourselves against the competition and there were only two cars on the property than ran quicker than us in the night session.”
Tasca is seeded fifth and will face Del Worsham in the opening round on Sunday.
“We’ve put ourselves in a great position to win this weekend, and that was something we wanted to do coming into this race,” said Tasca. “We’ve qualified well and we’ll have lane choice tomorrow. We’ve got a tough competitor in Del Worsham because he’s coming off a win last race. We’re ready to a great day on Sunday,” said Tasca.
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Qualifying – Funny Car
1. Matt Hagan; 2. Ron Capps; 3. Robert Hight; 4. Tony Pedregon; 5. Bob Tasca III; 6. Cruz Pedregon; 7. Tim Wilkerson; 8. Jack Beckman; 9. Mike Neff; 10. Jim Head; 11. John Force; 12. Del Worsham; 13. Jeff Arend; 14. Ashley Force Hood; 15. Gary Densham; 16. Grant Downing.
Did not qualify – Jeff Diehl, Bob Bode and Jerry Toliver
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, Oct. 31: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 11:00 p.m. (ET)
Sunday, Nov 1: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will air NHRA Race Day, at 2:30 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, Nov. 1: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final eliminations at 7:30 p.m. (ET).
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 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 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 www.ford.com.
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