Bob Tasca III
Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford Shelby Mustang
Nitro Funny Car class
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series
26th Annual NHRA Arizona Nationals
Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, AZ
February 19-21, 2010
Race 2 of 23
TASCA AND MOTORCRAFT/QUICK LANE CARRY POMONA MOMENTUM INTO PHOENIX
DEARBORN, MI – February 17, 2010 – Following their semi-final appearance at last weekend’s race in Pomona, Bob Tasca III and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team look forward to the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series’ first back-to-back racing weekend.
“I’m excited that were going to Phoenix right after kicking off the season in Pomona,” said Tasca. “Normally Phoenix is after a week off but I’m glad we’re back-to-back this early in the season. We worked hard all winter and we want to get back to racing. That’s why we’re here and that’s what we love to do.”
Tasca and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team are believers in momentum and see Phoenix as an opportunity to improve their Shelby Mustang and standings in series points. The team looks to conquer the tricky track known as Firebird Raceway because they’ve had mixed results in the past. In two previous visits to Firebird International Raceway, Tasca did not qualify (2008) and reached the second round (2009).
“We can take and build on the momentum we started in Pomona,” said Tasca. “This sport is all about momentum and capturing good data. All of our data is applicable to Phoenix, so we’re confident heading into Phoenix because the conditions will be very similar to what we saw in Pomona. We’ll look at our testing data, look at what we did in Pomona and that will give us confidence for Q1 this Friday.”
The red and black Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang has been updated for the 2010 Season. Tasca ran the new 2010 Shelby Mustang body in Pomona and liked the performance of the pony car.
“The 2010 Mustang body is great and it’s definitely going to give us a performance advantage over our body from last year,” said Tasca. “This new Mustang will bring us more on par with some of the other bodies that are out here because it is more aerodynamic, it has more downforce when we need it and it has less drag when we need it. Those are all things that play a big role when you’re fighting for hundredths of a second.”
In addition to the first back-to-back race of the season, Tasca looks forward to Phoenix because the father of three will have his personal cheering section with him.
“Phoenix will be great for me because it will be the first race with my wife Terri, our boys and my family. It is always nice to have the family with me at the track.”
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Points
1. John Force, 121; 2. Ron Capps, 94; 3. Bob Tasca III, 78; 4. Jack Beckman, 74; 5. Del Worsham, 59; 6. Matt Hagan, 57; 7. Ashley Force Hood, 56; 8. Cruz Pedregon, 51; 9. Robert Hight, 43; 10t. Tony Pedregon and Jim Head, 33.
Phoenix Race Notes
- Tasca qualified seventh during last year’s event at Phoenix and lost in the second round to Mike Neff.
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
- Earned two wins in 2009 – Gatornationals in Gainesville, FL and Toyo Tires Nationals in Reading, PA
- Finished eighth in series points in 2009
Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing on the Web
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/MQL_Racing
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/MQLRacing
Flickr – http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorcraftquicklaneracing/
Motorcraft/Quick Lane Notes
- 2010 marks the third 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’s nationwide network will surpass 600 facilities in 2010. Visit www.quicklane.com to find the one of the Quick Lanes in the greater Phoenix area.
Television
Saturday, Feb. 20, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 2 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Feb. 21, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will air NHRA Race Day, at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Feb. 21, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET).
Satellite (Analog feed)
Friday, Feb. 19, 8:30 - 9 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 24K
Saturday, Feb. 20, 9:30 - 10 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 24K
Sunday, Feb. 21, 9 - 9:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 24K
Download frequency AMC 9 / Transponder 24K (12180 MHz, horizontal) (Analog feed)
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 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 Tire & Auto Centers
Quick Lane® provides automotive quick services for all makes and models. Quick Lane’s nationwide network will surpass 600 facilities, each providing 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 Fordparts.com
Fordparts.com allows customers to shop for, order and receive original equipment parts. Fordparts.com enables customers to remain connected to a Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealership of their choice for the parts expertise, personal delivery assistance, and post-sale follow-up associated with a traditional purchase at a parts counter. The user functionality and convenience of the website is for individual “do-it-yourselfers” who service and repair their vehicles themselves, to fleet managers purchasing parts for a company’s fleet of vehicles, to a repair shop or “installer” purchasing parts on behalf of a customer visiting their facility for automotive service. For more information, visit www.fordparts.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 200,000 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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MEDIA CONTACT:
Susan Pollack
Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center
313.203.7162 | 313.434.6912
