Bob Tasca III
Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford Shelby Mustang
Nitro Funny Car class
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series
50th Annual Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona, CA
February 11-14, 2010
Race 1 of 23
TASCA TO START FOURTH IN SUNDAY’S 50TH ANNUAL NHRA WINTERNATIONALS
Pomona, CA., Feb 13, 2010 – Bob Tasca III and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang team saved their best run for last during Saturday’s final qualifying session at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
After three rounds of qualifying Tasca found himself sitting in the 16th position. In his final qualifying attempt, Tasca wowed the crowd with an impressive session-best pass of 4.075 seconds at 306.88 miles per hour. Tasca’s run catapulted him from 16th to fourth overall.
“Chris Cunningham made a few changes and did what he thought was the right decision,” said Tasca. “I said a little prayer to my grandfather, ‘Pop, if there’s a time that I need you, it is on this run.’ And that’s the quickest run I’ve ever been on.”
As the team owner and driver, Tasca credits the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team for their efforts in giving him a solid and competitive Shelby Mustang Funny Car.
“What a tribute to all the hard work that my guys have put in,” said Tasca. “To run low ET of the round, move into the fourth qualifying position, clearly shows that we’re in this deal to win.”
As the fourth seed, Tasca will face Melanie Troxel in the first round on Sunday. Tasca and Troxel have met two previous times and Tasca won both matches.
“I’m looking forward to Sunday,” said Tasca. “I raced Melanie in 2008 in my very first race earned my first, first round win. Hopefully this will be my first round win of 2010.”
Tasca is eager to make his way through the ladder on Sunday, but will take the day one round at a time.
“You’ve got to go up there and not take anything for grated,” continued Tasca. “My guys have smiles on their faces right now after that qualifying effort. We know that when you do it once, you can do it again. I’m happy about that and looking forward to first round.”
Qualifying Order
1. Robert Hight; 2. Del Worsham; 3. John Force; 4. Bob Tasca III; 5. Matt Hagan; 6. Ashley Force Hood; 7. Jack Beckman; 8. Jim Head; 9. Ron Capps; 10. Tony Pedregon; 11. Tim Wilkerson; 12. Gary Densham; 13. Melanie Troxel; 14. Bob Bode; 15. Jeff Arend; 16. Cruz Pedregon
DNQ – Terry Haddock, Jeff Diehl and Paul Lee
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/
Television
Sunday, Nov. 15, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will air NHRA Race Day, at 10 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Nov. 15, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final eliminations at 8 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 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.
