Bob Tasca III
Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Shelby Mustang
Nitro Funny Car class
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series
26th Annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals
Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, PA
October 8 - 10, 2010
Race 21 of 23
Countdown to 1 - Race 4 of 6
HEARTBREAK IN READING; TASCA AND MOTORCRAFT/QUICK LANE RACING TEAM EXIT IN FIRST ROUND
READING, PA – October 10, 2010 – As defending race champions in Reading, Bob Tasca III and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team had high hopes of scoring a win this weekend. Unfortunately, tire smoke ended their day in the first round.
As Tasca predicted, Reading presented some of the best conditions for qualifying on Friday and Saturday. During Friday’s second qualifying session, Tasca posted his best time of the day with a 4.085 second pass at 306.95 miles per hour.
After the four qualifying sessions were complete, Tasca was locked into the seventh qualifying position. Tasca’s Reading qualifying effort marks the 17th time of the 2010 season that he qualified in the top half of field.
During Sunday’s eliminations, Tasca faced Del Worsham. Tasca had the better reaction time but started smoking the tires around the 300-foot marker. Worsham smoked the tires just after Tasca but was able to recover and cross the finish line first. Tasca posted a 4.934-second run at 179.59 miles per hour compared to Worsham’s 4.507-second pass at 270.10 miles per hour.
“We smoked the tires and didn’t make it,” said Tasca. “Most of the cars smoked the tires; it was a crazy day. We had our Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang tuned to make a solid run and it was trying to run, but didn’t make it. I smoked the tires and started to pedal it and came within inches of hitting the wall.”
Despite a first round loss, Tasca remains in the fifth position with two races left in the 2010 season.
“We came into Reading in fifth and we’re leaving in fifth,” said Tasca. “With two races to go, we’re going to try to finish out the season strong. We have a lot to look forward to next year. Right now, we’re about finishing this year on a high note and obviously, working on elements for next year.”
Now in his third year as the driver/owner of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang, Tasca studies each run and learns from every race. Continuous improvement is what Tasca knows will take his team into the next race and season.
“We are leaving Reading with a lot more knowledge than what we had on Friday morning,” said Tasca. “We all wish we can have that run over again and make the appropriate changes. For our team, it’s a learning lesson. There’s always good we take away from every race. This Ford BOSS 500 platform is still a new tune-up for us. It’s showed a lot of promise on cool weather tracks and it’s given us a few curve balls at the same time. We’re going to digest this weekend, take the good and leave the bad behind. We’ll head into Las Vegas with a clean slate. We’re going to stay in Las Vegas and test after the race, so we’ll have a lot of data to put to use in Pomona and more importantly the 2011 season.”
Cruz Pedregon defeated Matt Hagan in the finals to win the 26th Annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals in Reading, PA.
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series returns on Friday, October 29, for the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Points
1. Matt Hagan, 2442; 2. John Force, 2378; 3. Jack Beckman, 2349; 4. Ashley Force Hood, 2304; 5. Bob Tasca III, 2248; 6. Robert Hight, 2229; 7. Del Worsham, 2201; 8. Tim Wilkerson, 2199; 9. Ron Capps, 2192; 10. Tony Pedregon, 2167
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
About Motorcraft
Motorcraft® offers a complete line of replacement 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 nationwide at Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers, independent distributors, and automotive parts retailers and are backed 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 online for over 283,000 Genuine Ford and Motorcraft parts. With FordParts.com, repair shops, body shops, fleets and do-it-yourselfers can shop for, order and ultimately receive parts 24/7 via the click of a mouse. It lets each customer remain connected to their Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealership for the parts expertise, personal delivery assistance, and post-sale follow-up associated with a traditional purchase. All customers visiting FordParts.com will benefit from its comprehensive, yet user-friendly nature, perhaps best expressed in the way Ford and Motorcraft parts are shopped for and selected. To do so, customers can enter a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and shop with unmatched accuracy for parts uniquely associated with the vehicle or start by entering the year, make and model of the vehicle. Adding to the site’s functionality is the ability to view 22,865 technical illustrations on many of the parts and assemblies. 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 159,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s brands include Ford, Lincoln and Mercury, production of which has been announced by the company to be ending in the fourth quarter of 2010. 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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