Engine Explosion in Final Qualifying Session for Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang Racing Team – Tasca to Start Eighth in Indianapolis

Bob Tasca III

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford Shelby Mustang

Nitro Funny Car class

NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series

55th Annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals

O’Reilly Raceway Park

September 2-7, 2009

Race 18 of 24

ENGINE EXPLOSION IN FINAL QUALIFYING SESSION FOR MOTORCRAFT/QUICK LANE RACING TEAM – TASCA TO START EIGHTH IN INDIANAPOLIS

CLERMONT, IN – September 6, 2009 – Sunday showers delayed on track action at the 55th Annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. Looking for their third win of the year, Bob Tasca III and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team were eager perform on the most historic track on the circuit.

Late Sunday afternoon the Funny Car teams would make their fourth and final qualifying pass of the weekend. Tasca and Del Worsham ran side-by-side until the 330-foot marker. Then the tires on the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang began to spin, cylinders dropped and the engine exploded.

“First I want everyone to know that I’m okay,” said Tasca. “Our Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang made three really strong runs this weekend. The guys were getting after it. We wanted to try to improve on the 12 we ran last night, the conditions were certainly out there. I don't know what happened, certainly something in the valve train. They'll have to evaluate it. When it blows up like that, typically it drops an intake valve or something with the valve train, because the valves don't get closed and the cylinder fires and it explodes the nitro that is in the manifold and the supercharger.”

Tasca compared this incident to the engine explosion in Reading just two weeks ago.

“It was certainly violent. It was very similar to what happened to us in Reading, except on a bigger scale,” said Tasca. “It did a lot of damage to the body and a lot of damage to the motor. These guys will be working here late, but we'll be ready for tomorrow. There is clearly something going on that the guys need to get a handle on,” continued Tasca. “When it knocks the tire off, the driver naturally steps off the throttle and our car has never been sensitive to blowing the blower off – never. Obviously, there is something going on. Chris and the guys will figure it out. We have to re-group a little bit just like we did in Maple Grove.”

“Truthfully, if I blow up every Saturday night and win the race, like I did in Reading, then I'll sign up for that all season long,” said Tasca. “At the end of the day, this team has proven they can work through these types of challenges like we did two weeks ago in Reading, and that is what our sights are set to do here at Indy - to win the race.”

Tasca’s best pass of the weekend took place under the Saturday evening sky. Tasca took his Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang to the 1000-foot marker in 4.126 seconds at 302.69 miles per hour. This effort would seed Tasca in the eighth qualifying position.

Tasca will face technical alliance teammate Tim Wilkerson in the Sunday’s first elimination round.

Qualifying Order Funny Car

1. Robert Hight, 2. Ashley Force Hood, 3. Mike Neff, 4. Cruz Pedregon, 5. John Force, 6. Del Worsham, 7. Jerry Toliver, 8. Bob Tasca III, 9. Tim Wilkerson, 10. Jeff Arend, 11. Tony Pedregon, 12. Jim Head, 13. Ron Capps, 14. Jack Beckman, 15. Matt Hagan, 16. Grant Downing.

Did not qualify – Bob Bode and Justin Schriefer

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

Monday, September 7: ESPN2 HD will televise a special one hour NHRA Race Day at noon (ET). Monday, September 7: ESPN2 HD will televise five hours of eliminations coverage at 1 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 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 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 http://www.ford.com/.
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TASCA FORD TO HOST 12TH ANNUAL MUSTANG & LIVE MUSIC EVENT ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

TASCA FORD TO HOST 12TH ANNUAL MUSTANG & LIVE MUSIC EVENT ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

CRANSTON, RI – September 3, 2009 – Bob Tasca III first caught sight of a Mustang many years ago in his grandfather’s Ford dealership and fell in love with the pony car.

Now as the driver of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang Nitro Funny Car and Vice President of Tasca Automotive Group in Rhode Island, Bob Tasca III, along with his grandfather, Bob Tasca Sr., are hosting the 12th Annual Mustang and Live Music Event on Saturday, September 12 from 10am to 4pm at the Tasca Automotive Group in Cranston, RI.

“This is the 12th Annual Mustang show and food drive that we’ve done at our dealership,” said Tasca. “It’s a car show with some of the finest Fords on the east coast. We’ve had people from Florida, Virginia and even Michigan that drive out to put their car on display.”

Over the past 12 years the event has grown in both display vehicles and attendance. In addition to the Mustang car show, Tasca has invited some of his fellow Ford Racing family members to participate in the day’s activities. Special guests at this year’s show include the entire Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team, 14-time NHRA Funny Car Champion John Force, two-time 2009 race winner Tim Wilkerson, Eddie and Len Wood, co-owners of Wood Brothers Racing and the legendary No. 21 Ford, and four generations of the Tasca family.

Admission to the 12th Annual Mustang & Live Music Event is two non-perishable food items, which will be donated to the Rhode Island Food bank. In previous years, the show has donated more than 10,000 pounds of food to the local food bank.

“A lot of Rhode Islanders don’t get to experience what we do every week because there isn’t a track that is real close, so we’ll fire -up the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang at the dealership,” said Tasca. “The fans at NHRA they know what to expect, but you’ll see thousands of people surrounding the Mustang and then we hit the throttle. It’s like an earthquake. Everyone jumps two feet off the ground. It’s fun for me to bring our Shelby Mustang Funny Car to Rhode Island, to my hometown and at the same time help such a worthwhile cost with the Rhode Island Food Bank.”

12th Annual Mustang & Live Music EventSaturday, September 12: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Tasca Automotive Group
1300 Pontiac Avenue
Cranston, RI 02920
401-681-1300

For more information, visit www.tascaford.com

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 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 https://portal.hostedmail.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=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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Taking Reading’s Momentum into Indianapolis

It has been a couple of exciting weeks us at Motorcraft/Quick Lane and Tasca Racing.

Reading, Pennsylvania, is one of my two home tracks. Englishtown and Reading are both “east coast” races, so it’s a race track that has meant a lot to me throughout my career. I made my national event debut at Reading in my Alcohol Funny Car and John Force unveiled a race car at the same track that he dedicated to my grandfather, so it holds a lot of meaning for our family. Back in the 60s, Billy Lawton and my grandfather raced there and I wanted to live up to their standards. You want to do well at every track, but Maple Grove is one of those nostalgia races that rank up there with a lot of them.

What I was most proud of through the weekend was there’s so much effort that goes into a win. When you look at where we were Saturday night with a blown-up race car, one of the worst explosions that we’ve ever had, you wouldn’t have picked us to get out of the first round. The supercharger that we had been running for the last 10 races was gone and we had to put a whole new combination in the Motorcraft / Quick Lane Mustang for Sunday morning. We were running against arguably one of the most dominant cars of the year, with Ron Capps, and then you look at the ladder with John Force, Robert Hight, Mike Neff and a lot of other big names. My crew chief Chris Cunningham and the guys made a great call in getting the car set up and ready. The Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang ran third quickest of the session, of the whole day, and I think it was second quickest speed of the event.

I remember sitting in my Mustang, 1,000 feet to destiny, that was probably the last conscious thought that went through my head. You’re sitting there and the guy next to you has got 1,000 feet in front of him, and you’ve got 1,000 feet in front of you. Who wants it more? That’s what it comes down to in our sport and our Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang team wanted it a little bit more on that race. The ball bounced our way. I sat there in the winner’s circle and I said, “NHRA racing is an all-Ford series, the car I drive is an all-Ford hot rod, I’m an all-Ford kid and today was an all-Ford day.”

Winning in Reading was a pretty special way to end a weekend that presented a lot of challenges. The one thing that I’m very excited about is to see our team’s level of concentration. Even in the midst of explosions, and all of the things that were going against us, Chris and Marc Denner, and the entire team stayed focused. They kept their cool and they gave me a hot rod that could win, and that’s all I could ask for them to do. As a driver-owner, your team has got to put you in the position to go out there and win, and then you have to go out there and do the job. It was a big win for our team and our program heading into the US Nationals.

After Reading, we went to a test session in Indy and tried some new things. Something I’ve said, you always learn something, you might not like the results, but you always learn something. We were trying some new blowers, and some different settings with the combination. We are trying to find every little bit of an advantage we can find and ultimately, get us ready for next weekend.
The test in Indy went ok. What we were trying to learn in Indy was to make sure we had good back-up blowers. There were some things that Chris wanted to try where you can have the opportunity to take the car to half-track and shut it off and you don’t do any damage. From those standpoints it was a success, but I don’t think we’ll take much of that data and use it next week because I think the track is going to be a whole lot better for the US Nationals then it was when we were out there testing. It is good data to have. It was just some things we needed to do with some new parts, a new rear-end, a new supercharger, and different things that you wouldn’t normally feel 100% confident throwing them into service without having a test opportunity.

We still have two test sessions left this season and a lot of teams are out of test sessions. We’ve been performing very well on the race tracks, so we’ve been saving them. That gives us some flexibility after Charlotte to test, potentially going into Vegas and to take every inch we can get as the season winds down.

One thing I want everyone to know is that I read every email that comes into the website and every Facebook message that comes in. I want to thank all the fans for their kind notes. It is humbling for me to be a part of a program that reaches so many people and brings so much excitement to people that I don’t even know and many of them that I haven’t even met.

We wouldn’t have had our success this year if it wasn’t for Chris Cunningham and all the guys on the Motorcraft / Quick Lane team. It’s a really awesome experience to be a part of this program and I’m just proud of the guys and Chris. I’ve said it before but he’s a great leader of our team. He’s a great friend and mentor of mine, and I’m just really lucky to have a guy like him and Marc and the talented crew that they’ve brought around me.

Lastly, the technical alliance with Tim Wilkerson has been amazing resource for our team, not only to share data but also to share experiences. As a driver, Tony Pedregon and John Force have been very instrumental in helping me, but having a guy like Tim next to your trailer who you interact with multiple times throughout a day and can bounce questions or ideas off of him has been a great opportunity for me personally and professionally. A lot of the decisions and plans that we made last year have really come together, and I think you’ve seen our team mature over the season. I know I’ve matured as a driver. I’m nowhere near the likes of some of the veterans out there, but I’m getting better with time and I’ll continue to improve, and I our team will continue to improve. I’ve ended a lot of interviews by saying the best is yet to come, but I believe that. I believe the best is yet to come with our Motorcraft / Quick Lane team. We’re going to keep working hard, and putting ourselves in the position to win and let the chips fall where they may.

Tasca and the Motorcraft/ Quick Lane Racing Team Head to the Home of Racing with Momentum in Tow

Bob Tasca III
Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford Shelby Mustang
Nitro Funny Car class
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series

55th Annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
O’Reilly Raceway Park September 2-7, 2009
Race 18 of 24

Tasca and the Motorcraft/ Quick Lane Racing Team Head to the Home of Racing with Momentum in Tow

DEARBORN, MI – September 1, 2009 – Historic and prestigious are two words that describe the 55th Annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. Bob Tasca III and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team head to the home of American racing looking to make some history of their own.

“You want to win Indianapolis because it is the signature race of the year,” said Tasca. “There are a lot of big races, certainly Gainesville is one of them, but Indy is special and historic. There are always huge crowds, and it’s a four-day event. It’s a special place for every driver.”

Coming off of his Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals win in Reading, a confident Tasca looks to Indy to continue gaining momentum before heading into the Countdown to 1 “playoffs.”

“This is about sending a message that we’re the real deal, we’ve won races, and now we’re continuing that momentum into Charlotte,” said Tasca. “At the end of the day, that’s where the Countdown to 1 begins.”

Currently in fourth place, locked into the Countdown and with two national event wins under his belt, Tasca has made a lot of progress in just a short time in his Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang Funny Car.

“It’s an exciting time for our program, and I’m just so happy to be able to be in the position we’re in,” said Tasca. “This is the second year of the program that we started from scratch. We’ve certainly made some significant progress in our second year and we’re very proud of that.”

The Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing Experience interactive consumer display returns to NHRA Nitro Alley in Indianapolis. Fans can enter to win prizes and participate in the Motorcraft Holeshot Challenge and Quick Lane Challenge. Fans visiting the display have the opportunity to enter the ‘Race Hot to a Mustang’ sweepstakes. The winner of the sweepstakes will receive a 2010 Ford Mustang GT equipped with a Ford Racing Performance Parts package and upgrades courtesy of Ford Custom Accessories.

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing Experience Hours of Operation


Friday, September 4: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Saturday, September 5: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Sunday, September 6: 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Monday, September 7: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

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, 1,292; 2. Ron Capps, 1,219; 3. Ashley Force Hood, 1,128; 4. Bob Tasca III, 1,008; 5. Jack Beckman, 996; 6. Tim Wilkerson, 982; 7. Del Worsham, 929; 8. John Force, 919; 9. Mike Neff, 872; 10. Cruz Pedregon, 801.

Indianapolis Race Notes
- Tasca qualified 15th during last year’s event at Indianapolis and lost in the first round to Cruz Pedregon.
- Tasca is currently fourth in points heading into the 18th 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 an average qualifying position of seventh during the 2009 season
- Tasca has at least one round win in 13 of the 17 races this 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 one of the 16 Quick Lanes in the Indianapolis area.

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, September 6: ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute magazine show at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, September 6: ESPN2 HD will televise two hours and 30 minutes of qualifying coverage at 11:30 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, September 6: ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 5 p.m. (ET)
Monday, September 7: ESPN2 HD will televise a special one hour NHRA Race Day at noon (ET).
Monday, September 7: ESPN2 HD will televise five hours of eliminations coverage at 1 p.m. (ET).

Satellite (Analog feed)
Friday, Sept. 4, 9:30 - 10 p.m. (ET) - AMC 15 / Transponder 6K (11820 MHz, horizontal)Saturday, Sept. 5, 10 - 10:30 p.m. (ET) - AMC 15 / Transponder 6K (11820 MHz, horizontal)Sunday, Sept. 6, 7:30 - 8 p.m. (ET) - AMC 15 / Transponder 6K (11820 MHz, horizontal)Monday, Sept. 7, 6:30 - 7 p.m. (ET) - AMC 15 / Transponder 6K (11820 MHz, horizontal)

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 https://portal.hostedmail.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=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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