Tasca And Motorsports-Quick Lane Ford Experiences Early Exit

POMONA, Feb. 27, 2011: Bob Tasca III and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Shelby Mustang team recorded their fastest speed of the weekend – 303.37 mph – during the first round of eliminations at the 51st annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, but it wasn’t enough to hold back ‘One Ford’ teammate Robert Hight.

Tasca drove the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford to a 4.216-second finish to Hight’s 4.121 at 305.84 for an early exit. Hight faced teammate John Force in Round 2.

“We’ll pack our stuff up and go back to the drawing board,” said Tasca, who qualified 13th with a 4.147 at 286.74 after three days of incredible shifts in weather. “It’s not an outcome that is even close to what we hoped for.”

For the first time in Tasca’s NHRA Full Throttle Series professional drag racing Series career (2011 marks his fourth year), he and crew chiefs Chris Cunningham and Marc Denner will end the season with the same engine combination they used in pre-season testing. Hopes are high, but gremlins in Pomona, including fuel system and clutch issues, demanded extra attention.

“There were fuel system issues we’ve been fighting since testing,” Cunningham said. “We caught those on Saturday evening. That was good. We’re just trying to refine our clutch system, to work better on cool tracks. The weekend didn’t go as planned. I wish we would’ve learned these things at testing, but sometimes those things don’t work out.”

Fortunately, the next stop for the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team is Gainesville, Fla., where Tasca has reached the final round the past two years. He earned his first career Funny Car win there in 2009.

Tasca will look to the advice of Ford Racing icon and current Pro Stock Crew Chief Bob Glidden – “Never look back. Look forward.”

“I thought it was good advice,” Tasca said.

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 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 of 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 repair shops, body shops, fleets and do-it-yourselfers to purchase online over 280,000 Genuine Ford and Motorcraft parts quickly and easily. As well as the convenience of ordering parts online 24/7, FordParts.com provides full line catalogs with VIN look-up, parts pricing, inventory availability, FedEx over-night shipping, and technical illustrations of over 22,000 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 163,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.