NHRA Funny Car - Tasca At Final Stop on Western Swing

SEATTLE, Aug. 5, 2011: The process behind making a successful run down Pacific Raceways this weekend will be more scientific than throwing a dart at a dart board, but the general idea is the same.

Put all of your experience behind you. Aim. Fire.

Bob Tasca III and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang Funny Car team will strive for the perfect tune-up that’ll get them straight down the middle of the dragstrip at the NHRA Northwest Nationals near Seattle August 5-7.

In baseball terms, it’s all about hitting the sweet spot now, in a season that’s been both good and a struggle.

“Our on-base percentage is good, but we don’t have any homeruns to show for it,” said Tasca, who runnered-up in Charlotte and ran a career-best 4.056 seconds in Bristol, Tenn. “We’ve been frustrated with some of the losses we’ve taken, but what’s good about drag racing is that when one race ends, another one begins.”

Last weekend, Tasca lost in Round 1 to the eventual race winner by the narrowest of margins. By the end of race day, however, Tasca had already shifted his focus to Seattle.

“We’ll look to Seattle knowing there are a lot of opportunities ahead of us,” Tasca said. “It’s a race we have to do well at. We’ve had flashes of brilliance this year and we’ve lost by the closest margins. We have a lot of season left. As we tick off races, opportunities become more and more important.”

Three regular-season races remain. The drivers in the Top 10 after the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis will be eligible to win the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Series championship. The Motorcraft/Quick Lane team is currently ninth.

“We know what we’re doing,” Tasca said. “We have a great car and a great team. We just haven’t connected the dots on Sunday.

“We’re very, very, very focused on this race. You never like to say you’re more focused on one race over another, but this team is very motivated to do well in Seattle.”