Heartbreak in the Finals for Bob Tasca III and Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang Team

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*Bob Tasca III*

*Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford Shelby Mustang***

*Nitro Funny Car class*

*NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series*

* *

*Third Annual Summit Racing Equipment Nationals*

*Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio*
*June 25-28, 2009*

* *

* *
*HEARTBREAK IN THE FINALS FOR BOB TASCA III AND MOTORCRAFT/QUICK LANE SHELBY
MUSTANG TEAM *



Norwalk, OH – June 28, 2009 – Northern Ohio has a reputation for having one
of the country’s best amusement parks.  Bob Tasca III and the
Motorcraft/Quick Lane racing team experienced a roller coaster weekend full
of twists and turns at Summit Motorsports Park.



The weekend opened as Tasca drove the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby to the
top of the timing sheets with a 4.343 second run at 266.48 miles per
hour.  After
a quick turnaround, Tasca was back for the second round posting a 4.263
second run at 272.89 miles per hour, which seeded him eighth.



After two additional sessions on Saturday, Tasca kept his best time from
Friday afternoon.  He would start in the eighth position for Sunday’s
elimination rounds.



“I felt I did as much learning this weekend about driving the
Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby, maybe of any race that I’ve been in so far,”
said Tasca.  “I learned everything from how the hot rod was moving around,
spinning the tires, keeping it under control and not over-correcting. You’ve
got to try and get everything that you can out of the race car but at the
same time, try not to make a mistake by over steering and causing it to
smoke the tires.”



Once the rain cleared on Sunday, Tasca faced some tough competition en route
to his second appearance in the final round this season.  In the first
round, Tasca defeated Matt Hagan.  During the second round, he defeated No.
1 qualifier Mike Neff. Tasca would face Ashley Force Hood in the semi-final
round and would defeat the new points leader for the first time in six
meetings.



“I drove the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang a lot today because we had
problems almost every round,” said Tasca.  “In the first round, we had an
issue with the supercharger.  In the second round against Neff, we had an
issue with a wiring harness that actually damaged the ignition.  We had to
find and repair the ignition between rounds.  In the semifinals against
Ashley, we had reverser cable fail and I knew it when it happened.  I kept
my composure because the Shelby Mustang needed to be staged and remain
straight.  Wilkerson came over and gave me the okay, and then [crew chief
Chris] Cunningham took the throttle stop off so when he says it’s okay, it’s
okay.  I hit the gas, hit .079 on the tree and beat Ashley Force Hood for
the first time.”



For the second time this season, Tasca and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team
reached the finals. He was defeated Atlanta winner Jack Beckman.



“We want to win, that’s why we come.  Unfortunately for us, Jack guessed the
tree.  You can’t cut a .001 light,” said Tasca.  “I heard him and it
actually messed me up because I didn’t see the light go on.  I had a decent
light but I was still confused.  I hit the gas; I looked for the win light
and didn’t see it on.  Then we drove right into tire smoke.  People might
watch it on TV and ask, ‘Why did you drive the race car when Jack was almost
at the finish line?’ I took it as an opportunity to learn how to pedal the
Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang.  That was probably one of the best
pedal jobs I’ve ever done in a race car.  I did it knowing that Jack had won
the race, but knowing that I had an opportunity to learn a little bit and
tune my driving skills.  I did what I wanted to do.  Jack made a great run,
it was his race to win.”



With a weekend off for the July 4th holiday, Tasca eyes the points and next
three races on the schedule.



“We’re closing in on the leaders.  The drivers in fourth, fifth and sixth
are within two rounds of each other.  Those are good numbers to have in our
pocket as we head into west coast swing.  We have a very different attitude
and confidence level this year and I am looking forward to the west coast
swing.”**



* *
*Full Throttle Standings – Funny Car*

1. Ashley Force Hood, 872; 2. Tony Pedregon, 853; 3. Ron Capps, 847; 4. Jack
Beckman, 709; 5. Jack Beckman, 709; *6. Bob Tasca III, 700;* 7. Tim
Wilkerson, 657; 8. John Force, 631; 9. Mike Neff, 595; 10. Cruz Pedregon,
577.


*On the Web*

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MQL_Racing

Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/MotorcraftQuickLaneRacing

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
www.motorcraft.com
.


*About Quick Lane *

Quick Lane® provides automotive quick services for all makes and models.
Quick Lane's® nationwide network of over 500 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
*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
more than 213,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s
wholly owned 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



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*MEDIA CONTACT:*

*Susan Pollack*

*Motorcraft/Quick Lane *Tire & Auto Center

313.203.7162 | 313.434.6912

spollack@pcgcampbell.com

www.twitter.com/MQL_Racing