Tasca and Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing Seek to Defend No. 1 Performance in Gainesville
Bob Tasca III Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford Shelby Mustang Nitro Funny Car class NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series 41st Annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, FL March 12-14, 2010 Race 3 of 23 TASCA AND MOTORCRAFT/QUICK LANE SEEK TO DEFEND NO. 1 PERFORMANCE IN GAINESVILLE DEARBORN, MI – March 9, 2010 – One year ago, Bob Tasca III and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang were confident heading into the Gainesville. That confidence, hard work and consistent performance enabled them to leave Gatornationals with their first No. 1 Qualifying position, but they also left with something a little more important – their first career win. “From breaking the Alcohol Funny Car record to my first Funny Car win – Gainesville is hands-down my favorite track and an incredible place to race,” said Tasca. “We’re so fortunate not only to get our first win, but our first No. 1 Qualifier at such a special venue. As a defending race winner, it adds that much more excitement for everyone on the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing Team.” Although looking to repeat their success, Tasca and the team look at Gainesville as a familiar track and have set realistic expectations for the race weekend. Tasca and the team remain focused on the task at hand and with the proper tuning; there will be a similar end result. “We’re looking forward to getting back to Gainesville because we’ve done very well there,” said Tasca. “We made a lot of changes to our Shelby Mustang during the off-season, but we have a very similar combination this weekend to what we ran a year ago. We are confident about our chances this weekend. This Mustang is the most competitive race car I’ve driven. I’m looking forward to that opening session on Friday.” Tasca’s confidence in racing at Gainesville stems from the years of experience crew chiefs Chris Cunningham and Marc Denner bring to the track. Cunningham and Denner have more than 35 years of experience between them and they arm Tasca with the quickest Mustang possible. “Chris Cunningham and Marc Denner will prep our Mustang to the best tune-up for the conditions at hand,” said Tasca. “The crew chiefs make their decisions on what they feel the track can hold. I have a lot of confidence in Chris, Marc and my crew. I know they want to repeat our performance from last year and I think we can bring home another win.” Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing Experience The Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing Experience interactive consumer display returns to Nitro Alley in Gainesville. Fans can enter to win prizes and participate in the Motorcraft Holeshot Challenge and Quick Lane Challenge. A myriad of activities are planned for fans during the weekend, including Q & A and autograph appearances at the display by Ford Funny Car drivers on Friday and Saturday. “Another reason I’m excited for Gainesville is that our Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing Experience is going to be in Nitro Alley,” said Tasca. “The display is a great place for NHRA fans to go in between rounds. It adds so much value to the midway. I know I’ll be by throughout the weekend, experience some cool activities, and win some prizes. You also get the chance to meet me for a Q & A session.” Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing Experience Hours of Operation Friday, March 12: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday, March 13: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday, March 14: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Points 1. John Force, 224; 2. Jack Beckman, 187; 3. Ron Capps, 148; 4. Robert Hight, 121; 5. Matt Hagan, 120; 6t. Bob Tasca III and Ashley Force Hood, 111; 8. Tony Pedregon, 104; 9. Del Worsham, 97; 10. Jim Head, 86. Gainesville Race Notes Tasca was the No. 1 Qualifier and defeated Jim Head, Tim Wilkerson, John Force and Tony Pedregon en route to his first career win. 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 · Earned two wins in 2009 – Gatornationals in Gainesville, FL and Toyo Tires Nationals in Reading, PA · Finished eighth in series points in 2009 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/ Motorcraft/Quick Lane Notes · 2010 marks the third 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’s nationwide network will surpass 600 facilities in 2010. Visit www.quicklane.com to find the one of the Quick Lanes in the greater Gainesville area. Television Sunday, March 14, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at midnight. (ET). Sunday, March 14, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will air NHRA Race Day, at 11 a.m. (ET). Sunday, March 14, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final eliminations at 6 p.m. (ET). Satellite (Analog feed) Friday, March 12, 7:30 - 8 p.m. (ET), AMC 6 / Transponder 21K Saturday, March 13, 7 – 7:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 6 / Transponder 21K Sunday, March 14, 7 - 7:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 6 / Transponder 21K 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 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 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, order and receive original equipment parts. Fordparts.com enables customers to remain connected to a Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealership of their choice for the parts expertise, personal delivery assistance, and post-sale follow-up associated with a traditional purchase at a parts counter. Fordparts.com is designed to support anyone who needs to find and buy original equipment Ford parts. Repair shops, body shops, fleets and do-it-yourselfers will all appreciate the speed and convenience of researching and purchasing Ford parts via this online portal. 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 198,000 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 www.ford.com. # # # # MEDIA CONTACT: Susan Pollack Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center 313.203.7162 | 313.434.6912 spollack@pcgcampbell.com www.twitter.com/MQL_Racing www.facebook.com/MQLRacing