Tasca and Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing Use Off Week to Prepare for St. Louis Success
Bob Tasca III Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford Shelby Mustang Nitro Funny Car class NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series 14th Annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest nationals Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois April 9-11, 2010 Race 7 of 23 TASCA AND MOTORCRAFT/QUICK LANE RACING USE OFF WEEK TO PREPARE FOR ST. LOUIS SUCCESS DEARBORN, MI – April 27, 2010 – Bob Tasca III and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team are looking to show the competition that they are the BOSS – this week with the BOSS 500 powered all-Ford Shelby Mustang. Tasca looks to improve on his first-round loss slump and bring home the team’s first win of the 2010 season as the NHRA Full Throttle Series heads to Gateway International Raceway outside of St. Louis. “Our Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team has had enough of going out in the first round,” said Tasca. “We’ve certainly have been through a transitional phase since our final round appearance in Gainesville. Our goal this weekend is to qualify in the top five Friday and Saturday. We know the next win is just around the corner for our Motorcraft/Quick Lane/Ford Parts.com Shelby Mustang team.” Despite the minor setbacks in transitioning to the BOSS 500 engine platform, Tasca and the team are confident with their Shelby Mustang, especially after the strong runs in Las Vegas and Houston. “We’ve got a great team and the best parts that you can have in a race car with this Ford BOSS platform,” said Tasca. “As a driver, I have all the confidence in the world in my team and crew chiefs. I’m very confident about racing in St. Louis.” Tasca and the team used one of their four NHRA test sessions following the Las Vegas race. Bound and determined to not be a first-round causality, the session allowed the team to test the limits of their Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang and obtain some critical data that will be instrumental in the coming weeks. “The Las Vegas test was probably the most successful test session we ever had,” said Tasca. “We tried some new things and really pushed the envelope in some areas. Coming off the strong test session, we have a lot of confidence in the tune-up heading into St. Louis. It will only be a matter of time before we start stringing some rounds wins together.” In addition to testing last week, Tasca participated in Ford’s annual Bring Your Child to Work Day in Dearborn, Mich. Tasca met with hundreds of young race fans, signed autographs and conducted a brief seminar on drag racing. More than 100 eager eyes watched and listened to Tasca talk about his Shelby Mustang, hoping to be a Funny Car racer one day. “The children had some really great questions about drag racing and how I became a race car driver,” said Tasca. “This one boy in the front row asked me when I was going to win my next race. I laughed a little and said, ‘Hopefully, my next win will be this weekend in St. Louis.’” Mustang 5.0 Fever Sweepstakes Enter to win an all-new 2011 Ford Mustang GT equipped with Ford Racing Performance Parts and Ford Custom Accessories as part of Ford Customer Service Division’s “Mustang 5.0 Fever” Sweepstakes. Bold and powerful, the all-new 5.0-liter V-8 Mustang uses advanced technology to deliver 412 horsepower, 390 ft-lb. of torque and class-leading highway mileage of 25 mpg. Enter online until November 23, 2010, at www.racefanoffers.com, www.quicklane.com, and www.fordparts.com. The “Mustang 5.0 Fever” Sweepstakes is open to all licensed U.S. citizens over the age of 18. NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Points 1. John Force, 553; 2. Matt Hagan, 433; 3. Ashley Force Hood, 395; 4. Ron Capps, 379; 5. Tony Pedregon, 374; 6. Jack Beckman, 366; 7. Tim Wilkerson, 335; 8. Del Worsham, 321; 9. Robert Hight, 315; 10. Bob Tasca III, 304. Madison Race Notes - In two previous appearances at Madison, Tasca has one round win and two round losses. - During last spring’s Madison race, Tasca lost to Cruz Pedregon in the second round. Tasca Funny Car Achievements - 2010 - Two top-eight qualifiers (fourth in Pomona and seventh in Gainesville) - Two semi-final appearances (Pomona and Gainesville) - One runner-up finish (Gainesville) - 2010 Round record: 5 wins and 6 losses - Tasca is 10th in series points, 249 points behind the leader Tasca Funny Car Achievements - Career - First round win: Defeated Melanie Troxel, February 10, 2008 (NHRA Winternationals, Pomona, CA) - First semi-final appearance: April 27, 2008 (NHRA Southern Nationals, Atlanta, GA) - First No. 1 qualifier: March 14, 2009 (Gatornationals, Gainesville, FL) - Career wins: Two in 2009 – Gatornationals in Gainesville, FL and Toyo Tires Nationals in Reading, PA - Finished eighth in series points in 2009 - Career round record: 39 wins and 50 losses 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 St. Louis area. Television Saturday, May 1, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 9 p.m. (ET). Sunday, May 2, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will air NHRA Race Day, at 10 a.m. (ET). Sunday, May 2, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise final eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET). Satellite (Analog feed) Friday, April 30, 8 - 8:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 18K (12060 MHz, vertical) Saturday, May 1, 7:30 - 8 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 18K (12060 MHz, vertical) Sunday, May 2, 7:30 - 8 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 18K (12060 MHz, vertical) 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 Mercury 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 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