Tasca Clinches Seventh Spot In NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Countdown

DEARBORN, July 24, 2010: Three years and 63 races after Bob Tasca III began racing the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang Nitro Funny Car, he will compete for the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Funny Car Championship.

Tasca clinched the seventh spot of 10 drivers for NHRA’s 2010 Countdown to 1 after qualifying seventh for this weekend’s NHRA race in Denver.

“Congratulations to Bob and the entire Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team on securing a spot in the Countdown to 1,” said Brett Wheatley, Director of Marketing, Ford Customer Service Division. “Bob has brought the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team to a new level this season. From making the transition to the Ford BOSS 500 engine platform, to winning in Englishtown with the FordParts.com Mustang, Bob’s performance has made all of us at Ford proud. We are looking forward to seeing Bob’s Mustang win a lot more rounds and, hopefully, the championship.”

Tasca and the team were determined to make the Countdown for the second consecutive season. In the first 15 races of 2010, Tasca earned one win, one runner-up finish, five semi-final appearances and a total of 19 round wins. Earlier this season, Tasca made the transition to the Ford BOSS 500 engine developed by Ford Racing and John Force Racing.

“I’m very excited to have locked into the Top 10 and to be able to compete for the 2010 NHRA Funny Car Championship title,” said Tasca. “To lock in the Countdown in the seventh position speaks volumes to the hard work and dedication that everybody on the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team has put into the program this year. We’ve had a very successful season and look forward to continuing and building on that success. Over the last couple of races you’ve seen us catch our stride. Our confidence and data is growing in leaps and bounds as we fully progress with the Ford BOSS engine platform.”

The six-race, Countdown to 1 begins at the 56th Annual MAC Tools US Nationals in Indianapolis, IN, the weekend of September 1-6.

“When we started the program three years ago, one of my primary goals was to win a championship for sponsors Motorcraft, Quick Lane and Ford,” said Tasca. “I’ve never been more confident than I am right now for this championship run. I believe our team can win a championship. I’m proud of my team led by Chris [Cunningham] and Marc [Denner]. The entire team and support from our sponsors has put us in a position to compete for a national championship.”