Pomona, Thursday: With this weekend's NHRA race marking his second visit to Pomona this year, Bob Tasca III made his first run at the Southern California track since making his first-ever nitro Funny Car qualifying pass here earlier this season. And while excited about bringing his team back to the site of their first race together, Tasca’s Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang had a little bit too much power in it for his first trip to 1,000 feet, leaving the rookie driver with the 17th-quickest time of the day.
With qualifying this weekend spread out over three days, Tasca has no doubt that his team will rebound and put together solid runs over the next two days to earn a spot in Sunday’s season finale event.
“That first run up you’re kind of rolling the dice,” said Tasca. “You try to run what you think will get you in the field, but every race track is different. We had it set up to go a 4.13, which would have put us up around the top half of the field, and it was just a little too much. But at the end of the day, I’d rather be overly aggressive than not aggressive enough going into our last race. We’ll get it dialed in for tomorrow.”
This weekend’s event in Pomona brings Tasca’s season full circle, as it will be the last event where the driver of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang will race with a rookie status.
“It’s amazing how fast the season has gone by and how much we have learned over the last 23 races,” said Tasca. “Our whole strategy and our planning and now preparing for 2009, we’re just light-years ahead of where we were last year. It’s kind of cool to end our first season here. I was the first Funny Car down the track in February here in qualifying and I think it would be really cool to be the last driver down the track on Sunday.”
With qualifying this weekend spread out over three days, Tasca has no doubt that his team will rebound and put together solid runs over the next two days to earn a spot in Sunday’s season finale event.
“That first run up you’re kind of rolling the dice,” said Tasca. “You try to run what you think will get you in the field, but every race track is different. We had it set up to go a 4.13, which would have put us up around the top half of the field, and it was just a little too much. But at the end of the day, I’d rather be overly aggressive than not aggressive enough going into our last race. We’ll get it dialed in for tomorrow.”
This weekend’s event in Pomona brings Tasca’s season full circle, as it will be the last event where the driver of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang will race with a rookie status.
“It’s amazing how fast the season has gone by and how much we have learned over the last 23 races,” said Tasca. “Our whole strategy and our planning and now preparing for 2009, we’re just light-years ahead of where we were last year. It’s kind of cool to end our first season here. I was the first Funny Car down the track in February here in qualifying and I think it would be really cool to be the last driver down the track on Sunday.”
