Tasca Racing Weekend Recap – Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals

BOB TASCA III BATTLES THROUGH A TOUGH WEEKEND AT THE LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS

By: Tasca Racing (Photo Courtesy Tasca Racing)

Brainerd, MN – August 17, 2025- Bob Tasca III and his Motorcraft Quick Lane Nitro Mustang Dark Horse Funny Car endured an up-and-down weekend at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, showing flashes of strong performance before an early exit in Sunday eliminations. 

The weekend opened on a challenging note Friday afternoon when Tasca overpowered the track just past the 330-foot mark in Q1, forcing him to lift and land in the 13th qualifying spot with a 5.65-second run. The team quickly regrouped for the evening session, delivering one of their best passes of the season with a 3.930-second run at 332.43 mph, vaulting Tasca into 4th place heading into Saturday. 

“What an extremely important run for us and we really needed a full pull,” said Tasca after Q2. “And that’s exactly what that hot rod gave us. Car ran great. Hands down the smoothest run for me this season. Feels good to be back in the top of the ladder.” 

Saturday brought mixed results. In Q3, the Mustang was tuned too aggressively and smoked the tires at half-track, sliding Tasca down to 6th. The team closed qualifying with a 4.665-second run in Q4, but the effort wasn’t enough to hold position as Tasca ended the day in the 8th spot, setting up a first-round matchup on Sunday against No. 9 qualifier Dan Wilkerson, a rematch from Sonoma just two weeks prior. 

“We’ve been focused on getting the car quicker to the 330-foot mark, and this run showed the progress we’ve made,” Tasca said after Q4. “We’ll make a few more adjustments before round one tomorrow, and now it’s about bringing everything together.” 

In Sunday’s opening round, Tasca cut a sharp .067 reaction time and charged hard early, but the Mustang almost immediately shook the tires slowing to a 4.780-second pass at 180.04 mph. Wilkerson advanced with a stout 3.919-second run at 332.34 mph. 

“The only thing we’ve been good at this season is giving the other lane a confidence boost,” Tasca admitted after the loss. “That’s not who we are, but right now, that’s the reality.” 

Despite the disappointing finish, the Motorcraft Quick Lane team remains focused on dialing in their combination as the NHRA regular season winds down next week at the NHRA US Nationals, as the Countdown to the Championship looms.