Bob Tasca III’s NHRA Victory in Vegas Shows Funny Car Class is Wide Open

After the Ford Motor Company pulled out of NHRA pro drag racing in late 2013, Bob Tasca III warned it had made a mistake: “I truly believe they have underestimated the passion and loyalty of the NHRA fans” - and lobbied hard for a decision reversal.

Ford agreed to continue supporting his Funny Car program, but Tasca made a promise on his end, too.

“I told them I would win. I said, ‘If you come back to racing, please give the opportunity for these Ford fans. I will win. I will compete for a championship,’” Tasca said.

He won twice but had experienced a winless streak since June 2019. Finally, at the Denso Spark Plugs Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Tasca delivered again.

He defeated Matt Hagan, Tim Wilkerson, and Ron Capps in Sunday’s final round. Besides giving Tasca the points lead for the first time in his career, the Motorcraft /Quick Lane Ford racer, the victory came on the 57th birthday weekend for the Mustang. The model debuted April 17, 1964.

More significantly, Tasca’s triumph signaled that the Funny Car class appears to be wide open this year.

In the season-opener at Gainesville, Fla., in March, Kalitta Motorsports driver JR Todd halted Don Schumacher Racing’s 14-victory streak that had started in October 2019 and swept through the entire 2020 season.

Robert Hight, from John Force Racing, pushed the class further toward parity this past weekend by qualifying No. 1. But Tasca knocked off both Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) rivals Hagan and Capps to keep the NHRA’s most successful team out of the winners circle this season.

Hight, Force, and privateer Alexis De Joria were 1-2-3 in the starting lineup at Las Vegas.