NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Leading the points in the Countdown to the Championship for the first time in his career, Funny Car standout Bob Tasca III has already enjoyed an incredible season in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series.
 
Heading into this weekend’s 38th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex, Tasca and his team, led by crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Aaron Brooks, also don’t plan on changing an approach that sent them into the lead with three races remaining in the season.
 
An aggressive mindset has been rewarding for the team, as Tasca has picked up three victories and six No. 1 qualifiers in his 11,000-horsepower Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang. But in an extremely tight Funny Car field where just 33 points separate the top four drivers, Tasca will aim to continue his standout pace in Dallas, where ideal racer and fan conditions could make for a spectacular weekend.
 
“We feel confident that if we can run our race that we’ve got as good a chance as anyone to win this championship,” Tasca said. “These guys only know how to run hard and run fast, and that’s just fine with me. I saw the forecast (for Dallas) and I had a big smile on my face. These are good conditions for our car and Dallas is a great surface. It’s going to be a throwdown and I love racing there. We’re going to come out swinging and leave it all out on the field, and that’s all you can do.”
 
Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock), and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) took home victories last season. This year’s race will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 (FS1), including eliminations on Sunday, and marks the third of six events in the Countdown to the Championship, and the 19th of 21 races in 2023. The weekend opens with "Friday Night Live,” as the quickest pass under the lights on Friday at the famed Texas Motorplex will net Top Fuel and Funny Car stars $15,000 each in bonus money, with $7,500 going to the top Friday qualifier in Pro Stock and $5,000 in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

 
Tasca’s 2023 track record indicates he’ll definitely be in that mix on Friday, where he’ll look to put down a stellar blast to open the weekend. But finishing the job is never easy in the loaded Funny Car ranks, especially with the likes of Robert Hight, Matt Hagan and Capps right behind Tasca.
 
Hight is only six points back, while Hagan’s St. Louis win brought him within 13 points of Tasca. Capps, the defending event winner and reigning back-to-back world champ, is just 33 points out of the lead, setting the stage for an epic final three races. Throw in the likes of J.R. Todd, Tim Wilkerson, John Force and Chad Green and it will be a wild finish in Funny Car, starting this weekend in Dallas.
 
Tasca, though, believes his team is up for the task, no matter what type of conditions are thrown their way.
 
“We’ve got a car that can run with the best of the best in any condition and to win a championship, that’s what you need to have,” Tasca said. “I think that’s what makes us a dangerous team in the Countdown. We can run low E.T. no matter what conditions we’re in. When you have that in your repertoire, it puts you in a great position to contend for this championship. We’ve got a veteran group of guys and I’m fortunate to pair up with Todd Okuhara and Aaron Brooks. It’s incredible chemistry and you can see it in our performance all year long.”