Tasca Racing Finds Power and Precision at NHRA Sonoma Nationals

Joey Little
Jul 28
2 min read

Bob Tasca III and the Motorcraft Quick Lane Nitro Mustang Dark Horse funny car team arrived at Sonoma Raceway for the NHRA Sonoma Nationals with a mission: stay consistent under pressure. They left with one of the fastest Funny Cars of the weekend and momentum heading into the next NHRA stop.

the Motorcraft Quick Lane nitro Mustang Dark Horse funny car exploding off the starting line in Sonoma California at night with flames shooting from the headers

The weekend kicked off strong. In Friday’s Q1, Tasca powered through a 3.959-second run at 321.35 mph, wrestling the car back on track after a mid-run swerve. Q2 saw some tire haze at half-track, forcing Tasca to lift early. He coasted to a 4.390 and dropped to 11th in qualifying.

By Saturday, the team had found its rhythm. In a bold move before Q3, the crew swapped in their weakest blower and dialed back the power for better traction. The decision paid off, Tasca clocked a blazing 3.918 at 336.49 mph, the fastest Funny Car speed of the event.

He backed it up in Q4 with a 3.926 at 333.82 mph, earning the No. 9 qualifying spot.

Eliminations on Sunday brought Tasca side by side with another Ford Performance team member. Round One saw Tasca line up against No. 8 qualifier Dan Wilkerson. Despite overpowering the track and needing a quick pedal job, Tasca crossed first with a 4.085 at 280.14 mph. Wilkerson’s run ended in a fiery explosion just past half-track, though he escaped uninjured. "We got lucky on that one," Tasca admitted. "Glad Dan’s okay."

In Round Two, Tasca faced top qualifier Matt Hagan in what became one of the tightest battles of the day. Tasca laid down a 3.936 at 333.49 mph, but Hagan edged him out on a holeshot, just 0.004 seconds quicker off the line. Hagan’s 3.937 at 331.36 mph secured the narrow win.

Despite the close loss, Tasca left Sonoma encouraged. “All the hard work and perseverance paid off,” he said. “It stings to go out like that, but we’re showing consistency and performance when it counts.”

Now with better consistency in their funny car, Tasca Racing turns its focus to the next stop on the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series in Brainerd, MN, for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. They’re hungry for more and ready for the Countdown.