After the car show, we’re going to take the crew guys fishing. A lot of the guys on my team are from the Midwest and down south and they’ve never been out deep-sea fishing. We’re going to charter a boat, and Wilkerson, Chris Cunningham, Marc Denner, and the guys, we’re going to go about 40 miles off shore and see if we can catch some tuna and mako shark. The guys came back from fishing in Brainerd with three- or four-pound walleyes, and they had some fun doing that.

They’re in for a treat.

When we hook into one of those big fish they’ll have something to talk about for years to come. It’s our little break in the action. It’s kind of the calm before the storm. We get a chance to give back to the community, have a little fun on that Sunday morning, and then we’re off. This is an exciting time for me to be in the position that we’re in. We’re three-quarters through our second year, it’s quite an accomplishment for my guys. I really enjoy it. All the time, travel, and energy everyone puts in is tremendous. When you set low e.t. of the day or win a big round, that’s what makes it all worthwhile. We’re solidly in this field for the Countdown to 1, and we’re looking forward to roll into Charlotte, where we have another big event with our JDRF unveiling and debut of the JDRF-themed Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang.

Reading, Pennsylvania, is one of my two home tracks. Englishtown and Reading are both “east coast” races, so it’s a racetrack that has meant a lot to me throughout my career. I made my national event debut at Reading in my Alcohol Funny Car and John Force unveiled a race car at the same track that he dedicated to my grandfather, so it holds a lot of meaning for our family. Back in the ’60s, Billy Lawton and my grandfather raced there and I wanted to live up to their standards. You want to do well at every track, but Maple Grove is one of those nostalgia races that rank up there with a lot of them.

What I was most proud of through the weekend was there’s so much effort that goes into a win. When you look at where we were Saturday night with a blown-up race car, one of the worst explosions that we’ve ever had, you wouldn’t have picked us to get out of the first round. The supercharger that we had been running for the last 10 races was gone and we had to put a whole new combination in the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang for Sunday morning. We were running against arguably one of the most dominant cars of the year, with Ron Capps, and then you look at the ladder with John Force, Robert Hight, Mike Neff and a lot of other big names. My crew chief Chris Cunningham and the guys made a great call in getting the car set up and ready. The Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang ran third quickest of the session, of the whole day, and I think it was second quickest speed of the event.

I remember sitting in my Mustang, 1,000 feet to destiny, that was probably the last conscious thought that went through my head. You’re sitting there and the guy next to you has got 1,000 feet in front of him, and you’ve got 1,000 feet in front of you. Who wants it more? That’s what it comes down to in our sport and our Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang team wanted it a little bit more on that race. The ball bounced our way. I sat there in the winner’s circle, and I said, “NHRA racing is an all-Ford series, the car I drive is an all-Ford hot rod, I’m an all-Ford kid, and today was an all-Ford day.”

Winning in Reading was a pretty special way to end a weekend that presented a lot of challenges. The one thing that I’m very excited about is to see our team’s level of concentration. Even in the midst of explosions and all of the things that were going against us, Chris and Marc Denner and the entire team stayed focused. They kept their cool and they gave me a hot rod that could win, and that’s all I could ask for them to do. As a driver-owner, your team has got to put you in the position to go out there and win, and then you have to go out there and do the job. It was a big win for our team and our program heading into the U.S. Nationals.

After Reading, we went to a test session in Indy and tried some new things. Something I’ve said, you always learn something, you might not like the results, but you always learn something. We were trying some new blowers and some different settings with the combination. We are trying to find every little bit of an advantage we can find and ultimately get us ready for next weekend.

The test in Indy went OK. What we were trying to learn in Indy was to make sure we had good back-up blowers. There were some things that Chris wanted to try where you can have the opportunity to take the car to half-track and shut it off and you don’t do any damage. From those standpoints, it was a success, but I don’t think we’ll take much of that data and use it this week because I think the track is going to be a whole lot better for the U.S. Nationals than it was when we were out there testing. It is good data to have. It was just some things we needed to do with some new parts, a new rear end, a new supercharger, and different things that you wouldn’t normally feel 100% confident throwing them into service without having a test opportunity.

We still have two test sessions left this season, and a lot of teams are out of test sessions. We’ve been performing very well on the racetracks, so we’ve been saving them. That gives us some flexibility after Charlotte to test, potentially going into Vegas and to take every inch we can get as the season winds down.

One thing I want everyone to know is that I read every e-mail that comes into the website and every Facebook message that comes in. I want to thank all the fans for their kind notes. It is humbling for me to be a part of a program that reaches so many people and brings so much excitement to people that I don’t even know and many of them that I haven’t even met.

We wouldn’t have had our success this year if it wasn’t for Chris Cunningham and all the guys on the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team. It’s a really awesome experience to be a part of this program, and I’m just proud of the guys and Chris. I’ve said it before but he’s a great leader of our team. He’s a great friend and mentor of mine, and I’m just really lucky to have a guy like him and Marc and the talented crew that they’ve brought around me.

Lastly, the technical alliance with Tim Wilkerson has been amazing resource for our team, not only to share data but also to share experiences. As a driver, Tony Pedregon and John Force have been very instrumental in helping me, but having a guy like Tim next to your trailer who you interact with multiple times throughout a day and can bounce questions or ideas off of him has been a great opportunity for me personally and professionally. A lot of the decisions and plans that we made last year have really come together, and I think you’ve seen our team mature over the season. I know I’ve matured as a driver. I’m nowhere near the likes of some of the veterans out there, but I’m getting better with time and I’ll continue to improve and our team will continue to improve. I’ve ended a lot of interviews by saying the best is yet to come, but I believe that. I believe the best is yet to come with our Motorcraft/Quick Lane team. We’re going to keep working hard, and putting ourselves in the position to win and let the chips fall where they may.

This is an exciting time for us. We’re back from the Western Swing, and I’ve been full steam ahead both at home and at work.

Last week, I went out to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture Oshkosh Show, and it was amazing. There were more airplanes in one spot at one time than I’ve ever seen in my life. It was fun to get out to Oshkosh, Wis., sign some autographs and do a Q &A for the aviation folks. There were a lot of racing fans there. I had the opportunity to meet a lot of airplane engineers that respect what we do.

On the business side of things, I’ve been real busy with the Cash for Clunkers program. It’s been great to walk into the dealership and see so much excitement and energy on the showroom floor. Right now Ford has the number-one vehicle that people are trading in for — the Ford Focus. The Cash for Clunkers program has really been great for us at Tasca Ford and all the Ford dealers around the country. Great time to buy a Ford!

There’s been a lot happening back at the dealership, and at the same time I’ve been busy working with the guys in Concord, N.C., finalizing the race shop. We’re busy getting ready for the grand opening in September. I’ve also been helping with the JDRF program, working to promote that great organization. The big reveal for Ford Customer Service Division’s second annual Funny Car Design Contest winning paint scheme will take place during the shop’s grand opening. Voting is open until Friday, Aug. 14 at www.jdrf.org/ford.

I was down at the Tasca Racing shop in Concord this week finalizing some of the graphics up on the walls in the shop. The guys have been working in the shop this week as well, getting it ready for the race fans to come and see.

In addition to working on prepping the shop for the grand opening, the guys have been working full steam on the blower dynos, prepping our superchargers. We’ve got a couple new blowers we’re working on, getting them race ready.

I had the best surprise waiting for me when I got home this week. In addition to spending time with my family, the folks at Ford had a Taurus SHO there ready for me to drive. Ford is launching the I’m Driving One program this year with the 2010 Taurus and Taurus SHO. What’s neat about the program is that I get to drive both vehicles around and experience the great products that Ford has to offer. The boys are excited, too. I promised to take them out for a ride to get ice cream. Check out the preview video at www.imdrivingone.com.

It’s been a busy time since getting back from Sonoma, but all in all, I’m eager to get back to racing. We only have three races until the Countdown to 1 begins, and as it gets closer, it gets harder to move up the ladder and harder to move down the ladder. We have our sights set on the fourth and fifth slots; that’s really what we’re focusing on right now. We have a Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang that is very consistent and was only an eyelash away from winning Sonoma.

It was great to see Tim win that race!!

For our team right now, we have as good a chance at winning this championship as anyone out there. When it comes to NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing, anything can happen. You need to put your team in a position to WIN. We have done that consistently all year and will continue to do so as the season winds up! For now we are focused on Brainerd. We want to leave there locked into the top 10 and with a Wally in our hands!

See you at the racetrack.

While at the Bristol airport heading home from the race a fan stopped and asked me, “What are you going to do for the next week because you have an off week?” That was interesting question because, as a race team owner and driver, I’m never off. I’m always doing something with the race team, the dealership or my family.

Since racing takes me away from my wife and children a lot, spending time with them is my first priority when I get home. It’s always nice to get back and spend some time with them. Then it’s back to work. I’m in the dealership from 7 o’clock in the morning until whenever the job gets done. I’m working on a lot of different fixed operation strategies for the dealership. Then I’m on the phone throughout the day, doing an interview or talking to Chris and the guys. We talk about a variety of things, our performance of the past race, what adjustments we want to make going into the next race, what we need to buy, and where we are with budgets. We run a race team similar to the way a lot of people run their businesses. We’re keeping track of parts life, investing in blower and clutch technology and moving Mustang bodies around the country. While one body is being repaired, another one is being fitted for something else. Trailers have to get serviced, guys have to be flown in and out of different places. Logistically, there’s a lot of stuff going on. Then it’s the mundane stuff like paying bills. We’ve got the same type of stuff that goes on as any business goes on. What happens between races is a lot and there’s always something going on.

Since I last blogged, I had another test session up in Empingham, New Hampshire; this time with the Cobra Jet that we’re building. My uncle Carl made his first nine-second run; he went 9.91 at almost 140 miles an hour. That was a great sense of accomplishment for both of us. It was something that he worked hard on, and as a new driver has made mistakes and has learned from them. I was proud to see him make his first nine-second pass; it was really a special day. Now he’s ready to get to a NHRA track and make his licensing run because he needs to do that three more times to get a Super Gas license, which I know he will.

From New Hampshire, we went and raced in Bristol. The weekend had ups and downs, like they all do. One thing about racing, nothing goes the way you expect it to go. It is either a lot worse or a lot better. The weekend wasn’t what we wanted it to be but the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang ran the best of any car on the track on Saturday, where we had the quickest runs of the day. We measure ourselves session by session. A lot of people will focus on who qualified No. 1 for the weekend, but that might have been one run and that person might not have gone down the race track the other three times. You always like to gauge yourself on how you did each session of qualifying, and ultimately, how did you do on that day.

On Friday, we were good but we weren’t the best. Then on Saturday, we were the best and that was on a 120-degree track, which is the type of summer conditions that we’re about to head into for the next three months. Then Sunday rolled around and it’s a whole new world. It was like we went to another state. It was 48 degrees when I woke up on Sunday morning. Then in the first round, two out of 16 Funny Cars made complete runs. I was sitting in the Mustang Shelby and had a front row seat to see John Force almost hit Jack Beckman. When you see something like that coming and every other car smoking the tires, you know that you’re about to hit the gas and most likely pedal the car, which is exactly what happened to us on Sunday. The reason why we had an issue in the first round was because we discovered we had an ignition malfunction that caused the car to smoke the tires. We think our Mustang probably would have won if the ignition didn’t malfunction. I pedaled it and Head pedaled it; for him, he was further down track before he lost traction. That was the difference between winning and losing. That’s racing.

We stayed in Bristol on Monday to test. I think, hopefully, we have gotten all of our bad luck out of the way. On Monday, we had a catastrophic engine failure at about 800 feet. It was the worst fire I’ve ever been in. It wasn’t anything like some of the fires that can happen in these cars but it was hot enough to burn my fire suit and certainly get my attention. We lost the crankshaft, it threw the rods out of it and pretty much melted anything that was plastic underneath the body.
 
Fortunately, I wasn’t hurt and we didn’t hurt the body, but we wrecked pretty much everything else. Unfortunately, it was a massive amount of work for the guys to rebuild the race car. We were able to get one more run in but we just went to 300 feet just to test and it went great. The car ran good after that explosion. The bad news was the explosion, but it happened in testing and not during competition. If it didn’t happen at testing, it would have happened in Topeka because it was one of those things that it was going to let go. The crank was well within its life range; it just failed. That type of stuff happens and I’m glad it did during testing and not during a race. Unfortunately, we only made three runs and wanted to make five during the test session. These cars are very serious business. They can be as evil as they are fun, and they can be as violent as they are awesome.

For me it was another step in the learning process. I haven’t been through anywhere near some of the situations that some of the other drivers have been through. Chris Cunningham and my team don’t let me go to the line unless they think that car is going to down that race track safely but in this sport inevitably things happen and you just hope no one gets hurt. I’m looking forward to Topeka.
 

On the Wednesday before the Atlanta race, I was invited to tour the Coca-Cola World Headquarters. Brian Kelley, who oversees the division of Full Throttle (series sponsor of the NHRA), and I started talking last December and we were able to arrange, not only for me to be there, but for the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang as well. It was great to see Brian and his team and hundreds of people over at Coca-Cola.

I really enjoy talking to people about drag racing – and this visit to Coca-Cola was one of the most fun places to be.  It gave me a wonderful opportunity to explain what we do and to showcase the great platform, and also what NHRA, and the Motorcraft and Quick Lane brands have to offer. It’s always amazing to see people’s reaction and disbelief when they hear how fast we go in such a short period of time.

A lot of people were amazed that the Shelby Mustang we brought was the actual race car and not a show car.  We took pictures, signed autographs, and were able to invite a lot of people out to the race track on Friday and Saturday where they were able to see all of us in action.

Brian came out with a lot of members from his team and it was fun for me to give back and show our appreciation of Full Throttle being our series sponsor, in addition to getting to interact with a lot of people from Coke. We look forward to working with Full Throttle in the future and meeting a lot more of Coca-Cola employees out here on the race track.

Last week Ford invited me to participate in “Take Your Kid To Work Day.” I had a lot of fun with the kids, answering their questions and signing hero cards for them. It’s always neat to see their reaction when they hear what you do because it is really hard for people to believe just how fast these car are!  It’s always fun when you have them guess how much horsepower our Shelby Mustang produces and you hear all sorts of numbers.

In addition to talking with more than 200 kids, I was also a guest judge at the Ford Flex decorating contest. There were several groups, each with kids on a team, and they painted a fiberglass miniature model of the Flex. The heartbreaking part of it was having to judge it in front of them. I thought it was going to be a secret ballot, but to judge the winning Flex and take pictures with the winners was a fun time.

Then on Friday morning I achieved a major goal that I set for myself when we started this program. We had a celebration in Dearborn, and I delivered the Gainesville trophy to Ken Czubay, Brian Wolfe and Brett Wheatley, the key Ford people in our program. It was great to be there with them and their team. I was able to share with them my story, how I got into racing and about the win down in Gainesville. To give them a Wally, for me, was kind of a small mission, but certainly a mission accomplished on that front. Our whole foundation for our program is “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday,” and we’ve accomplished the win on Sunday, so now we got to keep going. I’m certain that there are more wins in our future, but the first is certainly one of the sweetest and to leave that trophy behind and have Ford put it up in their case is a very rewarding experience.

While in Michigan, I went to the AutoWeek offices to meet Mac Morrison and Roger Hart to talk about racing. Whenever you get the chance to talk about what we do and how we did and what the experience is like as a driver, it’s always a great time. I know the guys at AutoWeek enjoyed our conversation. While I was there I met Keith Crain, he’s a pretty cool guy and he’s really a legend. He and my grandfather were friendly when he raced back in the ’60s. Keith has an appreciation for what we do. I had some time to spend with him and share some stories for what we do here today in 21st century drag racing versus back in the ’60s.

Before heading to St. Louis, I spent a couple days back home with my wife and children in Rhode Island, tested the Cobra Jet at zMax Dragway in Charlotte and checked in on the guys in the Concord shop. I’m working with my Uncle Carl to get him a Super Gas license. He is making great progress but it is not easy to jump in and drive a nine-second racecar. After lunch I had to jump in and make a pass, I ran a 9.88ET at 140mph! What a fun car to drive.

Although it was an off week for me, I was busy.  I’m looking forward to racing in St. Louis this weekend.  St. Louis is neat place and we had a solid Mustang there last year.  We’re about two rounds out of second place, and the top 10 cars are really tight in the points. I think we’re due to go a few rounds off there, and St. Louis is as good a place as any to get a few rounds under our belt and another Wally!
 

In my Gainesville winner’s speech, I thanked the women of the program because they let us chase our dreams of racing. Sometimes we get caught up in this sport because we just love what we do. There’s a huge price the women of the sport have to pay, and we couldn’t do it without them.

My wife, Terri, and my crew chief, Chris Cunningham, and his wife, Shelia, scheduled a trip to Los Angeles before the Gainesville race. Chris and I were trying to think of something cool for our wives for Valentine’s Day. So, Chris and I thought going to see American Idol would be fun. One thing led to another, and through the brilliant efforts of the people at Ford and Motorcraft, we were able to take a pretty neat tour of not only American Idol, but we went to The Tonight Show on Monday night, met Jay Leno, and gave him a helmet. That was real special; I’ve never been to anything like that.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck was one of Jay’s guests that night, and she’s from Cranston, R.I., believe it or not, where I’m from. We talked with Elisabeth after the taping about home, and she knew Tasca Ford as soon as I said my name. Before we left that night, I gave Jay one of my Motorcraft/Quick Lane helmets. It was pretty cool because he knew who we were, he loves drag racing, and he’s friends with John Force and Ashley Force Hood.

Tuesday morning, Jay knew we were touring his garage, and he had already taken the helmet down on Monday night after the show, so it would be on display when we arrived. I got there Tuesday morning. We got a first-class tour of Jay’s garage. What can I say about it? I think you could live there; all you needed was a mattress. It had a kitchen that was right out of something you would see in Las Vegas and the history of cars that he has there was beyond words. It was absolutely remarkable. Every car was registered, ready to go, and detailed to perfection.

In the other building, he had a complete restoration operation where he can restore a car from scratch and had all of the equipment needed. The people that he has working there, you can just tell, that that’s their passion. With Jay’s lifestyle and schedule and the incredible amount of hours that guy puts in, that’s his sanctuary where he goes to unwind and enjoy the fruits of his labors, his cars.

Then Tuesday evening it was off to American Idol. What was really cool, for me anyways, was to meet a lot of celebrities. It’s amazing how many people know drag racing, know and follow what we do as drivers. What was even more amazing, and it was a very interesting comment, the people who don’t know who we are, they know we go fast.

I met Simon Cowell, of all places, leaving the bathroom. We didn’t have a lot of time together because it was during a commercial break, but I introduced myself to Simon and he said, ‘Man, you guys go fast.’ That’s all he really knew, and I told him how fast we drive and he grabbed my arm and he said, ‘Impossible, I can’t even fathom that.’ I told him we go 300 mph, and he asked how long it took us to go 200 mph, and then I told him we go about 267 mph in about three seconds and he couldn’t believe it. That’s the reaction of people who really don’t know what we do; when we tell them what we do, they don’t believe. They can’t believe that an object can accelerate to 300 mph in four seconds flat. It’s pretty neat explaining it to people, and I have to be honest, I see these fuel cars come through the finish line, and I drive one, and I can’t believe there’s somebody in it, that’s how fast they are.

American Idol was an amazing experience, and I met all of the Idols backstage. A lot of them saw that I brought a Motorcraft/Quick Lane crew jersey with me. I had all 13 of them to sign it, which I’m going to get framed and put up in our shop in Charlotte. I invited Lil Rounds and her family to the Memphis race in October because that’s where they live. Hopefully she wins American Idol and will be too busy on the tour and won’t have time to come to the race. But even if she wins it and has time, we would love for her to come out with us and see what we do. Some of them were just as excited to meet me as I was to meet them, it just goes to show how far our sport is coming.
 

Hi, race fans. Although things didn’t work out to our expectations in Houston last weekend, I was able to do something that I’ve always wanted to do — tour Johnson Space Center.

Since I was a kid, I’ve always been fascinated with space shuttles, Apollo 13, and landing on the moon. When ESPN invited me to tour Johnson Space Center, it was something I just couldn’t say no to.

I was thrilled to have had the opportunity to go on the tour because not only was it meeting the people, it also was seeing the history of space exploration. What amazes me is their aspirations of the future and what they want to achieve. It’s so motivating.

”What a place to work!” was a comment that I said to a lot of the employees. Imagine waking up every morning and working on projects that send people to the moon and outer space. We had the opportunity to meet a couple of the astronauts and had a couple of them out to the racetrack. Both of them, Scott Kelly and Mark Kelly (brothers), had flown multiple missions in space. Scott is heading to the space station for six months this time next year.

It was truly an honor to meet the astronauts and everybody that worked at the space center. They told us about their missions, and I was amazed. Their bravery is just incredible.

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While on the tour, we saw the inside of the shuttle and where the astronauts live on missions as short as two weeks or as long as six months. These men and women are just incredibly brave, and it was very motivating just to be around them. Their stories were just amazing, both of the missions and the behind-the-scenes stories about what goes on in the space shuttle. I couldn’t believe what they were telling me. Things like how you go to sleep at night, and if you get sick in space, and simple things like just going to the bathroom, and how complicated a task becomes. It was an amazing experience.

I had an opportunity to put on 3D virtual reality goggles; when you open your eyes, you’re in space. It is unbelievable how realistic it was. You can look down and see Earth and look to your left and you see the guy next to you and you’re navigating on the outside of the space station. Astronauts use that exact same protocol so they don’t lose their way, because there is no up and there is no down in a zero-gravity environment. They use that just so they know how to navigate around the space station when they have to repair things when they get to certain places.

After we toured the space center, it was the astronauts’ turn to tour our world of drag racing. We invited them out to the track on Friday and Saturday and brought them up to the starting line. One of the astronauts could not believe the energy and said that it reminded him of being in the shuttle when feeling that power.

We kind of joked between the two of us. I asked him, ‘How long does it take you to get to 300 miles per hour?’ He said, “20 seconds.” I said, “Well, I’ve got you beat.” Then he asked, “Bob, how long does it take you to get to 17,000 miles an hour?” And I said, “Now you’ve got me beat.” It was very opposite, the dynamics between the two vessels. I have all the respect for them, and they had a new-found respect for what we do.

It was a blast. We made some really good friends on this trip. Next year, they’re going to give us an even more behind-the-scenes tour. We might go up in a zero-gravity flight and experience weightlessness or as close to what the astronauts experience in space. We made a lot of friends.

I spent some time with Paul Page getting in and out of the space shuttle and sitting in the cockpit. I’m going to stick to driving Funny Cars and leave the space missions to the astronauts. It was a pretty neat experience.

See you at the track!

Let’s start this one with Gainesville. What a weekend! To qualify No. 1 and beat veteran Jim Head, our teammate Tim Wilkerson, the 14-time champ John Force, and then my dear friend Tony Pedregon in the final was a dream come true. What else can you say? When you beat the champions of the sport, that solidifies your place as a major contender in 2009 season. For me, I keep it in perspective; it was only one win, but it was a great win!

Having my family there to see my win at Gatornationals was just perfect. They don’t come to every race, so it was even more special when your family, people that you love so much are around you, and it was great to have the kids in the winner’s circle. I know it will be a moment they will never forget.

Not to sound like a cliché, but from there, we went to Disney World with Tony Pedregon’s family. I’ve known Tony since 1996, and our families are very close. We had a great time. I think our kids like the pool more than the Magic Kingdom.

When I came home to Rhode Island, I had a hero’s welcome. All of the local news stations covered my return home, and hundreds of friends were on hand to congratulate us. It really hit me a few days after the race, when I received e-mails and comments from people all over the country, how fun it is to be a part of something like this. If there is one thing that people get out of this blog, it’s that every text message, every e-mail, and every Facebook comment I receive, I really take time to read each one. I try to respond to nearly everyone, and while I can’t, I really do read everyone. I’m very blessed to be able to bring this kind of excitement and enjoyment to so many people.

I get most of the glory being the driver, but in truth, I’m a very small piece of the equation. I couldn’t be successful without all of the hard work that the team puts in and the support we get from Ford, Motorcraft, and Quick Lane. Everyone wants to be associated with a winner and to be able to capitalize on a successful asset. I’m just fortunate to represent Ford, Quick Lane, Motorcraft, and a great group of guys on my team. Chris Cunningham said in the winner’s circle that he was glad he was able to give me my first win. And let the truth be told, I’m just so glad to give him, the guys, and Motorcraft and Quick Lane their first win because of all of the hard work that goes into one of these programs.

We also had the opportunity to bring our ’08 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet down to Charlotte to zMax Dragway, and it was pretty cool because it was opening day for the racetrack. The track has been closed all winter, and the Ford Mustang Cobra Jet that my uncle, Carl Tasca Sr., drove was the first car down the racetrack. That was pretty cool for him because he hasn’t been in a car like the Cobra Jet in a long time.

The interesting thing is we operate in a 60 mile-per-hour world. When you put somebody in a Mustang that goes 145 miles-per-hour in nine seconds, the car is so far ahead of you, that you’ll do things you don’t realize you’re doing. On one of the runs, my uncle left before the Tree came on, and he said that he didn’t even know it because it’s so fast. It was fun for me to spend some time with him and take him through some of the pointers that were passed onto me along the way. By the third or fourth time in the car, Uncle Carl was going up and down the racetrack. It was fun in a multitude of ways to see him have a great time in the car and to see the Ford Cobra Jet back on the track; it was great to just be a part of that.

The next couple of days are going to be kind of action packed for me. I’m heading out to Los Angeles on Monday to meet Jay Leno and to tour his garage. I’m bringing a helmet for him, which I think will be pretty neat to have him put into his garage, which I hear is just incredible. I’ve been on the Web site and seen some of the neat cars. I know Jay has always held Ford close to his heart, so it should be fun to go out there and spend a little time in his garage. I’ll be with my wife, Therase, and Chris Cunningham and his wife, Sheila. Chris is already out on the West Coast disassembling the blower dyno we purchased from Del Worsham that will be sent out to our new shop in Charlotte.

Tuesday night, we are going to see American Idol. It’s a show that my wife has watched regularly, and I get to watch it when I’m in town. It’s a great show and great fun. Hopefully, we’ll get the opportunity to meet Ryan Seacrest or Paula, Kara, Randy, or even Simon. I brought a Motorcraft shirt with me, so maybe on my next blog you’ll see Ryan in a Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing shirt.

After Idol, it’s back home to switch suitcases and head out to Gainesville. I’m taking my son Austin; this is the first time we will be traveling alone together. My wife is bringing the other two boys down on Friday because we are going to spend some time in Disney World after the race with the Pedregons. Tony Pedregon is my dear friend, and his wife and my wife are great friends. I’m looking forward to taking Austin down on Thursday; it will be fun for my 4 year old to spend a little time with his dad. When people win the Super Bowl they always say, “I’m going to Disney World,” hopefully we’ll win the race and we can say the same thing. Last year, Pedregon won in Gainesville, so I think the Disney trip brought him a little bit of luck. Hopefully, it brings me a little bit of luck this year.

For all the race fans going to Gainesville, be sure to stop by Nitro Alley and The Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing Experience. I’m a fan of the car that is parked out in front of the display — the Tasca Cobra Jet. The display is such an important part of our program with Motorcraft and Quick Lane and Ford. The fans have unprecedented access to us, and the sponsors have unprecedented access to the fans. That’s the wonderful thing about NHRA racing. The midway display allows the fans to have a pretty cool interactive experience, whether it’s the pit crew contest on the Quick Lane side or the holeshot contest on the Motorcraft side. Then you have the Custom Accessories display where you can win a lot of prizes and have some fun there. We’re also going to have the Cobra Jet there, and this one is special to me because it’s the Tasca version. Our CJ was in the area, so Motorcraft and Ford asked us to have our Cobra Jet on display. It’s lettered up like the nostalgia one was lettered up back in the ’60s. I know there’s a lot of buzz going on. A Cobra Jet won at Pomona, not our car, and a lot of people want to get up close and see one of these things. We’re happy to have it out in front of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing Experience display.

See you in Gainesville!

Hello race fans!

Here we are! We’re looking at the second race of the season. I’m thrilled to be back racing in the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Shelby Mustang. We’re going to have a great year.

Firebird International Raceway is a special place to me because that is where I earned my NHRA Funny Car competition license just three weeks before the start of the 2008 season. Once I had that license in my hand, we were ready to go. Last year at this time, I was anticipating the Phoenix race as a place where we would be able to capitalize on test data and first-hand experience. All that went awry when we were unable to qualify our Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Shelby Mustang Funny Car during the 2008 qualifying competition.

Fast-forward one year and we’re looking at Phoenix again. Crew Chief Chris Cunningham and the entire Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are ready to conquer Phoenix again with a whole new fire. Now that we have a full season under our belts; a technical alliance with Tim Wilkerson, 24 test runs during the offseason, a third of which were logged at Firebird; and a strong season-opening showing at Pomona, we couldn’t be more prepared. Phoenix is a race that has been circled on the calendar for several months. This year it’s a whole different deal. We have a lot of data on Phoenix, so out of the gate we’re a lot more confident.

Even though we have increased experience, Chris, the crew and I understand the unique characteristics of the Firebird race track. Phoenix is known for tire shake. It’s one of those tracks that’s really funny because some of the quickest runs in history have been put down in Phoenix, but it’s also a track during testing, where I think it took 85 percent of the field three days before they could make a full pass.

Since my last blog, I have been on the phone almost every day coordinating the final details on our new Tasca Racing shop in Charlotte. We are moving in the first week of March. So as soon as the guys are done in Phoenix, they’re going to the shop. I’m so excited about that. We’re getting our blower dyno right after Phoenix.

Racing is in the Tasca family. My grandfather raced the Cobra Jet 40 years ago in NHRA competition and the new Cobra Jets returned to Pomona this year. I’m proud to say our new Cobra Jet came in a couple of weeks ago and we’re in the process of getting it race ready. We’re actually going to test in Charlotte on March 5 at zMax Dragway in Charlotte. My uncle Carl is going to make his debut in the Tasca Cobra Jet at zMAX.

How would you like to see the Cobra Jet? It will be on display in Gainesville so anyone who will be at the Gainesville race will get to see the Tasca Cobra Jet, the new version of it, 21st Century Cobra Jet. We’ve been working with Ford Racing, because Brian Wolfe has been very instrumental in helping us get that car race ready.

I wouldn’t be in racing if I didn’t have the support of my family, my wife Therase and boys Bob, Austin and Cameron. In between Pomona and Phoenix, my 6-year-old son, Bob, has been in three hockey games. Bob just loves hockey. I think he skates better than he walks now, but it’s fun to see at such a young age how competitive all the kids are, but particularly my son. I think it’s great to get kids involved with sports as young as you can. It teaches them teamwork, competition, winning and losing: all things that are involved in Funny Car racing, which I love so much, are also a large part of hockey. I’ve had fun watching my son play out there.

Lucky for me, Valentine’s Day fell on a weekend when I was home, so I was able to work on a great gift for Therase. After Phoenix, we are going to Los Angeles, to see an American Idol Show. My wife is a fanatic, believe it or not, I watch it with her, but of the two of us - she’s the really big fan. I think it is a great contest, so that will be fun. I’m really looking forward to going. We’ll definitely have a great time; I think she’ll love it.

I’m so thrilled that the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Season is underway. We’re taking the momentum from Pomona and hope to carry it through the year, right back to Pomona in November.

I’ll keep you posted on the latest news with our Motorcraft/Quick Lane team. Have a fantastic time in Phoenix and we’ll see you trackside.