NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

There’s always something special about racing at home, which is why Funny Car’s Bob Tasca III can’t wait for this weekend’s NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway.
 
It’s the place the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series veteran driver grew up racing, and it would be the perfect spot to get the first win of his 2022 season in his 11,000-hp PPG Ford Shelby Mustang. It would also be his first Funny Car victory at New England Dragway, which would be the ideal way to finish off a week that included Tasca throwing out the first pitch at the Boston Red Sox game on Wednesday.

It’s an event Tasca is looking forward to, especially if it also means finishing the weekend in the winner’s circle in front of another packed house in Epping, one that will surely include plenty of friends and family.

“It’s a treat to go out and throw out the first pitch at Fenway Park, one of the most historic parks in the country,” Tasca said. “It’s one of those moments you relish, and I’m excited to promote the NHRA race. I’ve gotten so much feedback from friends and family and the people at PPG, and they’re all excited about the weekend. There’s not any pressure because I’ve always had the high expectation to go out and win, but I’m looking forward to giving the New England fans a great show. Conditions are going to be absolutely unbelievable. To have great weather on a track that’s already awesome, you’re going to see a great race, and you could see some record runs.”

Billy Torrence (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car), and Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) all won the 2021 event, and this year’s race will again be broadcast on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). It is the eighth of 22 races during the 2022 season, and Tasca has started to pick up steam at the perfect time, advancing to the semifinals at the last two events.
 
It hasn’t been a total struggle in 2022, as Tasca has round-wins at every race but one this year, but the veteran is after victories in the star-studded class. Points leader Matt Hagan and Robert Hight have combined for five of them through seven events this season, with defending champ Ron Capps and 16-time world champ John Force claiming the other two, but back-to-back solid outings have Tasca, who is currently sixth in points, primed for a breakthrough performance in Epping.
 
“After back-to-back semifinals in Charlotte and Richmond, we think we’ve found something,” Tasca said. “I’ve got really talented guys in Mike Neff and Jon Schaffer leading this team, and our car ran lights out on Sunday in Richmond. We came up short in the semifinals, but to go to the semi's at two straight races has us feeling good. It’s a nice place to be, we just didn’t want to have two weeks off. But we’re going to Epping, which is home to me, and we’ll try to put this car back in the winner’s circle.”
 
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature one round at 4 p.m. ET on Friday, June 3 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, June 4 at 1 and 4 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, June 5. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, 7 p.m. on Saturday, and then eliminations action at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday.

To purchase tickets to the NHRA New England Nationals, fans can visit NHRA.com/tickets. Children 12 and under are free in general admission with the purchase of an adult ticket.