TASCA'S VISION MATERIALIZES
Sun, 2009-03-15 11:00
Bob Tasca III had a vision fifteen months ago and he wanted Chris Cunningham to buy into the concept.
Tasca, then a Top Alcohol Funny Car standout, wanted Chris Cunningham, an up-and-coming tuner then employed with Del Worsham, to see his vision and join Tasca's quest to go NHRA nitro Funny Car racing.
Tasca carried on the phone conversation while standing in the bathroom of his Cranston, Rhode Island home.
He had no parts.
He had no employees. Bob Tasca III had a vision fifteen months ago and he wanted Chris Cunningham to buy into the concept.
Tasca, then a Top Alcohol Funny Car standout, wanted Chris Cunningham, an up-and-coming tuner then employed with Del Worsham, to see his vision and join Tasca's quest to go NHRA nitro Funny Car racing.
Tasca carried on the phone conversation while standing in the bathroom of his Cranston, Rhode Island home.
He had no parts.
He had no employees.
All Tasca had was minutes of sweet talk and a vision.
Tasca spoke of the day when they could challenge the leaders of the class with a Ford-backed nitro team, a team they could assemble and grow together.
The record will reflect, that day arrived on Saturday, March 14, 2009 in Gainesville, Fla.
Tasca and Cunningham combined to lead the Funny Car division at the NHRA ACDelco Gatornationals and will race on Sunday as the No. 1 seed.
The day couldn’t have come soon enough for Tasca.
“We have worked tirelessly through the off-season,” Tasca admitted. “Just to be able to do this for Motorcraft, Quick Lane and the Ford Motor Company – these people believed in me and that was such a motivating thing.”
Even more motivating, on this day, for Tasca’s sponsors was the fact four of the top five Funny Car qualifiers drove Ford-branded vehicles.
Even more motivating for Tasca was weathering the storm that it took to get to this point.
“I told my team that we were determined to make this thing happen,” Tasca said. “Bringing in Mark Denner and Tim Wilkerson to work with Chris, we have really stepped up our game.”
One had to feel for Tasca in his first season. He faced the double challenge of being a rookie driver and nitro team owner and never once winced, publicly.
Tasca weathered the storm of 15 first round losses and two DNQs and countered those shortcomings with a semi-final finish and six quarter-final appearances. In the end he finished 12^th in the point standings.
In Gainesville he was first.
A year ago, he struggled to do the right things.
Experience has been the best teacher for Tasca.
“The human brain is the most amazing organ,” Tasca admitted, when noting the difference that a year has made. “The first 35 runs I ever made in that car were probably the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life.
“I can think back to the days when Cunningham would tell me that I was late in shutting the car off. By the sixth time he told me that I asked him how late I was in shutting the car off. He told me I was about thirty feet and I was elated because I had never saw the finish line. It’s amazing how you can slow down as things are thrown at you.”
For Tasca, he had to slow down to speed up in Gainesville.
Friday’s 4.124 top qualifying time felt like the slowest, quickest, qualifying run he’d ever made.
Tasca, then a Top Alcohol Funny Car standout, wanted Chris Cunningham, an up-and-coming tuner then employed with Del Worsham, to see his vision and join Tasca's quest to go NHRA nitro Funny Car racing.
Tasca carried on the phone conversation while standing in the bathroom of his Cranston, Rhode Island home.
He had no parts.
He had no employees. Bob Tasca III had a vision fifteen months ago and he wanted Chris Cunningham to buy into the concept.
Tasca, then a Top Alcohol Funny Car standout, wanted Chris Cunningham, an up-and-coming tuner then employed with Del Worsham, to see his vision and join Tasca's quest to go NHRA nitro Funny Car racing.
Tasca carried on the phone conversation while standing in the bathroom of his Cranston, Rhode Island home.
He had no parts.
He had no employees.
All Tasca had was minutes of sweet talk and a vision.
Tasca spoke of the day when they could challenge the leaders of the class with a Ford-backed nitro team, a team they could assemble and grow together.
The record will reflect, that day arrived on Saturday, March 14, 2009 in Gainesville, Fla.
Tasca and Cunningham combined to lead the Funny Car division at the NHRA ACDelco Gatornationals and will race on Sunday as the No. 1 seed.
The day couldn’t have come soon enough for Tasca.
“We have worked tirelessly through the off-season,” Tasca admitted. “Just to be able to do this for Motorcraft, Quick Lane and the Ford Motor Company – these people believed in me and that was such a motivating thing.”
Even more motivating, on this day, for Tasca’s sponsors was the fact four of the top five Funny Car qualifiers drove Ford-branded vehicles.
Even more motivating for Tasca was weathering the storm that it took to get to this point.
“I told my team that we were determined to make this thing happen,” Tasca said. “Bringing in Mark Denner and Tim Wilkerson to work with Chris, we have really stepped up our game.”
One had to feel for Tasca in his first season. He faced the double challenge of being a rookie driver and nitro team owner and never once winced, publicly.
Tasca weathered the storm of 15 first round losses and two DNQs and countered those shortcomings with a semi-final finish and six quarter-final appearances. In the end he finished 12^th in the point standings.
In Gainesville he was first.
A year ago, he struggled to do the right things.
Experience has been the best teacher for Tasca.
“The human brain is the most amazing organ,” Tasca admitted, when noting the difference that a year has made. “The first 35 runs I ever made in that car were probably the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life.
“I can think back to the days when Cunningham would tell me that I was late in shutting the car off. By the sixth time he told me that I asked him how late I was in shutting the car off. He told me I was about thirty feet and I was elated because I had never saw the finish line. It’s amazing how you can slow down as things are thrown at you.”
For Tasca, he had to slow down to speed up in Gainesville.
Friday’s 4.124 top qualifying time felt like the slowest, quickest, qualifying run he’d ever made.
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