If you watched Bob Tasca III win on Sunday in Gainesville, you might as well have been watching John Force win another national event.

Tasca, No. 2 in the NHRA Full Throttle Champion Drag Racing Series Funny Car points standings, considers the 14-time world champion to be a mentor. He also had a good measure of Tony Pedregon teaching as well.

Between the two seasoned drivers that experience accounts for 16 world championships, and one huge national event victory last Sunday.

The grandson of noted Ford dealer Bob Tasca, Tasca remembers a conversation with his elder that led him to travel a successful path.

Force and Pedregon taught him how to win on the track. Grandfather pushed him to make it happen. If you watched Bob Tasca III win on Sunday in Gainesville, you might as well have been watching John Force win another national event.

Tasca, No. 2 in the NHRA Full Throttle Champion Drag Racing Series Funny Car points standings, considers the 14-time world champion to be a mentor. He also had a good measure of Tony Pedregon teaching as well.

Between the two seasoned drivers that experience accounts for 16 world championships, and one huge national event victory last Sunday.

The grandson of noted Ford dealer Bob Tasca, Tasca remembers a conversation with his elder that led him to travel a successful path.

Force and Pedregon taught him how to win on the track. Grandfather pushed him to make it happen.
 
“I asked my grandfather, ‘Pop, how do you come to be so successful in the auto industry and know so much about the auto racing?’ He said, ‘It’s a simple philosophy: I’ve asked the right people the right questions and remembered the answers,” Tasca conveyed. 

“That’s kind of what I’ve done. To be with John from ’97 until today, particularly in the ’90s and early 2000s, really being immersed in his program, just be around a guy like that, his intensity level, his desire, and then again, Tony branching off from his program and going out and winning a championship on his own, those are character traits and personalities that I’ve been blessed to be around.  I think I do share some of the stuff that John has.  It’s the fire.  I think at the end of the day, you’ve got to wake up in the morning and this is all you’ve got to think about.”

It was the Tasca family responsible for bringing Force over to the Ford camp, a huge steal for the manufacturer in luring him away from General Motors.

Tasca credits his grandfather as being his largest influence but second place is clearly John Force.

“If someone asks how much has John Force rubbed off on you, the person that has the biggest impact on my life has been my grandfather,” Tasca explained. “The man is so determined.  He’s so focused.  It’s almost scary.  He’s 83 years old now.  My first season was just brutal coming home because he didn’t care it was my first season.  He doesn’t care I’m a rookie.  Why isn’t the car running better? Why didn’t you win? Why did you red light?  He’s hard-core, because for him, it’s winning.  That’s why he raced.  There was no other reason for being there.  I kept telling him, ‘Pop, we’re working on it.  We’re getting better.”

On Sunday Tasca was at his best and in running that strong, he beat Force in the semis. When he beat Pedregon in the finals, he didn’t have much time to celebrate before Force was there congratulating the protégé.

“John was one of the first people down at the end of the track when I beat Tony and came up and gave me a hug,” Tasca recalled. “He just told me, ‘Kid, it’s a great day, you have no idea what you’ve accomplished in such a short period of time.’ He said, ‘I’m blown away, I’m so happy for you and for Ford.’ I think he called my grandfather before he even saw it on TV, he was so excited.

“It’s a special relationship, but John wants to win as bad as I want to win, but, heck, if I can’t win I want to see him win and he feels the same. If he can’t win, he wants to see this Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang win, so it’s a neat relationship.”