Fresh-faced and brimming with anticipation, 11-year-old Bob Tasca III attended his first NHRA national event in 1987 and scrambled straightaway into the line of fans. They all wanted Ford Motor Company and Pro Stock king Bob Glidden’s autograph.

There in the corner of his trailer sat Glidden on a stool, happily obliging. Young Tasca’s grandfather had coined the phrase “Win on Sunday – Sell on Monday!” and rolled out countless Escorts, Tempos, Tauruses, Broncos, F150 pick-ups, and Aerostar vans on behalf of close friend Henry Ford. Just the same, the precocious young son/grandson of his dealership-owner namesakes waited his turn in line.

Finally he got to the front, autograph card in hand, and, as if he were at a job interview, announced with poise, “Mr. Glidden, it’s so wonderful to meet you. I’m Bob Tasca III.’

“And he jumped, like, two feet off the stool,” Tasca – now 43, a father of four boys, and a Funny Car driver  said. “And he goes, ‘You’re Bob Tasca III?! Is your grandfather Bob Tasca Sr.?’

“And I said, ‘Yes, sir!’

“And he said, ‘Oh, my God – come on in here!’ He gave me a hug, and the impression he made on me was so incredible. We connected instantly,” Tasca said.

“I remember meeting his boys, Billy and Rusty. Rusty and I became very, very friendly – and Billy. And I got to spend time with them – and not time standing behind the rope. Bob Glidden took me in like family, and I went to breakfast with them Sunday mornings, Saturday mornings. I’d wake up early as a kid, meet him in the [hotel] lobby.”

What fascinated young Tasca III was Glidden’s passion. “His intensity, his drive, his determination was unlike anything I’ve been around,” Tasca said. “And he made such a lasting impression on me. It was such a turning point in my life. I know many, many people he made impressions on.”

That’s where Tasca’s admiration for Glidden started, but it truly has no end.

Proof is the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing Ford Mustang Funny Car that Tasca will use to compete in the U.S. Nationals this weekend. It features a red and white paint scheme that matches Glidden’s 1987 Ford Thunderbird Pro Stock championship ride.

Glidden, whose 85 victories rank him fourth all-time among all pro racers, passed away last December 17. This is the first U.S. Nationals meeting without the presence of the Whiteland, Ind., native who won the Indianapolis classic nine times. Glidden is the Pro Stock record-holder for most consecutive final-round appearances at a single event: 13, at Indianapolis (1977-’89).

He still owns NHRA Pro Stock “most consecutive” records for victories (9), victories at a single event (11, NHRA Finals at Ontario/Pomona, Calif.), elimination round-wins (35, 1978-'79), No. 1 qualifying positions (23, 1986-'88), final rounds to start a season (9, 1978), and final rounds (17, 1978). He fell three short of amassing 600 round-wins (597).

Besides his induction the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, Ford Motor Company presented him with the Spirit of Ford award in 1989. After his passing in 2017, Ford established the annual Bob Glidden “85/10” Award for Ford drag racers that epitomize Glidden’s spirit of grit and determination.

“Being able to play this small role in celebrating his life, rolling out a car that says Motorcraft, in Indianapolis, with his name on the side window...there’s been a lot of memorable moments in my life, but this will certainly rank at the top of the page,” Tasca said.

“For me, to do this little thing . . . Heck, I can’t even hold Bob Glidden’s suitcase in what he has accomplished . . . but for me to be able to go out and debut a throwback design in tribute, in memory, of one of the greatest racers of all time, and my hero, I don’t know, man . . . I don’t get emotional about a lot of things, but when I look at that car with his name on it, I’m going to be as emotional as I’ve ever been in a race car, I can tell you that now. And it hasn’t even happened yet,” he said, musing at this moment that mirrors the awe he had for Glidden decades ago.

“It’s going to be one of those spectacular weekends. It’s going to be emotional to be with Bob’s family. It’ll be one of those magical weekend,” he said. “It’d be certainly nice to win in Indy.

“We’ve got a great car, and I know Bob would be proud of how hard we’re working. His work ethic has made such an impression on me. And those who know me know how hard I work,” he said. “It’s important that I’ve instilled that in my kids, because I haven’t found another way to do it [find success]. If you achieve what you set out to, that’s awesome. If you stumble along the way but you left it all on the field, well, I can live with that. And I think that’s how Bob lived his life.

“His work ethic and determination were inspiring, and I am extremely blessed to have him in my life and to have been around him as much as I was. This is just an honor for me to do this for the Glidden family, and I know he’ll be smiling from up above. He’s a legend of all legends, and he’ll live on forever and ever. He’s one of a kind, one of a kind.”

Someone who knows that intimately is Rusty Glidden, one of Bob and Etta Glidden’s two sons. Both he and brother Billy were at Friday’s unveiling of the Tasca tribute Funny Car.

“I think it’s great,” Rusty Glidden said of Tasca’s commemoration.

His thoughts about his father brought out emotions: “I was very, very fortunate that not only was he my dad, but he was also my idol and my hero. The outpouring [following Bob Glidden’s passing] that has been received from fans, friends, and family members from the racing community that have reached out is just awesome. And with Bob Tasca doing what he’s doing, that’s just [amazing]. Dad was around when Bob Tasca Sr. raced. We’ve known them since back in the day.

“He was great to work for,” Rusty Glidden said. “I wish I was lucky enough to still be doing it. Ford Motor Company, Bob Tasca, the Tasca family, NHRA . . . That’s what 32 years of my life was. And I miss it every day that I’m not in it. But I’m like everybody else – I have bills to pay, too. I’ve been out in the ‘real world’ since 1998, except for the year and a half I was on that Schumacher [Racing] deal. That was a good ride while it lasted, with good drivers in Jeg Coughlin and Richie Stevens. To know the Tascas and Bob Tasca, and I’ve known him for many years, it’s been an honor and a pleasure.”

He said he’s grateful “for what he’s doing this weekend.”

Before he saw which re-created paint scheme that Tasca chose from all of his father’s iconic cars, Rusty Glidden said he tried to guess what the finished product would look like. “But whatever it is, it’s going to be great,” he said. “And I hope he wins the race in it this weekend. That would be just outstanding.”

Billy Glidden, who is competing this weekend in the E3 / J&A Service Pro Mod Series, said, “It’s really nice that people are remembering my dad. He and Mr. Tasca Sr. went back a long way. There was a really strong bond between them, and our families have remained in touch through the years. I’ve even worked on a few engines for Bob III, many years ago. It definitely makes me miss him, but seeing this kind of tribute is very touching for my family.”

The experience has convinced Tasca he still can remain close to Bob Glidden . . . and perhaps share some of Glidden’s performance flair as he will be struggling from 11th place in the standings to crack into the Countdown field of the top 10 title-eligible Funny Car racers.

“I’m not sure if there’s any truth to the racing gods smiling down from above,” Tasca said. “But I told my team that while we may have our backs against the wall, to have Bob Glidden’s name on the side of your car, at a race track he owned, it’s just going to be one of those weekends where I truly believe great things are going to happen for our team.

“When Bob passed recently, it was emotional for me,” he said. “because I knew just how special he was. And not to have him with us anymore is sad. I know he lived an amazing life. And trust me, he’s up there looking down, saying, ‘Don’t cry. Don’t cry for me. Just celebrate [my] life.”