Instead, the tenor of his talk was modest, unpretentious, content.

The Funny Car owner-driver of the Motorcraft/QuickLane Ford Mustang had earned his third No. 1 qualifying position in nine Camping World Drag Racing Series events Saturday evening at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals at Norwalk, Ohio. The 12th No. 1 start of his career came on the heels of a weekend at Bristol, Tenn., in which he won the postponed New England Nationals from Epping, N.H.

But rather than giving in to braggadocio, Tasca chose gratitude, even for a situation that didn’t start out as one of his most pleasant ones. By this ninth of 21 races on the tour, after a disappointing season that ended with a slap in his face, Tasca flipped the script with some candid insight.

Gaige Herrera is the Pro Stock Motorcycle class’ No. 1 qualifier at Norwalk, Ohio, for the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals.

But he isn’t exactly the same Gaige Herrera who went on a tear at the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series’ first three bike appearances.

He still is the leader in the standings. He still has three victories. He still has won 14 of his 15 race-day passes. He still has led the field at every race. And so far, he still has set the low elapsed time at every event.

But Gaige Herrera no longer is perfect on the racetrack.

They were a sight at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals Saturday afternoon at Norwalk, Ohio, NHRA Pro Stock team owner/driver Matt Hartford and his crew chief, Eddie Guarnaccia.

The clock was ticking toward the second and final qualifying session of the weekend. Rain showers had wiped out both scheduled chances Friday at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, so the pressure was on from the outset. Hartford was third in the provisional lineup, but he said he hadn’t been happy with his driving earlier in the day: “We should’ve been No. 1 after Q1, but it was driver error.”

So the two of them were debating how to use their last pass down the track before Sunday’s eliminations.

The latest Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge of the season saw back-to-back Funny Car world champion Ron Capps win the specialty race for the second time this season. Justin Ashley, Deric Kramer, and Angie Smith also claimed victory making for a thrilling day of action at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.

Cathi Maynard, NHRA team owner and a longtime supporter of the drag racing world passed away on June 23, 2023, at the age of 65. Maynard courageously battled multiple sclerosis for over 35 years before succumbing to illness-related complications after a lengthy and arduous fight.

Despite being a relative newcomer to the industry as an official team owner, Maynard made an incredible impact on the NHRA community. As an Army veteran, Maynard was already familiar with high horsepower and quickly developed an affinity for NHRA legend Tony Schumacher. 

Maynard was responsible for the Maynard family getting involved in drag racing, first as sponsors in 2021 before forming JCM Racing during the 2022 season. Fans of Schumacher can credit Maynard for his return to full-time competition after a multi-year hiatus from the sport.

It wasn’t terribly surprising to see Ron Capps at the top of Friday’s Funny Car qualifying leaderboard at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals at Norwalk, Ohio.

After all, he has led the field the past three times the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series has come to Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park (2019, 2021, 2022).

But Capps, who not only has figured the fast way down the 1,000-foot course here but also won the previous race, at Bristol, to take the points lead, said he wasn’t taking anything for granted.

Top Fuel’s Leah Pruett, like every other NHRA racer, fan, official, and Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park employee, waited out a day-long rain delay Friday.

And shortly before the late-night news came on the TV, she got her own big news that it soon would be time to fire up her Direct Connection Dragster for the long-awaited lone qualifying session of Day One of the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals.

That’s when, she said, she started to “kick into high gear” and feel her adrenaline start to surge.

Leah Pruett powered to the provisional No. 1 spot in Top Fuel on Friday, as the Tony Stewart Racing standout looks to pick up her second straight No. 1 qualifier of the 2023 season at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park.

Ron Capps (Funny Car) also was a provisional No. 1 qualifier at the ninth of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. Due to weather, only Top Fuel and Funny Car made qualifying runs on Friday. Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle are scheduled for two passes on Saturday.

Persistent Friday morning run cut short some Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series category qualifying, establishing fields shy of the scheduled completion.