It’s been a long, cold winter in New England but Bob Tasca III has been hard at work rounding up sponsors to run a limited schedule for the 2015 season. Tasca announced at the end of the 2014 season he was going to run a limited race schedule and be back in a Ford. Tasca is very pleased to announce NewAutoParts.com will be the primary sponsor for the Four-Wide Nationals.
Bob Tasca III, driver of the NewAutoParts.com Shelby Mustang Nitro Funny Car answers the top questions he received from fans during the off season:
WHY DID FORD PULL OUT OF DRAG RACING?
“I have received thousands of comments from fans expressing their confusion and disappointment about Ford dropping their funny car support. My opinion of what took place is simple – the head of Ford Racing has very little interest in drag racing. As a result the message that got to the top of the house within Ford’s senior management was Drag Racing was no longer a good fit for their future marketing strategy. Well, we couldn’t disagree more. NHRA has seen growth in TV ratings, attendance and strong investment from Toyota, Dodge and now GM. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of Ford fans that supported Ford within the sport for more than 60 years! It was a mistake and I believe down the road the senior management team within Ford will realize that drag racing is alive and well. However, my loyalty is with the Ford fans and the Tasca family will do what we can to maintain a significant Ford presence for all those loyal Ford fans of NHRA.”
HOW MANY RACES ARE YOU GOING TO RACE IN?
“The support I have received from my fans has been amazing. I wish I could say I would race in all of them but finding sponsorships in this economy has not been easy. I’m planning on running in 3 or 4 events this season. Although, I believe our new Primary sponsor, NewAutoParts.com, will be well-received within the NHRA community which could lead to more races. I was introduced to NewAutoParts.com about a year ago. I was so impressed with how they manage their operation that my family made a major investment in their business model. Currently NewAutoParts.com sells new Original Factory Replacement parts for FORD, GM, HUMMER, CHRYSLER, DODGE, JEEP, MAZDA, VOLVO, LINCOLN and NISSAN with more brands coming soon! NewAutoParts.com offers competitive prices, unparalleled customer service and fast, discounted worldwide shipping services for all their customers’ genuine parts needs. The best way to see me at more races is to purchase your new original parts from NewAutoParts.com.”
TELL US ABOUT YOUR TEAM.
”I’m blessed with some of the hardest working guys I know. When Ford announced they were pulling out of NHRA drag racing I told everyone on my team all they had to do was move to Rhode Island and they had a job waiting for them. All my key guys stayed with me. Now not only are they going to help me win on the race track, but they are helping my family win back at the dealership. My car chief since day one, Tom Leskovan, will be overseeing the operation at the track and assisting me in tuning the car. I have always wanted to get more involved with the tuning of the car and now I have the chance. I’m not sure what I’m more excited about, getting back in the seat or assisting with the tuning decisions.”
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING MOST FORWARD TO AT THE FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS?
“I’m looking forward to getting back out there, seeing the fans, being around the racers. Those are the two things you miss the most, the fans and racers, they become part of your family. As for the race, we have the best parts, I have a great team to work on my Shelby Mustang and as long as I didn’t forget how to drive, you just might see the NewAutoParts.com Shelby Mustang in the winner’s circle.”
This story was originally published on March 6, 2015. 
