In his second provisional qualifying effort of the year, Tasca and the team dominated the race track. Tasca was provisional No. 1 qualifier earlier this year at Gainesville.

After watching several Funny Cars before him smoke the tires, Tasca knew he had a challenge in front of him. He mastered the new pavement by posting 4.363 second run at 274.16 miles per hour.

"We were the only team out of 19 that went wire-to-wire in the first round," said Tasca. "It was a great run. We'll do even better tomorrow because the conditions will improve. We can't be any better than we are right now."

After some fine-tuning by crew chief Chris Cunningham, Tasca wowed the Brainerd crowd for the second time today with a 4.214 second pass at 282.01 miles per hour.

"What a difference a year makes," said Tasca. "To be in this position and to have a hot rod that is doing exactly what we want. When our Mustang is responding and is consistent, it makes me a better race car driver and it puts the team in a position to win. To have two back-to-back runs like that, my hat is off to the guys, Chris Cunningham and Marc Denner for making a remarkable call today."

With only a few races remaining before the Countdown to 1 begins, Tasca gains more confidence every time he climbs into the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang.

"We're hitting our stride at the right time," said Tasca. "We've got a long way to go with this championship, but if we can perform well in Brainerd, we will solidify our position in the championship hunt."

Full Throttle Provisional Qualifying - Funny Car 1. Bob Tasca III, 2. Cruz Pedregon, 3. John Force, 4. Mike Neff, 5. Tony Pedregon, 6. Ron Capps, 7. Jim Head, 8. Jerry Toliver, 9. Jack Beckman, 10. Tim Wilkerson, 11. Bob Bode, 12. Dale Creasy Jr.

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing on the Web
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/MQL_Racing
Facebook - http://tinyurl.com/MotorcraftQuickLaneRacing
Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorcraftquicklaneracing/

Television
Saturday, August 15: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise one hour of qualifying highlights at 6 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, August 16: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will air NHRA Race Day, at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, August 16: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final eliminations at 10 p.m. (ET).

About Motorcraft
MotorcraftR offers a complete line of original equipment-approved parts that are recommended and approved by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood and powertrain repairs, Motorcraft parts offer exceptional value with the highest quality and right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available locally and are backed nationwide by Ford Motor Company's Service Parts Limited Warranty. For more information, visit http://www.motorcraft.com

bout Quick Lane
Quick LaneR provides automotive quick services for all makes and models. Quick Lane'sR nationwide network of 530 facilities provides the convenience of an aftermarket company (no appointment necessary, service while you wait, evening and weekend hours, competitive prices) with the confidence of a major automotive manufacturer (quality parts, factory-trained technicians). Quick LaneR is a registered trademark of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit http://www.quicklane.com

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 201,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit http://www.ford.com

Courtesy of Susan Pollack