Despite the hot and humid Texas conditions, Tasca and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team took the track conditions in stride and posted their best qualifying effort of 4.188 seconds at 291.26 miles per hour. Tasca would seed in the sixth position and face Tony Pedregon during Sunday's first round eliminations.

In the opening pair, Pedregon was first off the line, but Tasca's Mustang took the lead before the 330-foot marker. Tasca advanced to the second round by 0.0986 seconds, approximately 39 feet.

"We had a big first round win against Tony Pedregon," said Tasca. "Our Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang was phenomenal. We ran a 4.17, which was the low ET of the first round."

Tasca would face Jerry Toliver in the second round. Toliver was on the throttle first, but the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby would quickly take the lead. Tasca smoked the tires around 400 feet and pedaled the Mustang while Toliver cruised to the finish line.

"We knew that you had to be in that left lane to really run hard and that's what we did," said Tasca. "We ran as hard as we could run and unfortunately, it was a little too much. I pedaled it and felt it knock the tire off well past where it normally would. I knew I was in trouble, stepped off the throttle, rolled back into it to try to get it to recover. Jerry set his car up to do what he needed to do. We were a little bit too aggressive in that second round."

"This second round loss was a disappointing way to end our weekend," continued Tasca. "We wanted to be in the left lane to win and in the second round against Toliver, it was about lane choice for the semi-finals."

Despite the second round loss, Tasca and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team remain fifth in NHRA's Countdown to 1 championship standings.

"We've put ourselves in a position to compete right down to the wire with this Countdown to 1 by winning a round in Charlotte and winning a round here in Dallas," said Tasca. "That second round loss today was painful but we'll learn from it and move on to Memphis. We're still in a position to win the championship. We just need to keep going rounds and that's what we'll do next weekend."

Robert Hight won the 24th Annual O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals in Ennis, Texas.

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing on the Web
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About Motorcraft
Motorcraft 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

About Quick Lane
Quick Lane provides automotive quick services for all makes and models. Quick Lane's 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