Indianapolis, IN – September 1, 2025 – Bob Tasca III and the Ford Performance Nitro Mustang Dark Horse Funny Car team put together a weekend of consistent progress and determination at the prestigious NHRA U.S. Nationals, highlighted by a first-round victory and the fastest speed of the entire Funny Car field on race day.
The team opened qualifying strong on Friday with a 3.935 ET at 299.93 mph, securing the ninth spot early. Saturday brought challenges, with tire smoke in Q2 and overpowering the track in Q3, but the crew gathered valuable data to fine-tune their setup.
Sunday was a turning point. In Q4, Tasca laid down the team’s smoothest run of the season with a 3.972 ET at 327.43 mph. That momentum carried into Q5, where a 3.961 ET at 327.74 mph locked the team into the No. 10 qualifying position heading into Monday eliminations.
On Labor Day, Tasca delivered one of the best runs of the weekend in round one, posting a blistering 3.868 ET at 337.24 mph to take out J.R. Todd. That run marked the quickest ET of the round and the top speed of the entire weekend for the Funny Car category. In round two, Tasca lined up against Austin Prock but smoked the tires almost immediately, ending the team’s bid for a deeper run into eliminations.
“We’ve been chipping away at this hot rod all year, and Indy showed what this Ford Mustang Dark Horse is capable of,” said Tasca. “That first-round pass was smooth, and to put up the top speed of the weekend shows we’re headed in the right direction. The data we’ve gathered here is going to pay off as we push into the Countdown.”
The Tasca Racing team now turns its focus to the next stop on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series schedule, with confidence that their hard work and data from Indy will help them compete for wins in the final stretch of the season.
