LAS VEGAS — The NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs haven’t gone the way Funny Car’s Bob Tasca III had hoped, but the veteran standout can still end the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season with a big finish starting at this weekend’s 24th annual Ford Performance NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Tasca has been a longtime Ford driver, which makes this weekend even more important as he campaigns his 11,000-horsepower Ford Performance Mustang Dark Horse this weekend in Las Vegas. A win at his sponsor’s race would certainly add a major high note to close out the season and Tasca also has a chance to sweep both races at Las Vegas this year.
He won the 4-Wide race in the spring in thrilling fashion and he hopes to replicate that this weekend, while also moving back up the points standings. Tasca is in fifth, 211 points behind leader Austin Prock, who has the opportunity to clinch the Funny Car world championship this weekend.
Tasca, though, is focused on putting a show in front of his sponsors and fans, with cool temperatures setting the stage for monster runs this weekend.
“The energy in Las Vegas is always electric and racing in front of fans who love this sport as much as we do is a privilege,” said Tasca, who has three wins and four final-round appearances this year. “This weekend is all about execution and making sure every move gets us closer to another Vegas Wally this season for Ford Performance and our entire team.”
Last season, Mike Salinas (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock) all won the late-season race in Las Vegas. It is the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship and the 19th of 20 races in the 2024 season, and Tasca isn’t the only Ford driver looking for a big weekend in Las Vegas.
Funny Car rookie Daniel Wilkerson has enjoyed a strong year, but nothing would make his season sweeter than a victory in Las Vegas in his 11,000-horsepower Scag Power Equipment Mustang. He’s come close, advancing to the final round at the spring race in Charlotte.
He’s also been competitive throughout the year and is currently sixth in points with a goal of moving into the top five in his first full season in the Funny Car ranks. There’s a host of challengers, including reigning world champ Matt Hagan, J.R. Todd and Ron Capps, but Wilkerson is thrilled for the weekend, as well as the chance to introduce new people to the sport in Vegas.
“I can’t wait to represent Ford Performance at their own race this weekend,” Wilkerson said. “We will be doing one of my favorite things on Wednesday with Ford which is sending folks down the dragstrip in street cars that have never been in competition before. It is so fun to see people’s reactions to drag racing for the first time, and usually one or two of them vow to get into the sport in one way or another after this experience.
“Tim (Wilkerson, crew chief and Daniel’s father) has a pretty good combination to run up in Las Vegas too, so I can’t wait to see what he and the guys put together for this weekend.”