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BRISTOL, TN – June 11, 2023 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Bob Tasca III powered to his first win of the season on Saturday at Bristol Dragway, knocking off legendary Funny Car driver John Force in the final round of the NHRA New England Nationals, which was completed as part of a doubleheader weekend in Bristol.
Top Fuel’s Justin Ashley also claimed the victory at the seventh of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. The winning runs from Tasca and Ashley also gave each driver a victory in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge bonus race.
Due to weather, eliminations from the Epping, N.H. race were postponed to this weekend as part of the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, with Tasca earning the victory at what is considered his home race. In the championship round against Force, Tasca went 4.032-seconds at 322.96 mph in his 11,000-horsepower PPG Ford Mustang. It is Tasca’s first victory of the season and 13th of his career.
Tasca knocked off Ron Capps in the opening round of eliminations, which took place on Friday in Thunder Valley, and then recorded three round wins on Saturday, including victories over Robert Hight and No. 1 qualifier Chad Green to reach the final round. Tasca, who knocked off Force in a final round at Sonoma last year, quickly chased down the 16-time world champion, picking up the win and the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge victory in the process. But to win his home race – even if it came in Bristol – meant a great deal to Tasca.
“I would have gone to Alaska to get this trophy. It’s a win that I’ve always dreamed about winning at a racetrack I grew up at,” Tasca said. “It’s the first track I ever went down. But we just felt like this whole season was building for us. I’m just so impressed with Todd Okuhara, Aaron Brooks, and the team.
“I went up to Force before I got in the car and I said, ‘Force, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.’ To race John Force in the finals, at his age to do what he does out here, it’ll never be done by anybody. I have so much respect for John. There’s no one I get up for like that. If I have to win a race in the final round and have John Force alongside me for the New England Nationals trophy, it’s going to be a long time before I forget that win.”
Force reached the finals for the first time this season and 265th thanks to round wins against Tim Wilkerson, Alex Laughlin and J.R. Todd.
Top Fuel’s Ashley enjoyed a terrific day on Saturday in Bristol, racing to his third victory this season and third win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge as well, knocking off Tony Schumacher on a holeshot in a thrilling final round. Ashley went 3.846 at 324.12 in his 11,000-horsepower Phillips Connect/Toyota dragster to hold off Schumacher’s 3.835 at 323.65 on the strength of a .041 reaction time.
It’s also Ashley’s eighth career win and gives him another memorable moment in Thunder Valley after he won the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals a year ago. He doubled up on Saturday, going through an impressive array of challengers that included reigning world champion Brittany Force, four-time world champ Steve Torrence and eight-time champion Schumacher. He’s the only multi-time winner in Top Fuel this season and in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, and Ashley will have a chance for a clean sweep of the weekend on Sunday.
“This is so special. Every race is special, when you know you go into the weekend having an opportunity to win, but coming here and knowing we have three opportunities to win and then taking care of two of them already just makes it so significant,” Ashley said. “It’s just a testament to the group we have. We have our work cut out for us tomorrow, but for tonight, we’re going to enjoy this one.
“It comes down to the work we put in during the off-season. We knew the competition was going to step up. The guys did what they needed to do, found ways to improve, ways to get better. That consistency was really the result of the work that was put in the off-season.”
Schumacher advanced to his first final this season and 157th in his career thanks to victories over Shawn Langdon and Mike Salinas.
Eliminations for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals begin at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday at Bristol Dragway.
***
BRSTOL, TN — Final finish order (1-16) at the 10th annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway. The race is the seventh of 21 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
1. Justin Ashley; 2. Tony Schumacher; 3. Steve Torrence; 4. Mike Salinas; 5. Leah Pruett; 6. Brittany Force; 7. Antron Brown; 8. Doug Kalitta; 9. Dan Mercier; 10. Austin Prock; 11. Shawn Langdon; 12. Clay Millican; 13. Josh Hart.
FUNNY CAR:
1. Bob Tasca III; 2. John Force; 3. J.R. Todd; 4. Chad Green; 5. Matt Hagan; 6. Alex Laughlin; 7. Robert Hight; 8. Ron Capps; 9. Alexis DeJoria; 10. Tim Wilkerson; 11. Cruz Pedregon; 12. Terry Haddock; 13. Blake Alexander; 14. Jim Campbell.
BRSTOL, TN — Saturday’s final results from the 10th annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway. The race is the seventh of 21 in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel — Justin Ashley, 3.846 seconds, 324.12 mph def. Tony Schumacher, 3.835 seconds, 323.66 mph.
Funny Car — Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 4.032, 322.96 def. John Force, Chevy Camaro, 4.085, 320.51.
BRSTOL, TN — Final round-by-round results from the 10th annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway, the seventh of 21 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE — Steve Torrence, 3.753, 329.10 def. Austin Prock, 3.787, 326.08; Antron Brown, 12.919, 78.93 was unopposed; Brittany Force, 3.747, 334.48 def. Josh Hart, 4.201, 202.85; Tony Schumacher, 3.797, 323.58 def. Shawn Langdon, 3.846, 316.82; Leah Pruett, 3.745, 322.42 def. Doug Kalitta, 3.764, 319.22; Justin Ashley, 3.755, 327.74 def. Dan Mercier, 3.768, 317.72; Mike Salinas, 3.762, 327.35 def. Clay Millican, 3.888, 271.79;
QUARTERFINALS — Ashley, 4.097, 255.92 def. Force, 4.322, 274.05; Torrence, 3.897, 321.81 def. Brown, 4.442, 197.65; Schumacher, 4.487, 178.50 was unopposed; Salinas, 3.848, 322.58 def. Pruett, 3.894, 298.47;
SEMIFINALS –– Ashley, 3.892, 319.29 def. Torrence, 3.915, 311.13; Schumacher, 3.945, 310.20 def. Salinas, 4.140, no speed;
FINAL — Ashley, 3.846, 324.12 def. Schumacher, 3.835, 323.66.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE — Alex Laughlin, Dodge Charger, 4.182, 302.08 def. Blake Alexander, Ford Mustang, Broke – No Show; J.R. Todd, Toyota Supra, 4.025, 325.53 def. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 5.480, 129.84; John Force, Chevy Camaro, 4.063, 324.36 def. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.004, 318.99; Robert Hight, Camaro, 3.938, 321.35 def. Alexis DeJoria, Supra, 3.999, 322.88; Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.972, 329.26 def. Ron Capps, Supra, 3.962, 318.92; Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.051, 308.50 def. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 9.974, 73.00; Chad Green, Mustang, 3.969, 322.50 def. Jim Campbell, Chevy Monte Carlo, Broke – No Show;
QUARTERFINALS — Tasca III, 4.418, 267.69 def. Hight, Foul – Centerline; Green, 4.081, 309.84 was unopposed; Todd, 4.117, 314.90 def. Hagan, 4.608, 193.16; Force, 4.090, 318.54 def. Laughlin, 5.204, 153.06;
SEMIFINALS — Tasca III, 4.062, 315.64 def. Green, 4.259, 282.90; Force, 4.105, 319.07 def. Todd, 4.098, 319.90;
FINAL — Tasca III, 4.032, 322.96 def. Force, 4.085, 320.51.
BRSTOL, TN — Point standings (top 10) following the 10th annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway, the seventh of 21 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series –
Top Fuel
1. Justin Ashley, 518; 2. Steve Torrence, 510; 3. Brittany Force, 472; 4. Leah Pruett, 462; 5. Austin Prock, 438; 6. Mike Salinas, 414; 7. Antron Brown, 408; 8. Josh Hart, 378; 9. Shawn Langdon, 335; 10. Doug Kalitta, 325.
Funny Car
1. Matt Hagan, 527; 2. Ron Capps, 493; 3. Robert Hight, 482; 4. Bob Tasca III, 463; 5. Chad Green, 458; 6. Alexis DeJoria, 438; 7. Tim Wilkerson, 415; 8. John Force, 398; 9. Cruz Pedregon, 340; 10. J.R. Todd, 312.
About Camping World Holdings, Inc.
Camping World Holdings, Inc., headquartered in Lincolnshire, IL, (together with its subsidiaries) is America’s largest retailer of RVs and related products and services. Our vision is to build a long-term legacy business that makes RVing fun and easy, and our Camping World and Good Sam brands have been serving RV consumers since 1966. We strive to build long-term value for our customers, employees, and shareholders by combining a unique and comprehensive assortment of RV products and services with a national network of RV dealerships, service centers and customer support centers along with the industry’s most extensive online presence and a highly trained and knowledgeable team of associates serving our customers, the RV lifestyle, and the communities in which we operate. We also believe that our Good Sam organization and family of programs and services uniquely enable us to connect with our customers as stewards of the RV enthusiast community and the RV lifestyle. With RV sales and service locations in 42 states, Camping World has grown to become the prime destinations for everything RV. For more information, visit www.CampingWorld.com.
About NHRA
Headquartered in San Dimas, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 21 national events featuring the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Type A Motorsports, Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown™ and Top Fuel Harley Series. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 120 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube.
Source: National Hot Rod Association
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