Funny Car driver Bob Tasca III described a Monday afternoon testing fire at Bristol Dragway as one of the worst he’s had in his short Funny Car career.

The veteran driver was uninjured and emerged from the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Cobra with more questions than answers.

“I really don’t know what went wrong,” Tasca said, when asked about the fire.

“It wasn’t that bad,” he continued. “It was hot enough where it got hotter and hotter around my feet. It was pretty intense inside of the car. We had a malfunction in the clutch can area. Sophomore Funny Car driver catches fire in testing ...

Funny Car driver Bob Tasca III described a Monday afternoon testing fire at Bristol Dragway as one of the worst he’s had in his short Funny Car career.

The veteran driver was uninjured and emerged from the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Cobra with more questions than answers.

“I really don’t know what went wrong,” Tasca said, when asked about the fire.

“It wasn’t that bad,” he continued. “It was hot enough where it got hotter and hotter around my feet. It was pretty intense inside of the car. We had a malfunction in the clutch can area.

“We were trying something and obviously it didn’t work,” Tasca said. “Unfortunately those runs are hard on your heart and your pocketbook.”

Tasca was one of the drivers who remained in Bristol on Monday while a contingent of nitrous teams headed down the mountain to Georgia to test at Atlanta Dragway. Nitro teams are limited to four test sessions as a cost-cutting measure implemented by the NHRA.

The Bristol test was the second for Tasca this year, leaving him with just two days left over the remainder of the season. 

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