Bob Tasca III’s expectation is to win an NHRA nitro Funny Car world championship.

That’s why his 2012 results, finishing 12th in the point standings, has him motivated to bounce back in 2013. Tasca’s main highlight in 2012 came when he won the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex near Dallas on Sept. 23.

“It is non-stop with us,” said Tasca, who drives the Motorcraft/Qiuck Lane Ford Shelby Mustang. “We are going to be testing a variety of different things. Not just us, but all the Ford cars. It wasn’t the season we wanted to have and the bottom line is Ford didn’t win the championship. We are out here to win championships and compete and that’s what we are used to doing. So to come off a year like we had, and I know John Force Racing certainly isn’t happy not walking away with a championship with one of these Fords. We are all working real hard. We have a lot of projects going in the engine and chassis department and we are going to spend a week down in Palm Beach (Fla.) in December. I think two of the Force cars, if not three of them, will be down there running with us. The test session in December could potentially be the most important test session we have for 2013.”

Bob Tasca III’s expectation is to win a NHRA nitro Funny Car world championship, sooner than later.

Which is why his 2012 results, finishing 12th in the point standings with a win in the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex, has him motivated to bounce back in 2013.

To get there Tasca knows he needs to overcome the issues of 2012, which all starts with off-season testing.

“It is non-stop with us,” said Tasca, driver/owner of the Motorcraft/Qiuck Lane Ford Shelby Mustang. “We are going to be testing a variety of different things. Not just us, but all the Ford cars. It wasn’t the season we wanted to have and the bottom line is Ford didn’t win the championship. We are out here to win championships and compete and that’s what we are used to doing. So to come off a year like we had, and I know John Force Racing certainly isn’t happy not walking away with a championship with one of these Fords. We are all working real hard. We have a lot of projects going in the engine and chassis department and we are going to spend a week down in Palm Beach (Fla.) in December. I think two of the Force cars, if not three of them, will be down there running with us. The test session in December could potentially be the most important test session we have for 2013.”

Tasca explained this month's closed test session will take place the week of Dec. 17 at Palm Beach (Fla.) International Raceway.

“We are going to go down there (in December) with a pretty comprehensive plan that we are going to implement and then we are going to evaluate and come back in January based on what we experienced in December with more of a full fledge strategy and then go off to Pomona. We have a lot to do. I can tell you, I have never been more motivated than I am right now. All the Ford teams are probably more motivated now than they have ever been.

“I feel very confident in the direction that we are going,” Tasca added. “We were just not consistent last season. A lot of the things we want to try we have not had the opportunity to try because it is difficult to make wholesale changes in the middle of a season. Now is the time and trust me, we have a lot of things on the plate we are going to be working on this off-season getting ready for Pomona.”

According to Tasca, there has been no shakeup with his team in regards to his crew chiefs. Chris Cunningham and Marc Denner have been with the team since Tasca’s first year in 2008 and remain in their positions going into 2013.

“Things are all in place,” Tasca said. “Obviously stability is very important and I’m always looking to add to my brain trust. Truthfully, chemistry is the key. Chris and Marc and Tom (Leskoven) my car chief are coming back and I think that is important. You can have difficulty, but it is learning from that difficulty that is so important. It is easy to fire people and change people and bring new people in and sometimes it is warranted. Most of the time though if you get smart people who you believe in and you are working with strong people you trust, which we certainly do at Ford, you have to learn from your mistakes and you can’t look back, you have to look forward. I call it living in the now. Right now is what we can control.

“By no means are we totally screwed up,” Tasca said. “Ford cars came out strong and I had a couple of good runs there, but the bottom line is when the points reset (for the six-race Countdown to the Championship), we didn’t run as good as we needed to run. The Schumacher cars, tip your hat to those guys. That is what is motivating us even more to win a championship in 2013. The best is yet to come with these Ford teams.”

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