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Online Voting Begins for Ford Customer Service Division’s Second Annual Funny Car Design Contest to Support Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

Online Voting Begins for Ford Customer Service Division’s Second Annual Funny Car Design Contest to Support Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

ONLINE Voting begins for Ford Customer Service Division’s SECOND ANNUAL FUNNY CAR DESIGN CONTEST TO SUPPORT juvenile diabetes research foundation

 

·        Voting for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) design that will be featured on the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang Funny Car begins Thursday, July 2, and is open until Friday, August 14.

 

·        The public is invited to visit www.jdrf.org/ford to make a donation for their favorite car design. The top five donation-earning designs will be judged and narrowed down to one.  The winning design will be featured at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC on September 18.

 

DEARBORN, Mich., July 2, 2009 – It’s okay to vote early and vote often… at least when the voting helps out a good cause.

 

Starting today, and running through August 14, the public is invited to visit www.jdrf.org/ford, view more than 200 paint scheme designs and vote for their favorite children’s design by making a monetary donation to JDRF, all as part of Ford Customer Service Division’s second annual Funny Car Design Contest.

 

The top five donation-earning designs will go in front of a panel of judges and narrowed down to one.  The winning design will be featured on Motorcraft/Quick Lane sponsored Mustang Shelby driven by Bob Tasca III during the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC, on Sept. 18-20.

 

For the past month, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) children have taken their crayons, markers and paintbrushes to a blank canvas in the shape of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang Funny Car.  Their goal – see their design come to life on Tasca’s Shelby Mustang Nitro funny car in September.

 

“We had some amazing designs last year and I think the JDRF children have really raised the bar for this year’s contest,” said Darryl Hazel, Ford Customer Service Division president. “All of us at Ford are really excited for this year’s program and are ready to go online to vote.  We are honored to have this partnership with JDRF to help them raise awareness and a cure for Type 1 diabetes.”

 

The winning designer will be selected on August 17, 2009. They will be invited to the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC, with his or her parents for an official unveiling of their paint scheme, and a chance to spend time with the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team and see their design run during qualifying sessions for the race.

 

Last year’s winner was Samuel Millard, a six-year-old resident of Greenville, Texas, and member of the Greater Dallas Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Millard and his family were special guests at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis where his design appeared on Tasca’s Ford Shelby Mustang Nitro Funny Car. Last year’s contest drew 306 designs and help raise awareness and more than $84,000 for JDRF.

 

Diabetes affects more Ford families than any other disease.  Ford Motor Company has raised more than $27 million for JDRF since the grassroots campaign started in 1998. 

 

About Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)

JDRF is the leading charitable funder and advocate of type 1 (juvenile) diabetes research worldwide. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Type 1 diabetes is a disease, which strikes children suddenly and requires multiple injections of insulin daily or a continuous infusion of insulin through a pump. Insulin, however, is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications, which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation.

 

Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.3 billion to diabetes research, including more than $156 million in FY2008.  In FY2008, the Foundation funded 1,000 centers, grants and fellowships in 22 countries. http://www.jdrf.org

 

About Motorcraft

Motorcraft® offers a complete line of original equipment-approved parts that are recommended and approved by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood and powertrain repairs, Motorcraft parts offer exceptional value with the highest quality and right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available locally and are backed nationwide by Ford Motor Company’s Service Parts Limited Warranty. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.


About Quick Lane

Quick Lane® provides automotive quick services for all makes and models.  Quick Lane’s® nationwide network of over 500 facilities provides the convenience of an aftermarket company (no appointment necessary, service while you wait, evening and weekend hours, competitive prices) with the confidence of a major automotive manufacturer (quality parts, factory-trained technicians).  Quick Lane® is a registered trademark of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.quicklane.com.

 

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents.   With more than 213,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s wholly owned brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company.  For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.

 

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing On the Web

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MQL_Racing  

Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/MotorcraftQuickLaneRacing

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorcraftquicklaneracing/

 

 

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Susan Pollack

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center

313.203.7162 | 313.434.6912

spollack@pcgcampbell.com

www.twitter.com/MQL_Racing

Heartbreak in the Finals for Bob Tasca III and Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang Team

Norwalk, OH – June 28, 2009 – Northern Ohio has a reputation for having one of the country’s best amusement parks.  Bob Tasca III and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane racing team experienced a roller coaster weekend full of twists and turns at Summit Motorsports Park.   

The weekend opened as Tasca drove the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby to the top of the timing sheets with a 4.343 second run at 266.48 miles per hour.  After a quick turnaround, Tasca was back for the second round posting a 4.263 second run at 272.89 miles per hour, which seeded him eighth.

 

After two additional sessions on Saturday, Tasca kept his best time from Friday afternoon.  He would start in the eighth position for Sunday’s elimination rounds.

 

“I felt I did as much learning this weekend about driving the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby, maybe of any race that I’ve been in so far,” said Tasca.  “I learned everything from how the hot rod was moving around, spinning the tires, keeping it under control and not over-correcting. You’ve got to try and get everything that you can out of the race car but at the same time, try not to make a mistake by over steering and causing it to smoke the tires.” 

 

Once the rain cleared on Sunday, Tasca faced some tough competition en route to his second appearance in the final round this season.  In the first round, Tasca defeated Matt Hagan.  During the second round, he defeated No. 1 qualifier Mike Neff. Tasca would face Ashley Force Hood in the semi-final round and would defeat the new points leader for the first time in six meetings.

 

“I drove the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang a lot today because we had problems almost every round,” said Tasca.  “In the first round, we had an issue with the supercharger.  In the second round against Neff, we had an issue with a wiring harness that actually damaged the ignition.  We had to find and repair the ignition between rounds.  In the semifinals against Ashley, we had reverser cable fail and I knew it when it happened.  I kept my composure because the Shelby Mustang needed to be staged and remain straight.  Wilkerson came over and gave me the okay, and then [crew chief Chris] Cunningham took the throttle stop off so when he says it’s okay, it’s okay.  I hit the gas, hit .079 on the tree and beat Ashley Force Hood for the first time.”

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Halfway to the Countdown, Tasca and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Aim For Second Win at Norwalk

In 2008 Bob Tasca III and the Motorcraft Quick Lane team had a rollercoaster year. Despite a few bumps in the road, Tasca maintained a top-10 position in the points during the early part of the season. At this time last season, Tasca entered Norwalk sitting 10th in series points, then fell one spot and was on the outside of the championship looking in.

Now in their sophomore year, Tasca and the team are in a much different position heading into the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, the halfway point of the 2009 season. Sitting comfortably in the seventh place, Tasca and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby team are using their strength and determination to solidify their place in the championship hunt.

“Norwalk was the last time we were in the top 10 last year. We just didn’t have our Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang as competitive as well as the other race cars,” said Tasca. “I feel like we are getting stronger. So I’m looking forward to Norwalk and putting ourselves in the position to run for the championship.”

Tasca and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team reached the semi-finals in Englishtown and fell short against to Ashley Force Hood. Tasca used his off week reflecting on the season to date.

“We suffered a heartbreaking loss to Ashley in Englishtown but we performed exceptionally well. We moved up in points and padded up our point position over the teams behind us. We know we’ve got a Shelby Mustang that will go up and down the race track. We’ve got a hot rod that can run with the best of them out there. I enjoyed the off-weekend but I’m ready to go race.”

Once again fans will get the chance this weekend to visit The Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing Experience interactive consumer display available at NHRA Nitro Alley. Fans can enter to win prizes and participate in the Motorcraft Holeshot Challenge and Quick Lane Challenge. Fans visiting the display have the opportunity to enter the FCSD ‘Race Hot to a Mustang Sweepstakes.’ The winner of the sweepstakes will receive a 2010 Ford Mustang GT equipped with a Ford Racing Performance Parts package and upgrades courtesy of Ford Custom Accessories.

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Bob Tasca III on Fox Business

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Tasca and Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Suffer Ignition Malfunction During Semi-Final Run at Englishtown

Englishtown, NJ – June 14, 2009 – Two years ago in Englishtown, Bob Tasca III captured his first win in a Top Alcohol Funny Car. On that fateful day, Tasca caught the eye of Motorcraft/Quick Lane executives and secured a full-time sponsorship in a Nitro Funny Car.

Tasca had high expectations at the New Jersey track where both he and his family have had success. Tasca’s goal for the weekend – win in front of the hometown crowd and then drive Wally home to Rhode Island in his Ford Flex.

Rain cancelled Saturday’s afternoon qualifying session and the Nitro Funny Car field was set by the best qualifying times of the weekend. Tasca’s best time occurred on Friday afternoon when he posted a 4.166 second run at a top speed of 292.77 miles per hour. His efforts seeded him fifth in the 16-entry field and would face Jeff Arend in the first round on Sunday.

In their first meeting, Tasca defeated Arend by 0.0004 seconds, approximately two inches, to advance to the second round against John Force.

 

This was the fourth meeting of Force and Tasca during elimination rounds. Tasca trails Force in the win column by one and looked to even the score. Tasca defeated Force and would advance to the semi-finals against Ashley Force Hood.

 

The last time Tasca raced in the semi-final round was Gainesville earlier this season. Tasca has a 0-4 record against the younger Force and has lost to her twice in the last two races. Tasca fell short in the semi-finals against race runner-up Ashley Force Hood.

 

“We had an ignition failure in the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang Funny Car,” said Tasca. “As soon as I hit of the throttle it pulled 22 degrees of timing out of it at 0.1 seconds and then it went back to normal. But that brief moment ruined everything in the run. At the 60-foot mark, the Mustang was running at 0.984 seconds. That is impossible. The race car can’t go that slow under normal circumstance.”

 

Despite the ignition failure and semi-final loss, Tasca was pleased with the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang. This weekend’s efforts moved Tasca into seventh in series points.

 

“We have a great running hot rod,” said Tasca. “Chris Cunningham, Marc Denner and the entire team was flawless this weekend. If we didn’t have the malfunction, I think we would have won that race.”

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