Story By: NHRA – LAS VEGAS, NV – 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. This year’s race will again be broadcast on FS1, with elimination coverage at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 3. 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.”
Prock leads teammate Jack Beckman, who is racing for John Force, by 147 points, with Hagan 168 points back. Force will also be in attendance this weekend, making his first appearance at the track since his crash in late June in Richmond.
In Top Fuel, Justin Ashley will look to hold off an array of championship drivers. He jumped into the points lead with his Dallas win and currently has a 44-point advantage over Antron Brown. Shawn Langdon, Steve Torrence, Tony Schumacher and Clay Millican are also in the championship mix.
Dallas Glenn currently leads the way in Pro Stock, as the 2021 NHRA Rookie of the Year holds a 53-point advantage over another young standout, Aaron Stanfield. Greg Anderson is 90 points back, while reigning Pro Stock champion Enders, whose 10 wins are the most in NHRA history at The Strip, is 111 points out of first.
Gaige Herrera is after a second straight title in Pro Stock Motorcycle, with the defending event winner ahead of six-time champ Matt Smith by 62 points. Other standouts include Hector Arana Jr., Jianna Evaristo, Chase Van Sant and Richard Gadson.
The Ford Performance NHRA Nationals also will feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the Summit Racing Series E.T. Finals. The weekend will also include action in Legends Nitro Funny Car class and a spectacular jet dragster exhibition after nitro qualifying on Friday and Saturday.
It’s also the final race of the 2024 season in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, Johnson’s Horsepowered Mountain Motor Pro Stock and the new Holley EFI Factory X category.
Fans are invited to the Nitro Alley Stage in the pits, where they can take part in Nitro School, meet and greets, influencer interviews and much more. Vegas race fans can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that celebrate each of the drivers racing for the prestigious Wally on Sunday and includes the SealMaster Track Walk. The final can’t-miss experience of any NHRA event is the winner’s circle celebration on Sunday, where fans are invited to congratulate the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals event winners.
As always, fans get a pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. They can see their favorite teams in action and servicing their hot rods between rounds, get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers and more. They can also visit NHRA’s Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create an exciting atmosphere that includes displays, merchandise, food, and fun.
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 12:00 and 2:30 p.m. PT on Friday, Nov. 1, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 12:00 and 2:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. PT on Nov. 3. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday with eliminations at 5:00 p.m. ET.
