NHRA Funny Car Pilot Bob Tasca's Shot at FOX Sports Still Ringing Loud and Clear

Yahoo

20-03-2025

Tasca wasn't being funny during eliminations at the NHRA season-opening Gatornationals two weeks ago.
That was when he took issue with FOX Sports's IndyCar-promo tagline 'Fastest Racing on Earth.'
Tasca's rant had drivers, fans and media buzzing.
Was NHRA Funny Car team owner-driver Bob Tasca III acting like the toddler who was jealous of the new baby?
IndyCar is FOX Sports' new baby, celebrated, welcomed to the broadcast family, lavished with oohs and aahs—and showcased with some genuinely clever, humorous, and engaging 30-second ads that debuted during the NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl.Tasca wasn't being funny during eliminations at the NHRA season-opening Gatornationals two weeks ago when he took issue with FOX's IndyCar-promo tagline 'Fastest Racing on Earth.'
At first it sounded tongue-in-cheek when Tasca said on the telecast from Gainesville, Fla.:
'I want to say it to the fans: I'm very disappointed with FOX Sports. All winter I got to hear, "The fastest motorsports in the world." And I looked up and I didn't see the PPG Mustang. And I didn't see [Austin] Prock's car [which made the quickest run in the sport's history at 341.68 mph last November at Pomona, Calif.]. I saw an IndyCar. And the fact is that we are the fastest motorsport.'
Then Tasca spun it angry: 'And I think it's an insult to the drivers and the fans. And truthfully, I didn't think Fox was the Fake News Network." Later, on social media, he refused to water down his remarks, asserting, 'I said what I said.'
He's a drag racing and Ford Motor Company evangelist who is certified in four NHRA classes, has earned a commercial pilot's license, owns car dealerships, auto-service centers, and other businesses across the country, and has a seat on at least one Ford steering committee - clearly a driven and intelligent gentleman. And he understandably and nobly was standing up for his sport, his passion, his territory.
• Tasca was correct—FOX's ads are incorrect. But they're so appealing! For the sake of accurate reporting, though, FOX could try another tagline, something like 'Fastest Traffic [Or Rush Hour] On Earth.'
• To be technical, it's the elapsed time (from the starting line to the finish line) that counts in drag racing, not speed. (And where were NHRA officials in all this? Could it not have found a humorous way to assert itself?)
• NHRA should have thought of the idea long before FOX agreed to a deal with IndyCar. This is kind of public relations message the NHRA needs to be promoting, because drag racing is a sensory-overload sport that extreme-loving America should embrace. The NHRA can start taking baby steps.
Perhaps had Tasca been in the media center two days before his incendiary comments, he might have seen a different perspective. That's when and where Top Fuel team owner and driver Tony Stewart—whose remarks were taken out of context in media reports days after Tasca's statements—calmly addressed the 'Fastest Racing on Earth' claim.'I love FOX,' Stewart said. But he pointed out that 'they're doing some false advertising. They keep saying that IndyCar's got the fastest cars. I don't know what the hell they're watching. They're missing the mark by a hundred miles an hour. So they're the fastest ones that turn during their lap. But I'm excited for IndyCar. I'm excited for FOX.'
IndyCar driver Graham Rahal, husband of former Funny Car racer Courtney Force, was at Gainesville to support father-in-law John Force's team. And he said, 'I thought it was an interesting tagline, but I think what FOX is doing for both sports is great. I think FOX is really going to push these two sports in a big way, particularly with the change in NASCAR.'Furthermore, Stewart said, 'FOX has been a great partner to NHRA, and to see them branch out to a different form of motorsport and get in the IndyCar side is huge. And I think for us, we kind of got our feelings hurt a little bit because there was such a big push for it, but it's because it's so new at the same time... and making sure that the fans know where to see IndyCar racing.
'They've done a great job taking care of the NHRA side. Now that the season started, they'll continue to push for us as well. And they're great partners,' he said. 'I talked to a lot of the FOX people because I did the broadcast stuff, and they do care about NHRA, so it's not like we got pushed to the side for IndyCar, by any means. They definitely care about this sport.'Alexis DeJoria took Tasca's side on social media, saying, 'I stand with [Tasca] in emphasizing the unparalleled speeds and thrills that NHRA drag racing offers. Our machines surpass 340 mph, showcasing the true essence of 'the fastest racing on earth.'' Then she doubled down on Tasca's call-out: 'It's crucial for media outlets to recognize and accurately represent the unique attributes of each motorsport discipline, ensuring that fans receive a genuine portrayal of what we bring to the track. In the spirit of journalistic integrity, we respectfully request that FOX Sports issue a retraction of this categorically false statement.'
Easy now. If drag racers stopped to think about it, land speed racers go faster. Yes, the argument is that land speed racers don't line up side-by-side against anyone, and they have a running start. Airplane racers might chime in, too, but while they're faster than both an IndyCar or nitro-powered Top Fuel dragster or Funny Car, they technically are not on Earth itself.Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin tossed in his own retort: 'Well at least the commercials are reaching far and wide. Hope you tune in Bob on March 23 at 3 pm on FOX!!' If McLaughlin, whose NTT IndyCar Series is racing that day at The Thermal Club in Southern California, did a bit of research, he would know Tasca is racing that same day just to the east, at Phoenix's Firebird Motorsports Park in the Arizona Nationals.
Honestly, what might have stirred more interest in both sports would have been an invitation from Tasca to McLaughlin or any other adventurous IndyCar driver to come to the drag strip and blast down the 1,000-foot course next to his Funny Car.The moment is lost.Snarky stuff is on the record.
Editor's Note: What do you think? Are you in Tasca's corner on this one? Is the NHRA getting short-changed by FOX? Start the discussion in the comments section below.