How Ford Took Over Drag Racing

Bob Tasca Sr. could rebuild an engine down to the last bolt, but if you asked what he did, he’d tell you he was a car salesman. In the early ’60s, his Rhode Island Ford dealership started building race cars, putting its own drivers in them, and beating the Chevys at the drag strip. Then he sold those same cars to the kids who watched them win. That’s where “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” comes from.
James Pumphrey, Vin Anatra and Zach Redpath tell the story of how one dealer pushed Ford into building drag cars anyone could buy, from the factory-built Thunderbolt to the King of the Road project that became the Cobra Jet. Three generations later, the Tasca name is still racing Fords in NHRA, and it’s still winning.

What is You Better Win: The History of Ford Racing?

On paper, racing makes no sense. Grown men pouring their money, their relationships, and occasionally their lives into going around in circles slightly faster than the next guy. Ford has been doing it for over 100 years, on basically every surface on Earth.

You Better Win is an 8-part series on the history of Ford Racing, hosted by James Pumphrey (Speeed/Donut Media), Vin Anatra (Hoonigan), and Zach Redpath (Speeed). Le Mans, NASCAR, the Baja desert, rally stages, drag strips, drifting, and more. We dug through Ford's archives for the long shots, the dumb bets, and the obsessive dudes who built it all, and retold them the way they deserve. This was a fun one. We hope you enjoy! (leave us a review!)

Produced by Speeed in partnership with Ford Racing.