Advance Auto Parts/Cruz Pedregon Dallas Pre-Race

Advance Auto Parts Racing Nitro Funny Car

Pedregon Racing
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Texas Motorplex  Ennis, Texas
Pre-Race Notes & Quotes

Cruz Pedregon Ready to Get Back to Business
Advance Auto Parts Heads to Lone Star State

ENNIS, Texas (Sept. 22, 2004)  Cruz Pedregon and the entire Advance Auto
Parts Monte Carlo Nitro Funny Car team are ready to get back to business
during this weekend¹s NHRA National Event at the Texas Motorplex.

Pedregon, who already has one number-one qualifying effort this year, is
looking for his third career at the Texas Motorplex. The Southern California
native hopes to maintain the momentum that led the team to the final round
of the 50th anniversary U.S. Nationals three weekend¹s ago.

³We¹re anxious to race this weekend,² said Pedregon, who was ready to
qualify before rains wiped away all on-track activity at Pennsylvania¹s
Maple Grove Raceway last weekend. ³We only got to warm up the cars this past
weekend in Reading. The Texas Motorplex is one of my favorites and it¹s
definitely in my top three of favorite tracks on the circuit. It is a great
race track and it has been for years. It¹s one of the first ŒSupertracks.¹

³It¹s a fast track too,² Pedregon added. ³It¹s definitely a track we can
turn the wick up on, so we¹re looking forward to that. Also, we¹re winding
the season down and we feel we¹re in great position for a first win of the
year. We¹re coming off a great event there in Indianapolis and we have some
momentum for the weekend.²

Pedregon reminisced about a memorable battle he had with John Force at the
Texas Motorplex back in 1992. That final went a long way to him clinching
his first NHRA Funny Car title.

³I¹ve won a couple key races there,² Pedregon said. ³I pretty much sowed up
my 1992 championship at that event. And it was one of the most memorable
races of my career and people still come up and want to talk about that
race. Force and I had that meeting in the final and we both smoked the
tires. John was bouncing off the wall and it was just one of those races
that I won¹t soon forget. It pretty much determined the championship that
year.

³Right now, we¹re really going after the most points,² Pedregon continued.
³The more rounds we win and the more points we can accumulate  the better
off you¹ll be during the off season. We definitely have a shot at getting
into the top five or six in points and Dallas is a great event for us to
take advantage of that. I think (crew chief) Wes (Cerny) is real comfortable
with where the car is at right now. We¹re really trying to continue that
consistency that we¹ve built on in these last few races. His approach has
been mythodical and he doesn¹t get overly excited about any particular race.
It¹s a good way to be.²

Advance Auto Parts, Inc. is based in Roanoke, Va., and is the second largest
auto parts chain in the nation. With over 2,500 stores in 39 states, Puerto
Rico and the Virgin Islands, the company serves both the do-it-yourself and
professional installer markets. Additional information about the company,
employment opportunities, services, as well as on-line purchase of parts and
accessories can be found on the company's web site at
www.advanceautoparts.com.

Advance Auto Parts Notebook:

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Pedregon Racing will be making a special announcement
and car unveiling during this weekend¹s NHRA Fall Nationals at the Texas
Motorplex. The press conference is slated for 1 pm, Central, inside the
Pedregon Racing pit-side hospitality area.

PedregonRacing.com