Quaker State Racing/Tony Pedregon Dallas Pre-Race
Quaker State Racing Funny Car Pedregon Racing NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series O¹Reilly Auto Parts Fall Nationals Texas Motorplex Ennis, Texas Pre-Race Notes & Quotes Tony Pedregon Plays On One of His Favorites Quaker State Racing Looks for Quick Conditions This Weekend ENNIS, Texas (Sept. 22, 2004) Quaker State Racing¹s Monte Carlo Nitro Funny Car driver Tony Pedregon will be racing on one of his favorite race tracks this weekend the Texas Motorplex. The Cailfornia resident hopes to be on top of his game as the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series heads into this weekend¹s O¹Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Fall Nationals. Pedregon, who traveled to the semifinals in last year¹s Texas Motorplex go, will try to match his 1999 victory lane celebration, when he defeated Dean Skuza in the finals of the spring race. Pedregon made another final-round appearance one year later, falling short of then teammate and car owner John Force in the final. ³We have a huge fan base in the Dallas area,² Pedregon said. ³There are a lot of Hispanics in the Dallas area and a lot of friends and family come to see us. It¹s also a big weekend because many folks from Quaker State will be there to root us on as well. Besides that, I have won a race there and been runner up in another. I know I have my name etched in the Texas Motorplex winner¹s circle. ³I¹ve always liked the facility,² Pedregon continued. ³It¹s all concrete, but it¹s fast. It does have a tendency to have a pretty narrow racing groove in the early sessions, but as the race develops, we should be able to encounter some good conditions. The Texas Motorplex is the original ŒSupertrack,¹ and I love going to race there. Last weekend¹s rain out at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa., didn¹t put a damper on the Quaker State Racing team¹s enthusiasm. ³We were really looking forward to getting on that Reading (Pa.) surface before the rain came,² said Pedregon, commenting on the rain-delayed NHRA National Event at Maple Grove Raceway last weekend. ³We¹re going to into this race with the same game plan. It seems like in these last five races we¹re going to have good tracks to race on. Hopefully, we¹re over the summer heat. Given those conditions, there¹s no reason why this team shouldn¹t perform the way it did in Chicago and Vegas earlier in the year. We made a few 4.70-second runs in the beginning of the year.² Pedregon collected his first No. 1 qualifier at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a 4.747-second pass earlier this year. He followed that performance up with his second No. 1 of the season with a 4.716-second elapsed time at 331.28 mph the second quickest and fastest times recorded in NHRA history. The marks were also career bests for Pedregon. Quaker State Racing Notebook: SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Pedregon Racing will be making a special announcement and car unveiling during this weekend¹s O¹Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex. The press conference is slated for 1 pm, Central, inside the Pedregon Racing pit-side hospitality area. Quaker State® is one of the world¹s leading motor oil and automotive products brands, and is marketed in over 45 countries. Quaker State® offers a full line of lubricants specially formulated for the needs of different engines, transmissions and gears. All products undergo extensive research, development and testing to meet and exceed the latest industry and OEM performance requirements. Quaker State® Racing develops highly specialized extreme performance oils and lubricants available to race teams worldwide. For more information about Quaker State® products and partners visit www.quakerstate.com. Quaker State® brand products are manufactured by SOPUS Products, a subsidiary of Shell Oil Company. SOPUS Products is a leader in fast lubes, automotive/consumer products, transport and industrial offerings to consumer and business customers. SOPUS Products markets Pennzoil®, Quaker State® and FormulaShell® motor oils, a portfolio of car care products and Jiffy Lube® services. Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies . For more information please visit www.shell.com. PedregonRacing.com