Cruz Pedregon Qualifies in the Provisional Seventh Slot

NHRA NEWS & NOTES 

36th Annual Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals
Gainesville Raceway ­ Gainesville, Florida
Advance Auto Parts Nitro Funny Car - Pedregon Racing
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series

Cruz Pedregon Qualifies In Top Half of the Field
Gainesville Raceway Presents Challenges During Friday Qualifying

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 18, 2005) ­ In an unseasonably cold afternoon, Cruz
Pedregon and his Advance Auto Parts Monte Carlo Nitro Funny Car battled a
60-degree racetrack to qualify seventh after the first day of qualifying for
Sundayıs running of the Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville
Raceway. 

Following a two and a half hour delay due to a wet track, Pedregon drove to
a 5.016-second elapsed time at 222.66 mph. During the first qualifying
session of the afternoon, Pedregonıs promising run was cut short after his
parachute deployed before the finish line.

³I was excited about the first run because we were going to make it in the
4.70ıs,² said Pedregon. ³Unfortunately, the parachute came out early and
slowed the car down. I may have touched the button in the steering wheel
inadvertently, but we still qualified in the top half of the field. It was a
difficult day for most cars and only a few ran well. We normally run well
here in Gainesville and itıs usually a bit warmer.

³The car was really good and my crew chief, Wes (Cerny) and the rest of the
team, did a great job putting the car together. Tomorrow, we expect the
temperatures to be back up and the track conditions should improve. Still, I
donıt think the times are going to be very fast unless it warms up a whole
lot.²

ADVANCE AUTO PARTS NOTEBOOK:

Later in the day, Cruz Pedregon and his Advance Auto Parts Monte Carlo Nitro
Funny Car, ran the best 60-foot elapsed time during the second-qualifying
session.

³I started the second run very aggressively with a .865-second 60-foot mark.
After that, I spun the tires and could not get the car back.²


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