Cruz Pedregon Qualifies Ninth in Gainesville

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



GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 19, 2005) ­ After a chilly start to the Mac Tools
NHRA Gatornationals, the sun came out at Gainesville Raceway today. Cruz
Pedregon led his Advance Auto Parts Monte Carlo Nitro Funny Car to the
ninth-qualifying position.

Pedregon, the 1992 NHRA POWERade Funny Car Champion, drove to a 4.865-second
elapsed time at 302.31 mph during the third-qualifying session. With their
way into the finals secured, the Advance Auto Parts team decided to test how
far they could push the car.

³We¹re being aggressive trying to go fast and sometimes you overpower the
track and spin the tires,² said Pedregon. ³I do not know if something
happened mechanically, but I know my team was aiming for the first
qualifying spot and sometimes, you just push a little too hard.

³I like the track at Gainesville, but the temperature fluctuated quite a bit
from yesterday. It is reassuring to know your team can adjust to different
track and weather conditions. We always try to qualify in the top half of
the field, but the important thing is to be in the field. Many times, your
qualifying position does not reflect what is going to happen on race day. We
have a good set up for tomorrow and are ready to go,² concluded Pedregon.

Pedregon will face off against Whit Bazemore in round one tomorrow.