Cruz Pedregon Takes Home Fourth-Straight Semifinal
NHRA 2005 NOTES & QUOTES Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals National Trail Raceway Hebron, Ohio. Advance Auto Parts Nitro Funny Car - Pedregon Racing NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Consistency is Key for Cruz Pedregon The Advance Auto Parts Funny Car Drives To Fourth-Straight Semifinal HEBRON, Ohio (May 22, 2005) Cruz Pedregon and the Advance Auto Parts Nitro Funny Car are rounding into championship form, driving to his third-straight semifinal during this weekendıs 41st annual Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals at National Trail Raceway. In one of the closest matches of the day, Pedregon was barely edged at the stripe in the semifinal by Gary Scelzi. Pedregon, the 1992 NHRA Funny Car World Champion, logged a 4.812-second elapsed time at 324.36 mph, but it wasnıt enough for Scelziıs 4.811-second pass at 322.65 mph. ³Weıre disappointed but we made it to another semifinal,² Pedregon said. ³To be in the semifinals again is really good for this team. The car ran flawlessly today, but we did give up a little in the middle of the track against Scelzi that was the difference in the race. ³Weıre also putting up good speed numbers now as well,² Pedregon continued. ³I canıt wait to race in Topeka in a few more days and Iım excited that we keep racking up the points. Weıve gained a little on the top guys, so we need to keep it going.² Pedregon posted a 4.828-second elapsed time at 317.12 mph in his round one victory over Tommy Johnson, Jr. The close racing continued in round two, as Pedregon edged out Tim Wilkerson with a 4.796-second pass 324.67 mph. Wilkerson clocked in with a slower 4.848/320.74 combination. ³To be right in the middle with the level of competition we have now is pretty exciting,² Pedregon said. ³To be in these battles week in and week out is a real testament to the team and how hard they worked over the winter.² Pedregon is only one behind Robert Hight for third in NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series points. Advance Auto Parts Notebook: Cruz Pedregon and the Advance Auto Parts Nitro Funny Car have been on quite a roll, recently. With his fourth-straight semifinal appearance during this weekendıs Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals and his final-round run during the Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park, Pedregon has now advanced past the second round in five-straight races. -PedregonRacing.com-