Tony Pedregon Joliet Eliminations Wrap Up

Eighth annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals
Route 66 Raceway­ Joliet, Ill.
ŒQ¹ Racing Nitro Funny Car - Pedregon Racing
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series

Mechanical Problems Haunt Tony Pedregon In Second Round At Joliet
ŒQ¹ Racing Driver Moves Up To Ninth in NHRA POWERade Points

JOLIET, Ill. (June 12, 2005) ­ŒQ¹ Racing Nitro Funny Car driver, Tony
Pedregon, would have preferred a different outcome to his second round
during today¹s eighth annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Route 66
Raceway. 

Pedregon took the first round from brother Cruz (Pedregon) with a
4.847-second elapsed time pass at 299.33 mph. Unknown mechanical problems
during the second round, slowed the 2003 NHRA POWERade Funny Car champion to
a 9.456 seconds pass at 124.5 mph. Pedregon¹s contender Tommy Johnson
clicked off a 6.649-second elapsed time at 207.94 mph.

Dickie Venables, Pedregon¹s crew chief, talks about the crew¹s strategy for
the ŒQ¹ Racing car.

³We¹re looking into what caused the problem,² said Dickie Venables. ³You
have to push the car to the limit in order to have a winning chance. I know
we can go down the track every time if we just want to make passes in the
4.90¹s. But we want to give Tony (Pedregon) every mechanical advantage we
possibly can and that has its risks.²

Tony Pedregon holds to the No. 9 spot in NHRA POWERade Funny Car points with
459.
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