Cruz Pedregon Lands First No. 1 Qualifier of 2005

36th annual K&N Filters SuperNationals presented by Advance Auto Parts
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park– Englishtown, N.J.
Advance Auto Parts Nitro Funny Car - Pedregon Racing
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series

Cruz Pedregon Grabs First No. 1 Qualifier of 2005
Final Run Ends in the Sand Trap at the Top End

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (June 18, 2005) – Advance Auto Parts Nitro Funny Car
driver Cruz Pedregon grabbed his first No.1 qualifier of the season at Old
Bridge Township Raceway Park with a 4.791-second elapsed time pass at 316.60
mph. This is Pedregonıs first No.1 qualifier since Columbus, Ohio, 2004.

Pedregon also had the best reaction time so far among Funny Cars during the
first pass of the day with 0.022 seconds. In the second session, the Advance
Auto Parts car clicked off a respectable 4.864-second elapsed time at 316.60
mph but ended hitting the sand trap when the parachute did not open all the
way

³We had a solid run,² Pedregon explained. ³But once I noticed the car was
not slowing down, I reached for the secondary parachute and got ready for a
trip to the sand trap. Now I am considering upgrading the parachutes to try
avoiding this type of incidents.

³The car sustained damage to the body and the chassis is cracked,² Pedregon
added. ³I donıt know yet if they are going to be able to weld it or weıll
have to replace it with a brand new chassis for tomorrow.²

Pedregon, winner of the Englishtown race in 1995 and 2000, is thankful for
all the effort and hard work his team puts in.

³I am very happy for the Advance Auto Parts team because they really try
very hard to give me the best possible car,² Pedregon said. ³Wes (Cerny),
Sam (Shockey), Ron (Douglas) and the rest of the crew deserve a win for this
team. Iıd also like to thank Advance Auto Parts, ‘Q’, Great Stuff and the
other sponsors for their help and support.²

During Sundayıs eliminations first round, Pedregon will face No. 16
qualifier Jim Head.

-PedregonRacing.com-