CRUZ PEDREGON / ADVANCE AUTO PARTS NITRO FUNNY CAR TEAM
TOPEKA ADVANCE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 25, 2006
Media Contacts:
Allison Holt, JRL Group, (847) 291-7080 x201,
Allison@jrlgroup.com
Janie Vogel, JRL Group, (440) 915-7627,
janievogel@yahoo.com
Hi- and low-resolution photos available upon request
CRUZ PEDREGON
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS NITRO FUNNY CAR TEAM
TOPEKA ADVANCE
EVENT:
NHRA Summer Nationals
TRACK NAME / LOCATION:
Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, KS
<http://www.hpt.com/> www.hpt.com
DATE:
May 26-28, 2006
SERIES:
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Nitro Funny Car Division
TEAM MEMBERS
Driver/Owner: Cruz Pedregon
Crew Chief: Ron Douglas
Co-Crew Chief: Sam Shockley
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (May 25, 2006) – Cruz Pedregon, the 1992 NHRA Nitro Funny
Car world champion, and his Advance Auto Parts Nitro Funny Car Team are
headed to Topeka, Kan. this weekend for the NHRA Summer Nationals at
Heartland Park Topeka for the ninth of 23 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
events in 2006.
“I have three favorite tracks that we race on- Pomona, Indy and Topeka,” the
four-time event winner said of his trek to Kansas. “I love the track – it
has been really good to me. I won there several times in the 90’s. I also
love the fans in Kansas, too – they are really enthusiastic. This year,
we’ve aligned ourselves with a local company, Herzog, based out of St.
Joseph, Missouri. Not only will we have about 300 Advance Auto Parts
employees and customers at the track, we are also entertaining our friends
at Herzog. I feel like we are bringing a car that can take home another win
for them and all of the rest of our sponsors, and I’m very anxious to do
that in Topeka.”
During his rookie season in Funny Car in 1992, Pedregon won the NHRA world
championship. With this accomplishment he became the only racer other than
John Force to win the championship in the 90s. In 1997, Pedregon was also
the first motorsports athlete to receive the “Premio De Oro,” the only
national award for Hispanic athletes. Born into a racing family, Pedregon’s
father, Frank, raced Top Fuel dragsters in the 1960s. His brothers Tony and
Frank also compete in the Nitro Funny Car ranks. In 1980, Cruz won his first
official drag race at the age of 15, driving a 1953 Kenworth truck.
Sprawling multipurpose Heartland Park Topeka has been a Midwest favorite
since it opened in 1989, but its dragstrip has gained the majority of
headlines. Originally on the schedule in early fall, the event has featured
numerous national records and broken barriers, the most significant of which
was the dual shattering of the four-second and 300-mph barriers in Funny Car
in 1993. It moved to its current spot on the schedule in 2001, where it
benefits from more consistent weather.
Heartland Park Topeka is on Topeka Boulevard where it intersects Gary Ormsby
Drive, four miles south of Interstate 470. From Kansas City, take the Kansas
Turnpike (I-70) to the South Topeka exit and travel south on Topeka
Boulevard to the track. From Wichita, take the Kansas Turnpike (I-335) to
the South Topeka exit and travel south on Topeka Boulevard to the track.
From I-470, take the Topeka Boulevard exit and travel south to the track.
After conquering the quarter-mile at Heartland Park Topeka next weekend, the
NHRA warriors head to Chicago and the Route 66 Raceway on June 9-11. Check
your local ESPN2 listings for broadcast times and event coverage.
For more information, please go to <http://www.pedregonracing.com./>
www.PedregonRacing.com.
CRUZ PEDREGON HISTORY AT HEARTLAND PARK TOPEKA:
Cruz won this event four times, in 1992, 1994, and twice in 1995. He was
number one qualifier in 1998.
2006 RESULTS:
Feb. 9-12 – Pomona:
Qualified: 16th, 4.807; 1st Round: Pedregon 6.432 vs Force 4.774
Feb. 24-26 – Phoenix
Qualified: 2nd, 4.717; 1st Round: Pedregon 4.741 vs Wilkerson 10.109;
2nd Round: Pedregon 4.837 vs Force 4.792
March 16-19 – Gainesville
Qualified: 15th, 4.896; 1st Round: Pedregon 5.526 vs Bazemore 5.706;
2nd Round: Pedregon 4.835 vs Medlen 4.829
March 31-April 2 – Houston
Qualified: 10th – 4.821; 1st Round: Pedregon 12.741 vs. Burkhart 4.824
April 6-9 – Las Vegas – WON THIS EVENT
Qualified: 8th - 4.780; 1st Round: Pedregon 4.871 vs Head 8.396; 2nd Round:
Pedregon 4.864 vs Bartone 7.530; 3rd Round: Pedregon 5.314 vs Johnson
6.583; Final Round: Pedregon 5.417 vs. Capps 6.474
April 28-30 – Bristol
Qualified; 14th, 4.861; 1st Round: Pedregon 5.531 vs Force 4.808
May 5-7 - Atlanta
Qualified: 7th, 4.747 / 318.24; 1st Round: Pedregon - 4.753 vs Capps -
4.792;
(Pedregon won this contest by .0029 of a second, about 16 inches); 2nd
Round: Pedregon 4.809 vs Hight 4.680 (Pedregon with a near-perfect light at
.001 with a nose-to-nose finish)
May 19-21 – Columbus
Qualified: 5th, 4.744 / 326.56; 1st Round: Pedregon - 4.972 vs. Worsham –
4.873
2006 NHRA FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Ron Capps, 666
2. John Force, 575
3. Eric Medlen, 482
4. Robert Hight, 474
5. Tommy Johnson Jr., 446
6. Tony Pedregon, 434 (winner today)
7. Del Worsham, 428
8. Whit Bazemore, 412
9. Cruz Pedregon, 402
10. Phil Burkart Jr., 354
2005 SEASON RECAP:
In 2005, Cruz Pedregon and the Advance Auto Parts Race Team finished for the
second consecutive year in the top 10 in points, was #1 qualifier twice and
recorded a career best ET speed of 4.680 seconds at 330.80 mph.
TOPEKA WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, May 26
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 5:00 pm
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 8:00 pm
SATURDAY, May 27
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 12:30 pm
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 3:00 pm
SUNDAY, May 28
Final Eliminations – 11:00 am
TOPEKA ESPN2 TELEVISION COVERAGE:
May 27 – Qualifying: 8:00-9:00 pm ET
May 28 – Eliminations: 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET
May 30 – Repeat Eliminations: 3:00-5:00 am ET
TOPEKA LIVE AUDIO BROADCAST:
The public-address commentary from the 18th annual O'Reilly SummerNationals
presented by Castrol GTX will be broadcast live over the Internet from
<http://www.nhra.com/2006/events/race09/broadcast.html>
http://www.nhra.com/2006/events/race09/broadcast.html. Follow the
wire-to-wire, play-by-play coverage from the ninth race of the 2006 NHRA
POWERade Drag Racing Series season. NHRA members get exclusive access to
listen live to Friday's and Saturday's qualifying shows; check in Friday at
10 a.m. Eastern and Saturday at 9 a.m. Eastern. Our all-access final
eliminations show – open, as always, to all NHRA.com visitors – begins
Sunday at 10 a.m. Eastern.
D R I V E R
C R U Z P E D R E G O N
The B A S I C S . . .
Nickname
"The Cruzer"
Car
Advance Auto Parts Monte Carlo
Birthdate
September 19, 1963
Residence
Santa Rosa Valley, Calif.
Website
<http://www.pedregonracing.com/> www.PedregonRacing.com
Career Wins
TOTAL: 27
FC - 23
TAD - 3
TAFC - 1
Career Final Rounds
TOTAL: 55
FC - 50
TAD - 3
TAFC – 2
Career Best Elapsed Time
4.680 sec.
Career Best Speed
330.80 mph
The B A C K G R O U N D . . .
· 2005: Earned a pair of No. 1 qualifiers (Englishtown and Chicago
2); Set the low E.T. at two events (Englishtown and Chicago 2); Set career
bests for both time and speed; Won at least two rounds at five consecutive
events and six of the first eight events to open the 2005 season; Won
$25,000 bonus for having closest margin of victory in Motel 6 Who Got the
Light award
· 2004: Earned first No. 1 qualifying position (Columbus) since 1998;
Was the runner-up at consecutive events twice (Denver & Seattle;
Indianapolis & Dallas); Established career-best performance numbers;
Qualified No. 11 in the quickest Funny Car field in NHRA history (Pomona 2)
· 2003: Highest finish in the Funny Car standings since 1998; was the
runner-up at Denver and Reading; established career-best time and speed
· 2002: After taking a year off from racing, Pedregon assembled a
team that qualified for 18 national events; Advanced to the semifinals at
Indianapolis
· 2001: Served as color analyst for ESPN’s drag racing coverage
· 2000: Raced part-time as an owner/driver, collecting one win
(Englishtown)
· 1999: Raced part-time as an owner/driver in the Funny Car category
· 1998: Earned the No. 1 qualifying spot a career-best 12 times; Won
NHRA all-star race; Set national elapsed-time record three times; Runner-up
in Funny Car bonus race
· 1997: The first motorsports athlete to received the "Premio De
Oro," the only national award for Hispanic athletes
· 1996: Competing in a limited amount of races, Pedregon won one race
en route to a third-place finish in the NHRA championship point standings;
Finished in the top three for the fifth consecutive season
· 1995: Won at Indianapolis for the third time in four years (1992,
’94-95); Recorded first career four-second run, a 4.991 at Dallas; Broke the
300-mph mark for the first time with a 300.90-mph pass at Indianapolis
· 1994: Was the only Funny Car driver to defeat John Force in a final
round the entire season; Qualified in the top half at 15 of the 18 national
events
· 1992: Won the NHRA Funny Car championship — the only Funny Car
driver other than John Force to win a title in the 1990s
· 1990: Won a career-best six races
· 1991: Raced part-time in Top Fuel competition
· 1990: Moved to Alcohol Funny Car competition
· 1987: Started his NHRA career in Alcohol Dragster
The F U N S T U F F . . .
· Wife: Sharon; Sons: Josh (4/16/82) and Gabe (9/20/85)
· Height/weight: 6´0", 180 lbs.
· Notable: Won first drag race in 1980 behind wheel of a 1953
Kenworth truck; Raced go-karts in 1986 and was track champion at Ventura
(Calif.) Raceway; Brothers Tony and Frank also compete in NHRA Funny Car
category
· Father, Frank, raced Top Fuel dragsters in 1960s
· Fluent in Spanish, Cruz enjoys working with Hispanic media
· Enjoys doing charitable work with children
· Avid NFL fan, especially of Oakland Raiders. Also enjoys listening
to sports talk radio
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series 2006 Schedule
February 9-12 – CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals, Pomona, CA
February 24-26 – Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals, Chandler, AZ
March 16-19 – ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals, Gainesville, FL
March 31-April 2 - O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals, Houston, TX
April 6-9 - NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals, Las Vegas, NV
April 28-30 - NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol, TN
May 4-7 - Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, Atlanta, GA
May 18-21 – Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals, Columbus, OH
May 25-28 - O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals, Topeka, KS
June 8-11 – CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals, Joliet, IL
June 15-18 - K&N Filters SuperNationals, Englishtown, NJ
June 23-25 - O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals, Madison, IL
July 14-16 - Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, Denver, CO
July 21-23 – Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals, Seattle, WA
July 28-30 - Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals, Sonoma, CA
August 10-13 – Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Brainerd, MN
August 18-20 - O’Reilly Mid-South Nationals, Memphis, TN
August 30-Sept. 4 - Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Clermont, IN
September 14-17 - Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals, Reading, PA
September 21-24 - O’Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals, Ennis, TX
October 6-8 - Virginia NHRA Nationals, Richmond, VA
October 26-29 - ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, Las Vegas, NV
November 9-12 - Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Pomona,
CA
MANY THANKS TO THE ADVANCE AUTO PARTS TEAM
2006 SUPPORTERS
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS – www.advanceautoparts.com
<http://www.advanceautoparts.com/>
QUAKER STATE – www.qpower.com <http://www.qpower.com/>
SNAP-ON – www.snapon.com <http://www.snapon.com/>
GREAT STUFF – www.greatstuff.dow.com/index.htm
HERZOG – www.herzogcompanies.com <http://www.herzogcompanies.com/>
FETERL – www.feterl.com <http://www.feterl.com/>
GOODYEAR – www.goodyear.com <http://www.goodyear.com/>
SIOUX CITY TRUCK & TRAILER – www.siouxcitykenworth.com
<http://www.siouxcitykenworth.com/>
WELD RACING – www.weldracing.com <http://www.weldracing.com/>
MR. GASKET COMPANY – www.mrgasket.com <http://www.mrgasket.com/>
MOUNTAIN VIEW CHEVROLET – www.mountainviewchevrolet.com
<http://www.mountainviewchevrolet.com/>
THE PALMS CASINO RESORT – www.palms.com <http://www.palms.com/>
ABOUT ADVANCE AUTO PARTS
Advance Auto Parts, Inc. is based in Roanoke, Va., and is the second largest
automotive aftermarket retailer based on sales and store count. With almost
2,900 stores in 40 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, the company
serves both the do-it-yourself and professional installer markets.
Additional information about the company, employment opportunities,
services, as well as on-line purchase of parts and accessories can be found
on the company's web site at <http://www.advanceautoparts.com/>
www.advanceautoparts.com.
# # #
