TONY PEDREGON / Q POWER 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

 

TONY PEDREGON

- 2003 NHRA Funny Car Champion - 

Q POWER NITRO FUNNY CAR TEAM

TOPEKA ADVANCE

 

EVENT:

O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals

 

TRACK NAME / LOCATION:

Heartland Park Topeka (KS)

 <http://www.hpt.com/> www.hpt.com

 

DATE:

May 25-28, 2006

 

SERIES:

NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series

Nitro Funny Car Division

 

TEAM MEMBERS:

Driver/Owner: Tony Pedregon 

Teammate: Cruz Pedregon 

Crew Chief:  Dickie Venables

Asst. Crew Chief: Kurt Elliott

 

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (May 25, 2006) – 2003 NHRA World Champion Tony Pedregon
and his Q Power Nitro Funny Car Team head to Heartland Park Topeka in
Topeka, Kan. this weekend for the O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals, the ninth
of 23 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events in 2006.  Pedregon is coming
off of two consecutive wins in Atlanta and Columbus, which has vaulted him
into 6th in points.  

 

“Topeka has a great facility for the NHRA,” Pedregon said of the next stop
on the tour.  “I won three in a row there (2001-2003), and lately, it seems
like we’ve had a tendency to do well at tracks we’ve had success with in the
past.  Hopefully that trend continues as our work continues preparing this
team each week.  Our first goal was to get back into the top 10 in points.
Now that we are there (9th), we are pushing to get into the top five.  At
this stage in the season we’re better prepared going into these events due
to the hard work that’s being put in by our team members each week.”

 

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.

 

TONY PEDREGON HISTORY AT HEARTLAND PARK TOPEKA:

Pedregon won this event three consecutive times – 2001, 2002, 2003, and was
number one qualifier in 1997 and 2003.

 

2006 RESULTS:

Feb. 9-12 – Pomona:  

Qualified:  3rd, 4.713; 1st Round:  Pedregon 5.147 vs Worsham 4.894

Feb. 24-26 – Phoenix

Qualified:  4th, 4.724; 1st Round:  Pedregon 4.778 vs Densham 9.445; 2nd
Round:  Pedregon 4.847 vs Johnson 4.809 

March 16-19 – Gainesville

Qualified:  16th, 4.900;  1st Round:  Pedregon 5.018 vs Force 4.775

March 31-April 2 – Houston

Qualified: 8th, 4.798; 1st Round:  Pedregon 4.869 vs Bazemore 6.819; 2nd
Round:  Pedregon 9.461 vs Force 4.761

April 6-9 – Las Vegas

Pedregon ran a 4.79 Friday night but the pass was disallowed by the NHRA
when his team did not stop and weigh the car at the inspection station due
to the drama of an engine explosion at the finish line.  This was Pedregon’s
first DNQ in five years dating back to the Bristol race in 2001 (115
events). 

April 28-30 – Bristol

Qualified:  12th, 4.851; 1st Round:  Pedregon 5.314 vs Johnson 4.817

May 5-7, 2006 – Atlanta – WON THIS EVENT

Qualified:  9th, 4.797 / 275.00  1st Round: Pedregon 4.765 vs Bazemore
4.774; 2nd Round:  Pedregon 4.735 vs Force 4.715 (Pedregon’s margin of
victory was .0124 of a second (approx. 6 feet);.03 sec. advantage at the
starting line over Force, Pedregon’s former car owner); Semi-Final Round:
Pedregon 4.739 vs Medlen 5.083; Final Round:  Pedregon 4,740 vs Hight –
4.738 (Pedregon’s Final Round win was by about 5 feet - .0096 sec.)

May 19-21 – Columbus – WON THIS EVENT

Qualified:  3rd, 4.728 / 323.58; 1st Round:  Pedregon – 4.870 vs. Wilkerson
– 6.029; 2nd Round:  Pedregon 4.865 vs. Scelzi – 5.053; Semi-Final Round:
Pedregon – 4.802 vs. Johnson Jr. – 4.876; Final Round:  Pedregon – 4.923 vs.
Bazemore – 6.368

 

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 

7. Del Worsham, 428

8. Whit Bazemore, 412

9. Cruz Pedregon, 402

10. Phil Burkart Jr., 354

 

2005 SEASON RECAP:

In 2005, Tony Pedregon and the Q Power Race Team finished 7th in points with
2 wins, was #1 qualifier three times and recorded the second-quickest
elapsed time in NHRA history at 4.680 seconds in Chicago. 

 

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
T O N Y   P E D R E G O N

 

The B A S I C S . . . 


Car
Q Power Monte Carlo

 

Birthdate
March 8, 1965

 

Residence
Detroit, MI

 

Website
 <http://www.pedregonracing.com/> www.PedregonRacing.com

 

Career Wins
TOTAL:  31
FC – 31

 

Career Final Rounds
54
FC – 54

 

Career Best Elapsed Time
4.680 sec.

 

Career Best Speed
331.28 mph

 

The B A C K G R O U N D . . . 

·        2005: Set career best for time when he and his brother (Cruz) each
ran 4.680s at Chicago 2; Finished the season on a roll with two wins and a
runner-up finish at the final five events; Earned his first victory since
Las Vegas 2 in his championship season of 2003; Qualified for all 23 events,
increasing his streak of successfully qualifying at national events to 110;
Earned three No. 1 qualifiers and had the low E.T. at three events 

·        2004: In his first season as a team owner, finished No. 8 in the
final POWERade championship standings, his ninth consecutive season
finishing in the top 10; Established career-bests for both E.T. and speed;
Career-best E.T. is the seventh quickest Funny Car pass in NHRA history;
Recorded two of the 10 fastest Funny Car speeds in NHRA history (331.28,
Chicago 1; 329.83, Atlanta); His career won-lost record in elimination
rounds of 319-189 is 13th-best among all active pro drivers with 50 or more
decisions; Was the No. 1 qualifier three times (Las Vegas 1, Atlanta,
Chicago 1); Qualified for all 23 events, upping his national event
qualifying streak to 87 consecutive races dating back to Bristol 2001, fifth
best among all active pro driver 

·        2003: Became the first driver other than John Force to win the
Funny Car championship since 1992; established career-bests for wins, No. 1
qualifying awards, elapsed time and speed; a career-best eight wins on the
season places him fourth on the all-time Funny Car win list with 24 career
victories; one of four Funny Car drivers to qualify for all 23 events;
earned $100,00 for winning the Funny Car bonus event in his eighth career
appearance 

·        2002: Earned six victories in eight final round appearances; Was
contending for the POWERade championship until the semifinal of the last
event of the season; Finished No. 2 in the standings for the fourth time in
his career; Finished in the top five of the standings for the sixth time in
eight professional seasons; Won three consecutive races for the first time
in his career 

·        2001: Won a race as the No. 1 qualifier (Englishtown) for the first
time in his career, beating team owner John Force; Won back-to-back races
(Englishtown and Topeka) for the first time in his career 

·        2000: Went to the finals six times, collecting two victories 

·        1999: Was the No. 1 qualifier at four events; Posted the quickest
time in history when he clocked a 4.779 second run at Gainesville; Runner-up
in the Funny Car bonus race at Indianapolis 

·        1998: Earned two wins in two final-round appearances 

·        1997: No. 1 qualifier at three events and raced in five finals;
Beat brother Cruz Pedregon at Houston in the first final-round meeting
involving brothers; Runner-up in Funny Car bonus race 

·        1996: Made seven final-round appearances in first season with John
Force Racing; Named the inaugural winner of the Automobile Club of Southern
California Road to the Future Award, which identified the sport’s budding
stars; Finished second in driver points in first full season on the tour;
Earned first career victory (Atlanta) 

·        1995: Ran limited Funny Car schedule for car owner Larry Minor 

·        1993: Qualified for first NHRA event at the wheel of a Top Fuel
dragster 

 

The F U N S T U F F . . . 

·        Wife: Andrea; Daughters: Cecily and Arielle; Son: Desidario

·        Height/weight: 5´8", 165 lbs. 

·        Father, Frank, raced Top Fuel dragsters in the 1960s 

·        Brothers Cruz and Frank Pedregon also compete in the Funny Car
class 

·        Pedregon is an accomplished painter whose work adorns the helmets
of fellow drivers John Force, Cory McClenathan, Cruz Pedregon, and others

 

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 - O’Reilly 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 Q POWER RACE TEAM

2006 SUPPORTERS

 

Q POWER / QUAKER STATE –  <http://www.qpower.com/> www.qpower.com 
SNAP-ON –  <http://www.snapon.com/> www.snapon.com 
GREAT STUFF –  <http://www.greatstuff.dow.com/index.htm>
www.greatstuff.dow.com/index.htm 
HERZOG –  <http://www.herzogcompanies.com/> www.herzogcompanies.com 
FETERL –  <http://www.feterl.com/> www.feterl.com 
MOUNTAIN VIEW CHEVROLET –  <http://www.mountainviewchevrolet.com/>
www.mountainviewchevrolet.com

GOODYEAR –  <http://www.goodyear.com/> www.goodyear.com 
SLICK 50 –  <http://www.slick50.com/> www.slick50.com 
LARRY MINOR MOTORSPORTS –  <http://www.larryminor-motorsports.com/>
www.larryminor-motorsports.com 
SIOUX CITY TRUCK & TRAILER –  <http://www.siouxcitykenworth.com/>
www.siouxcitykenworth.com 
EARL’S PERFORMANCE PLUMBING –  <http://www.holley.com/> www.holley.com 
WELD RACING –  <http://www.weldracing.com/> www.weldracing.com 
MR. GASKET COMPANY –  <http://www.mrgasket.com/> www.mrgasket.com 
THE PALMS CASINO RESORT –  <http://www.palms.com/> www.palms.com 
FRAM –  <http://www.fram.com/> www.fram.com 

 

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