CRUZ PEDREGON / ADVANCE AUTO PARTS NITRO FUNNY CAR TEAM
CHICAGO ADVANCE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2006
Media Contacts:
Allison Holt, JRL Group, (847) 291-7080 x201,
allison@jrlgroup.com
Janie Vogel, JRL Group, (440) 915-7627,
janievogel@yahoo.com
CRUZ PEDREGON
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS NITRO FUNNY CAR TEAM
CHICAGO ADVANCE
EVENT:
NHRA Nationals
TRACK NAME / LOCATION:
Route 66 Raceway, Joliet, Ill.
<http://www.route66raceway.com> www.route66raceway.com
DATE:
June 9-11, 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. (June 5, 2006) – Cruz Pedregon, the 1992 NHRA Nitro Funny
Car world champion, and his Advance Auto Parts Nitro Funny Car Team are
headed to Joliet, Ill. this weekend for the NHRA Nationals at Route 66
Raceway for the 10th of 23 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events in 2006.
“Chicago is the premier track on the circuit,” Pedregon said of the upcoming
race. “It is definitely good in every aspect. The racetrack itself is
awesome - the facility is very nice and stadium-like. It’s great for the
fans and the racers. Route 66 is also where we had the quickest run of the
year (4.680) in the fall of last year, so I know my Advance Auto Parts car
should be fast there.”
“Our Advance Auto Parts team plans to debut a new chassis design in Chicago,
so I’m anxious to see how that works out,” Pedregon explained of some
pending changes within the team. “It’s the same chassis as what Tony
(Pedregon, Cruz’s teammate) has been using all year, and he’s had quite a
bit of success with it, so I’m looking forward to that - we definitely think
it will be better. We already have a pretty good car and setup, so the
change to this new chassis should really be good for our team.”
While in Chicago, Pedregon plans on stopping and visiting with his sponsors
GREAT STUFF and Snap-on for their respective Corporate Days. On the
Wednesday before the event, the race team will be visiting the GREAT STUFF
manufacturing plant where product is made. Employees will be able to see
Pedregon’s car and rig first hand and learn about the sport through a Q&A
session with Pedregon. The Monday following the race, the race team will
then visit the Snap-on Headquarters and display the car and rig for their
Annual Corporate Day. Again, employees will be able to interact with
Pedregon and learn more about the Funny Car while Pedregon starts the car.
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.
Take one part state-of-the-art stadium, add a world-class quarter-mile and a
splash of great weather, and you have the recipe for record-breaking
performances. Route 66 Raceway, which opened in 1998, has regularly been the
site not only of astounding performances, but also of national-record runs
and career-best performances by racers in all classes.
How to Get There: The track is approximately 30 miles south of Chicago on
Route 53 (Historic Route 66), three miles south of Interstate 80 in Joliet.
From points north, take I-55 south to I-80 east to Route 53/Chicago Street
(Exit 132) and proceed south to the track. From points south, take I-55
north to River Road, then proceed east to Route 53 north to the track. From
points east and west, take I-80 to Exit 132 (Route 53) and follow Route 53
south to the track.
After conquering the quarter-mile at Route 66 Raceway next weekend, the NHRA
warriors head to Englishtown and the K&N Filters Super Nationals at Old
Bridge Township Raceway Park on June 16-18. 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 ROUTE 66 RACEWAY:
#1 qualifier in 1998 and 2005, where he set the quickest run and low E.T. of
his 2005 season at 330.8 / 4.68, which was also a career best.
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
May 26-28 – Topeka
Qualified: 13th – 4.953 / 270.75; 1st Round: Pedregon 5.104 vs. Capps
4.993
2006 FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Ron Capps, 781
2. John Force, 672
3. Robert Hight, 552
4. Eric Medlen, 528
5. Tony Pedregon, 508
6. Tommy Johnson Jr., 478
7. Whit Bazemore, 466
8. Del Worsham, 438
9. Cruz Pedregon, 433
10. Gary Scelzi, 400
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.
CHICAGO WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, June 9
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 4:00 pm
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 8:00 pm
SATURDAY, June 10
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 1:00 pm
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 4:30 pm
SUNDAY, June 11
Final Eliminations – 11:00 am
CHICAGO ESPN2 TELEVISION COVERAGE:
June 10 – Qualifying: 5:00-7:00 pm (ET)
June 11 – Eliminations: 5:00-7:00 pm (ET)
June 14 – Repeat Eliminations: 3:00-5:00 am (ET)
CHICAGO LIVE AUDIO BROADCAST:
The public-address commentary from the 9th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA
Nationals will be broadcast live over the Internet from
<http://www.nhra.com/2006/events/race10/broadcast.html>
http://www.nhra.com/2006/events/race10/broadcast.html. Follow the
wire-to-wire, play-by-play coverage from the tenth 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 and
Saturday at 9 a.m. Eastern. Our all-access final eliminations show – open,
as always, to all NHRA.com visitors – begins Sunday at 9 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 – <http://www.advanceautoparts.com/>
www.advanceautoparts.com
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
GOODYEAR – <http://www.goodyear.com/> www.goodyear.com
SIOUX CITY TRUCK & TRAILER – <http://www.siouxcitykenworth.com/>
www.siouxcitykenworth.com
WELD RACING – <http://www.weldracing.com/> www.weldracing.com
MR. GASKET COMPANY – <http://www.mrgasket.com/> www.mrgasket.com
MOUNTAIN VIEW CHEVROLET – <http://www.mountainviewchevrolet.com/>
www.mountainviewchevrolet.com
THE PALMS CASINO RESORT – <http://www.palms.com/> 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.
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