Cruz Pedregon / Advance Auto Parts Race Team - Englishtown Results

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 19, 2006
Contact:  
     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 AND THE ADVANCE AUTO PARTS RACE TEAM HAVE DISAPPOINTING FIRST
ROUND LOSS 




2006 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series 
Round 11 of 23 
NHRA SuperNationals, Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, Englishtown, NJ 
Race Date:  June 16-18, 2006
  
ENGLISHTOWN, NJ (June 19, 2006) - Cruz Pedregon and his Advance Auto Parts
Race Team qualified 13th, but fell out of competition after the first round
in NHRA POWERade Nitro Funny Car action from the NHRA SuperNationals at Old
Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ, this past weekend.
Although a disappointing weekend for the Advance Auto Parts team, they
retained their top-10 point standings heading into next weekend's race in
St. Louis.

 

"It's really just the new car blues," Pedregon explained.  "We're still
trying to work out the bugs with the new chassis - it's only our second time
out with it.  Last week was cool weather conditions, and this weekend was
just the opposite - warm and slick track conditions.  We just didn't get the
clutch to cooperate with the chassis.  Sometimes you try to move forward and
you take a step back in the process of figuring things out with something
new with the car, but during that process, you learn things that you can
apply to the next race and do better.  We know we learned some things in the
warm temperatures that will help us in St. Louis to be faster and more
consistent next weekend, as that track is likely to be just as warm, so we
are confident moving forward.  I saw more tire smoke in Englishtown than
I've ever seen this season - the heat got the better of the track, which
affected everyone.  It was a survival of the fittest.  Although it was a
tough loss, we know we are closer.  We are a team filled with champions and
winners, and this is just a bump in the road.  The good thing is that we get
to race in a few days, and I know we're all anxious to take what we learned
in Englishtown and apply it to our St. Louis race next week."

 

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. 
  
  
NEXT RACE:   June 23-25 - O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals, Gateway Int'l 
Raceway, Madison, IL
  
ENGLISHTOWN RACE RESULTS:   
  
QUALIFIED:
13th -  4.854 / 314.46 

 

FIRST ROUND RESULTS: 
(W) Gary Scelzi - 4.929 / 313.44
(L) Cruz Pedregon - 5.231 / 248.39

FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Ron Capps, 944 
2. John Force, 838
3. Robert Hight, 684
4. Eric Medlen, 638
5. Tony Pedregon, 616
6. Tommy Johnson Jr., 608
7. Gary Scelzi, 568
8. Whit Bazemore, 535
9. Del Worsham, 502
10. Cruz Pedregon, 498


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