CRUZ PEDREGON / ADVANCE AUTO PARTS NITRO FUNNY CAR TEAM
ST. LOUIS ADVANCE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 20, 2006
Media Contacts:
Allison Holt, JRL Group, (847) 291-7080 x201,
<http://us.f332.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Allison@jrlgroup.com>
allison@jrlgroup.com
Janie Vogel, JRL Group, (440) 915-7627,
<http://us.f332.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=janievogel@yahoo.com>
janievogel@yahoo.com
CRUZ PEDREGON
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS NITRO FUNNY CAR TEAM
ST. LOUIS ADVANCE
EVENT:
NHRA Midwest Nationals
TRACK NAME / LOCATION:
Gateway Int’l Raceway, Madison, Ill. (near St. Louis, MO)
www.GatewayRaceway.com <http://www.gatewayraceway.com/>
DATE:
June 23-25, 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 20, 2006) – Cruz Pedregon, the 1992 NHRA Nitro
Funny Car world champion, and his Advance Auto Parts Nitro Funny Car Team
are headed to Madison, Ill. (near St. Louis, MO) this weekend for the NHRA
Midwest Nationals at Gateway Int’l Raceway for the 12th of 23 NHRA POWERade
Drag Racing Series events in 2006.
"We're anxious to go to St. Louis and continue the progress we've made with
our new chassis by applying some of the things we've learned in the past
couple of races," Pedregon said of the upcoming race. "It'll definitely be
warm at Gateway, so we're looking forward to running in the cooler
conditions during the evening – it's very different for the teams, and the
fans love it. We've never won at Gateway before, so we'd like to break
through with a win this weekend, which will be an opportunity for our team
to move up higher in points. It's only four hours away from our team
headquarters in Brownsburg, Indiana, and so we know a lot of our core
Midwest fanbase will be represented there. We're hoping our Advance Auto
Parts team can put on a great show for them."
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.
The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season hits its midpoint in the shadow
of the famed St. Louis arch, an apt symbol because from this point on, it’s
tricky to remain at the top of the pack and easy to slide off. The majority
of the event, including Professional qualifying and eliminations, is held at
night, providing the spectacle that only drag racing can: five-foot-long
header flames searing the night as 7,000-horsepower beasts race into the
dark. When the sun sinks low on the other side of the Mississippi, the
action begins on a track that has shown itself capable of dishing out
incredible performances.
How to Get There: Five minutes from downtown St. Louis, Gateway Int’l
Raceway is on Interstate 55/70 at Exit 4. From St. Louis, take I-70 south to
I-55/70 and travel east to Exit 4.
After conquering the quarter-mile Gateway Int’l Raceway this weekend, the
NHRA warriors head to Denver, Colo., and the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals
in Denver, Colo., at Bandimere Speedway on July 14-16. Check your local
ESPN2 listings for broadcast times and event coverage.
For more information on Cruz, please go to
<http://www.pedregonracing.com./> www.PedregonRacing.com.
CRUZ PEDREGON HISTORY AT GATEWAY INT’L RACEWAY:
Pedregon has not won at this venue in the past.
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
June 9-11 – Chicago
Qualified: 5th – 4.689 / 329.02; 1st Round: Capps 4.935 vs. Pedregon 5.311
June 16-18 – Englishtown
Qualified: 13th - 4.854 / 314.46; 1st Round: Scelzi 4.929 vs. Pedregon
5.231
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
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.
ST. LOUIS WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, June 23
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 6:00 pm CT
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 9:00 pm CT
SATURDAY, June 24
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 3:00 pm CT
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 8:00 pm CT
SUNDAY, June 25
Final Eliminations – 3:00 pm CT
ST. LOUIS ESPN2 TELEVISION COVERAGE:
June 24 – Qualifying: 10:00 pm – 12:00 am ET
June 25 – Eliminations: 10:00 pm – 1:00 am ET
June 26 – Repeat Eliminations: 2:30 – 4:30 am ET
ST. LOUIS LIVE AUDIO BROADCAST:
The public-address commentary from the NHRA Midwest Nationals will be
broadcast live over the Internet from
http://www.nhra.com/2006/events/race12/broadcast.html. Follow the
wire-to-wire, play-by-play coverage from the twelfth 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
11:30 a.m. Eastern and Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Eastern. The all-access final
eliminations show – open, as always, to all NHRA.com visitors – begins
Sunday at noon 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.
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