CRUZ PEDREGON / ADVANCE AUTO PARTS NITRO FUNNY CAR TEAM
NORWALK "NIGHT UNDER FIRE" ADVANCE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 29, 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
NORWALK ADVANCE
EVENT:
AC Delco "Night Under Fire"
- The largest single-day drag race in the world –
TRACK NAME / LOCATION:
Norwalk (OH) Raceway Park
www.NorwalkRaceway.com <http://www.norwalkraceway.com/>
DATE:
July 1, 2006
SERIES:
Norwalk Raceway Park "special event"
(not affiliated with the NHRA or IHRA)
TEAM MEMBERS
Driver/Owner: Cruz Pedregon
Crew Chief: Ron Douglas
Co-Crew Chief: Sam Shockley
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (June 29, 2006) – Cruz Pedregon, the 1992 NHRA Nitro
Funny Car world champion, and his Advance Auto Parts Nitro Funny Car Team
are headed to Norwalk (OH) Raceway Park this Saturday, July 1st, for the
29th Annual AC Delco "Night Under Fire" special invitational race, the
largest single-day drag race in the world. Pedregon is currently 10th in
the NHRA POWERade Nitro Funny Car Drag Racing Series point standings after a
win in Las Vegas. Cruz's teammate and brother, Tony, will also be competing
at this event.
"The crowd at Norwalk is one of the biggest crowds we race in front of all
year, regardless of the race track," Pedregon said of this weekend upcoming
event on NHRA's weekend off. "I know everyone who is involved looks forward
to it. It's a prestigious race which brings only top cars into the event,
and I'm honored to be invited. It's a show to rival any in the country – a
very cool event for the drivers and the fans. Norwalk is a really good race
track and we know we can run some good times there."
The 2006 edition of "Night Under Fire" leaves little room for a gasp of air
- usually needed for the capacity crowd that overflows Norwalk Raceway Park
for what is often described as the "Super Bowl of Drag Racing".
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.
After conquering the quarter-mile Norwalk Raceway Park this weekend,
Pedregon and the rest of 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 and the Advance Auto Parts Racing Team, please
go to <http://www.pedregonracing.com./> www.PedregonRacing.com.
"NIGHT UNDER FIRE" QUICK FACTS:
8 Nitro Funny Cars, including Tony Pedregon, Cruz Pedregon, John Force,
Scott Kalitta, Robert Hight, Tim Wilkerson, Eric Medlen and Gary Densham
4 Jet Dragsters
220 mph Jet Kenworth
2 Wheel Standers
Alcohol Fuel Dragsters (Ashley Force)
Nostalgia Top Fuel
Super 16
Supercharged Thunder
PLUS: Famed $100,000 Fireworks Celebration AND Free Pit Passes and Parking
Tickets: $9.00-$42.00
How to Get There: Norwalk Raceway Park is located half way between
Cleveland and Toledo; just an hour and a half North of Columbus. The Ohio
Turnpike is less than ten minutes away.
From Cleveland & Westside Suburbs: Take Rt. 480 west to Route 10 (Norwalk
exit). Follow Rt. 10 west until it becomes Rt. 20. Take Rt. 20 to Route 601.
Turn left on 601 and proceed until you see our gate entrance on the right.
From the North, East, & West: Take the Ohio Turnpike East (Cleveland) to
Exit 118 (Rt. 250). Head south on Rt. 250 into Norwalk. Turn left on
Republic St. You will follow Republic St. and the Red Directional signs
until you come upon Norwalk Raceway on your left.
From the South: Follow Rt. 250 North. When you reach the exchange for State
Route 18, a green directional sign will instruct you to turn right. Exit
immediately using Route 18 and make a right turn. Norwalk Raceway will be
ahead on your left.
Norwalk Raceway Park
1300 State Route 18
Norwalk, OH 44857
Phone: (419) 668-5555
Website: www.norwalkraceway.com <http://www.norwalkraceway.com/>
CRUZ PEDREGON HISTORY AT NORWALK RACEWAY PARK:
Cruz raced the "Night Under Fire" race at Norwalk in 1995, then again in
2001 with the Orange Flamin' Frank Pedregon car, a tribute to his father (he
was an ESPN commentator at the time and doing select match races that year).
NORWALK RACEWAY PARK "NIGHT UNDER FIRE" SCHEDULE:
SATURDAY, July 1
Gates Open - 8:00 am
Time Trials - 9:00 am
Showtime - 7:00 pm (NHRA stars only run from 7:00-11:00 pm)
Fireworks – 11:00 pm
"NIGHT UNDER FIRE" TELEVISION COVERAGE:
A 60-minute documentary style show featuring the 29th annual “Night Under
Fire” will air on Sports Time Ohio within six weeks of the event, with
several re-runs scheduled throughout the rest of the year.
2006 NHRA 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
June 24-26 – St. Louis:
Qualified: 9th – 4.860 / 315.19; 1st Round: Scelzi 5.021 vs. Pedregon
6.706
CURRENT NHRA FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Ron Capps, 975
2. John Force, 931
3. Robert Hight, 742
4. Tony Pedregon, 728
5. Eric Medlen, 692
6. Tommy Johnson Jr., 684
7. Gary Scelzi, 641
8. Whit Bazemore, 592
9. Del Worsham, 536
10. Cruz Pedregon, 530
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 NHRA Wins
TOTAL: 27
FC - 23
TAD - 3
TAFC - 1
Career NHRA Final Rounds
TOTAL: 55
FC - 50
TAD - 3
TAFC – 2
Career NHRA Best Elapsed Time
4.680 sec.
Career NHRA 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 –NHRA Winternationals, Pomona, CA
February 24-26 – NHRA Nationals, Chandler, AZ
March 16-19 – ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals, Gainesville, FL
March 31-April 2 - NHRA Spring Nationals, Houston, TX
April 6-9 - NHRA Nationals, Las Vegas, NV
April 28-30 - NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol, TN
May 4-7 - NHRA Southern Nationals, Atlanta, GA
May 18-21 – Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals, Columbus, OH
May 25-28 - NHRA Summer Nationals, Topeka, KS
June 8-11 – NHRA Nationals, Joliet, IL
June 15-18 - K&N Filters SuperNationals, Englishtown, NJ
June 23-25 - NHRA Midwest Nationals, Madison, IL
July 14-16 - Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, Denver, CO
July 21-23 – 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 - 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 - 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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