CRUZ PEDREGON / ADVANCE AUTO PARTS NITRO FUNNY CAR TEAM DENVER ADVANCE
July 11, 2006 EVENT: Mile-High NHRA Nationals TRACK NAME / LOCATION: Bandimere Speedway, Morrison, Colo. (near Denver) <http://www.bandimere.com/> www.Bandimere.com DATE: July 14-16, 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. (July 11, 2006) – Cruz Pedregon, the 1992 NHRA Nitro Funny Car world champion, and his Advance Auto Parts Nitro Funny Car Team are headed to Morrison, Colo. (near Denver) this weekend for the Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, the 13th of 23 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events in 2006. The second half of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season kicks off with the first of three consecutive weekends of racing and one of its greatest challenges. NHRA’s POWERade pros must travel high and deep into the Rocky Mountains, to more than 5,800 feet and picturesque Bandimere Speedway, where the mile-high altitude plays havoc with everything from engine tune-ups to aerodynamics. Teams must make wholesale changes to established power-making combinations and battle the lack of downforce in the thin air to tackle the unfamiliar environs. The event is testament to the skill and adaptability of the crew chiefs and teams. "Denver is a great equalizer. There are a lot of teams who have great setups for sea-level conditions, but it is different there," Pedregon explained of the unique atmospheric conditions. "The air isn't pushing on the spoiler as much, so it's a challenge for our crew chiefs. As drivers, we've got to be on our game – we'll all get winded easier because of the thin air. We're looking forward to the challenge of that additional element of running in different conditions. We won in '93, and we've been runner-up in 2003 and 2004, so we know we can do well in Denver. The Advance Auto Parts Team is looking forward to the start of the second half of the season." The NHRA racers had a few weeks off before their western swing, but Pedregon and his Advance Auto Parts Team did not take a vacation during that time. They elected to participate in the world's largest single-day drag race, "Night Under Fire," held at Norwalk (OH) Raceway Park on July 1st. The event brought in eight of the top NHRA Funny Car drivers – including Pedregon's brother and teammate Tony - for a match race in front of a huge amount of fans, with the race being a prelude to a $100,000 fireworks spectacular. Other drivers who participated included John Force, Scott Kalitta, Robert Hight, Tim Wilkerson, Eric Medlen and Gary Densham. "There were eight really good Funny Cars at Norwalk, and out of all the cars, Tony and I were quickest in the first run," Pedregon said. "That was exciting for the huge amount of fans who were there for the event because it meant that two brothers got paired up with each other. Tony got the win with low E.T. of the event of 4.76, which was a new track record. We tried some things on the new chassis and learned a few more things that we don't want to do in the future, so overall it was a good event for the Advance Auto Parts Team. We've had a good rest these past few weeks and now we're ready for the western swing." 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. How to get to Bandimere Speedway: The track is 10 miles west of Denver just north of the historic town of Morrison. From Denver, take Interstate 70 west to C-470 and travel south to the Morrison Road exit. Take Morrison Road west to Rooney Road and go north to the track. After conquering the quarter-mile Bandimere Speedway this weekend, the NHRA warriors head to Kent, Wash. (near Seattle), and the Pacific Raceways on July 21-23. 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 BANDIMERE SPEEDWAY: Pedregon won at this venue in 1993 in a Nitro Funny Car, and in 1990 in a Top Alcohol Funny Car; Runner up in 2003 and 2004 in his Nitro Funny Car. 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 June 24-26 – St. Louis Qualified: 9th – 4.860 / 315.19; 1st Round: Scelzi 5.021 vs. Pedregon 6.706 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 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. DENVER WEEKEND SCHEDULE: FRIDAY, July 14 Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 5:00 pm MDT Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 8:00 pm MDT SATURDAY, July 15 Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 3:30 pm MDT Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 6:00 pm MDT SUNDAY, July 16 Final Eliminations – 12:00 pm MDT DENVER ESPN2 TELEVISION COVERAGE: July 15 – Qualifying: 10:00 pm – 12:00 am ET July 16 – Eliminations: 9:00 pm – 12:00 am ET July 17 – Repeat Eliminations: 2:30 – 4:30 am ET DENVER LIVE AUDIO BROADCAST: The public-address commentary from the 27th annual Mile-High Nationals will be broadcast live over the Internet from <http://www.nhra.com/2006/events/race13/broadcast.html> http://www.nhra.com/2006/events/race13/broadcast.html. Follow the wire-to-wire, play-by-play coverage from the thirteenth 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 11 a.m. Eastern. The all-access final eliminations show – open, as always, to all NHRA.com visitors – begins Sunday at 1 p.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 –NHRA Winternationals, Pomona, CA February 24-26 – NHRA Nationals, Chandler, AZ March 16-19 - 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 – NHRA Nationals, Columbus, OH May 25-28 - NHRA Summer Nationals, Topeka, KS June 8-11 – NHRA Nationals, Joliet, IL June 15-18 - NHRA SuperNationals, Englishtown, NJ June 23-25 - NHRA Midwest Nationals, Madison, IL July 14-16 - 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 – NHRA Nationals, Brainerd, MN August 18-20 - Mid-South Nationals, Memphis, TN August 30-Sept. 4 – NHRA U.S. Nationals, Clermont, IN September 14-17 - NHRA Nationals, Reading, PA September 21-24 - NHRA Fall Nationals, Ennis, TX October 6-8 - Virginia NHRA Nationals, Richmond, VA October 26-29 - 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.