CRUZ PEDREGON / ADVANCE AUTO PARTS NITRO FUNNY CAR TEAM
SEATTLE ADVANCE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 19, 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
SEATTLE ADVANCE
EVENT:
NHRA Nationals
TRACK NAME / LOCATION:
Pacific Raceways, Kent, Wash. (near Seattle)
<http://www.pacificraceways.com/> www.PacificRaceways.com
DATE:
July 21-23, 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 19, 2006) – Cruz Pedregon, the 1992 NHRA Nitro
Funny Car world champion, and his Advance Auto Parts Nitro Funny Car Team
are headed to Kent, Wash. (near Seattle) this weekend for the NHRA Nationals
at Pacific Raceways, the 14th of 23 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events
in 2006. Pedregon moved into ninth place in the NHRA point standings after
their last round in Denver.
NHRA’s annual trek to the Great Northwest transports racers and fans to one
of the tour’s most breathtaking environments. The event is contested at
venerable Pacific Raceways, surrounded by towering pine trees and parked in
the shadow of majestic Mount Rainier, and represents the middle stop on
NHRA’s long-running and much-publicized Western Swing. The trees add more
than beauty: They emit tons of power-enhancing oxygen to feed the appetite
of the high-horsepower machines, resulting in prime performances. Track
management extended the concrete launchpads to 660 feet in 2004, and 10,000
aluminum seats have been added on the tower side of the track for 2006.
"The great Northwest is kind of like being home, as there are some long-time
drag racing fans in Seattle, and I love to go there," Pedregon said. "It's
an older race that is very special to me – my dad used to race in the area.
We are definitely looking forward to racing closer to sea level, especially
since Seattle has had some of the coolest temperatures in the nation in the
past week. Seattle is a great part of the country to race in, with the cool
ocean breezes and so many trees which help our cars "breathe" a bit better.
It's a great show for the fans because of the quick times."
After last week's final round appearance, Pedregon is happy to head into the
rest of the second-half of the season on a positive trend: "We're looking
forward to continuing our momentum from last week's final round appearance.
After the Advance Auto Parts Team's good start to the second half of the
season this year, I'm hoping to continue in Seattle and get our team in the
winner's circle."
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 Pacific Raceways: The track is 10 miles east of Interstate 5
on Highway 18. From I-5, use Exit 142A (Auburn exit) and travel east 10
miles on Highway 18, following the signs to the track. From other points,
use Highway 18 and exit SE 304th Street or SE 312th Street.
After conquering the quarter-mile Pacific Raceways this weekend, the NHRA
warriors head to Sonoma, Calif. and Infineon Raceway on July 28-30. 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 PACIFIC RACEWAYS:
Pedregon was number one qualifier in 1993 and 1995.
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
July 14-16 – Denver:
Qualified: 16th - 5.177 / 286.32; 1st Round: Pedregon 5.311 vs. Densham
5.344; 2nd Round: Cruz Pedregon 5.588 vs. Tony Pedregon 6.866; Semi-Final
Round: Pedregon 5.610 vs. Gilbertson 5.961; Final Round: Scelzi 5.132 vs.
Pedregon 5.820
FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Ron Capps, 1009
2. John Force, 983
3. Robert Hight, 797
4. Tony Pedregon, 781
5. Tommy Johnson Jr., 760
6. Gary Scelzi, 758
7. Eric Medlen, 744
8. Whit Bazemore 625
9. Cruz Pedregon, 586
10. Del Worsham, 568
SEATTLE WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, July 21
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 4:00 pm PT
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 6:30 pm PT
SATURDAY, July 22
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 12:00 pm PT
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 3:00 pm PT
SUNDAY, July 23
Final Eliminations – 11:00 am PT
SEATTLE ESPN2 TELEVISION COVERAGE:
July 22 – Qualifying: 8:00-10:00 pm ET
July 23 – Eliminations: 8:00-11:00 pm ET
July 24 – Repeat Eliminations: 2:30-4:30 am ET
SEATTLE LIVE AUDIO BROADCAST:
The public-address commentary from the 19th annual NHRA Northwest Nationals
will be broadcast live over the Internet from
http://www.nhra.com/2006/events/race14/broadcast.html. Follow the
wire-to-wire, play-by-play coverage from the fourteenth 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: 56
FC - 51
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 – 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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