TONY PEDREGON / Q POWER NITRO FUNNY CAR TEAM SONOMA ADVANCE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 25, 2006 

Media Contacts: 

   Allison Holt, JRL Group, (847) 291-7080 x201,
 allison@jrlgroup.com 

   Janie Vogel, JRL Group, (440) 915-7627,  
janievogel@yahoo.com 

 

 

TONY PEDREGON

- 2003 NHRA Funny Car Champion -

Q POWER NITRO FUNNY CAR TEAM

SONOMA ADVANCE

 

EVENT:

Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals

 

TRACK NAME / LOCATION:

Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, Calif.

 <http://www.infineonraceway.com/> www.InfineonRaceway.com

 

DATE:

July 28-30, 2006

 

SERIES:

NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series

Nitro Funny Car Division

 

TEAM MEMBERS:

Driver/Owner: Tony Pedregon

Teammate: Cruz Pedregon

Crew Chief:  Dickie Venables

Asst. Crew Chief: Kurt Elliott

 

 

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (July 25, 2006) – 2003 NHRA World Champion Tony Pedregon
and his Q Power Nitro Funny Car Team head to Infineon Raceway in the
beautiful wine country in Sonoma, Calif. for the Fram Autolite NHRA
Nationals for the 15th of 23 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events in
2006.  Pedregon retained fourth place in the point standings after the last
NHRA round in Seattle, only one point out of third place.  

 

They don’t refer to this race as being in the Wild West for nothing. In the
heart of Northern California’s high-tech region and sponsored by Infineon
Technologies, the facility annually plays host to some of the tour’s most
dramatic moments. A $70 million modernization project was completed four
years ago that included a new 660-foot concrete launchpad and led to scores
of new track records. Despite its midsummer position on the schedule, the
event is blessed with pleasant weather that, combined with a quality
racetrack, has yielded impressive performances.

 

"There's added incentive for the Q Team in Sonoma because we haven't won
there, although we have been to the final round," Pedregon explained of this
weekend's race.  "Going back to California is really nice – it's close to
San Francisco and just a beautiful area.  Infineon is a great track.
They've made some upgrades to the facility a year or two ago, which makes it
even better to visit that area of the country because we know we've got
something to work with.  We just want to finish our western swing strong in
Sonoma.  Coming off of a semi-final finish in Seattle, we know we're
prepared for some warm conditions, and we're looking forward to getting
another opportunity to win."  

 

How to get to Infineon Raceway:   The track is 35 minutes north of San
Francisco at the junction of Highways 37 and 121. From Sacramento, take
Interstate 80 to Highway 12 to Highway 29. Travel north on Highway 29 to
Highway 121, then west to the track. For quick access, avoid using Highway
37 westbound from Vallejo to Highway 121. From East Bay cities, take I-580
west across the San Rafael Bridge to Highway 101, then travel north to
Highway 37 and east to Highway 121 or Lakeville Highway (both have track
entrances).

 

After conquering the quarter-mile Infineon Raceway this weekend, the NHRA
warriors head to NHRA Nationals at Brainerd (MN) Int'l Raceway on August
10-13.

 

For more information on Tony, please go to
<http://www.pedregonracing.com./> www.PedregonRacing.com.

 

 

TONY PEDREGON HISTORY AT INFINEON RACEWAY:

Pedregon was number one qualifier last year (2005) and also in 1997.

 

2006 RESULTS

Feb. 9-12 – Pomona:  

Qualified:  3rd, 4.713; 1st Round:  Pedregon 5.147 vs Worsham 4.894

Feb. 24-26 – Phoenix:

Qualified:  4th, 4.724; 1st Round:  Pedregon 4.778 vs Densham 9.445; 2nd
Round:  Pedregon 4.847 vs Johnson 4.809 

March 16-19 – Gainesville:

Qualified:  16th, 4.900;  1st Round:  Pedregon 5.018 vs Force 4.775

March 31-April 2 – Houston:

Qualified: 8th, 4.798; 1st Round:  Pedregon 4.869 vs Bazemore 6.819; 2nd
Round:  Pedregon 9.461 vs Force 4.761

April 6-9 – Las Vegas:

Pedregon ran a 4.79 Friday night but the pass was disallowed by the NHRA
when his team did not stop and weigh the car at the inspection station due
to the drama of an engine explosion at the finish line.  This was Pedregon’s
first DNQ in five years dating back to the Bristol race in 2001 (115
events). 

April 28-30 – Bristol:

Qualified:  12th, 4.851; 1st Round:  Pedregon 5.314 vs Johnson 4.817

May 5-7, 2006 – Atlanta – WON THIS EVENT

Qualified:  9th, 4.797 / 275.00  1st Round: Pedregon 4.765 vs Bazemore
4.774; 2nd Round:  Pedregon 4.735 vs Force 4.715 (Pedregon’s margin of
victory was .0124 of a second (approx. 6 feet);.03 sec. advantage at the
starting line over Force, Pedregon’s former car owner); Semi-Final Round:
Pedregon 4.739 vs Medlen 5.083; Final Round:  Pedregon 4,740 vs Hight –
4.738 (Pedregon’s Final Round win was by about 5 feet - .0096 sec.)

May 19-21 – Columbus – WON THIS EVENT

Qualified:  3rd, 4.728 / 323.58; 1st Round:  Pedregon – 4.870 vs. Wilkerson
– 6.029; 2nd Round:  Pedregon 4.865 vs. Scelzi – 5.053; Semi-Final Round:
Pedregon – 4.802 vs. Johnson Jr. – 4.876; Final Round:  Pedregon – 4.923 vs.
Bazemore – 6.368

May 26-28 – Topeka:

Qualified:  6th – 4.983 / 302.69; 1st Round:  Pedregon 4.985 vs. Bartone
5.253; 2nd Round:  Pedregon 5.044 vs. Medlen 5.097; Semi-Final Round:
Pedregon 5.092 vs. Force 4.968

June 9-11 – Chicago:

Qualified:  6th – 4.694 / 315.34; 1st Round:  Pedregon 5.032 vs.  Gilbertson
13.877; 2nd Round:  Medlen 4.800 vs. Pedregon 6.585

June 16-18 – Englishtown:

Qualified:  5th - 4.812 / 320.58; 1st Round:  Pedregon 4.926 vs. Kalitta
4.961; 2nd Round:  Scelzi 4.947 / 311.41 vs. Pedregon - 5.310

June 24-26 – St. Louis – WON THIS EVENT

Qualified:  12th – 4.909 / 313.37; 1st Round:  Pedregon 5.198 vs. Worsham
6.183; 2nd Round:  Pedregon 5.061 vs. Gilbertson 5.126; Semi-Final Round:
Pedregon 4.886 vs. Scelzi 4.877; Final Round:  Pedregon 4.859 vs. Force
4.904 

July 14-16 – Denver:

Qualified:  8th - 4.956 / 309.91; 1st Round:  Pedregon 5.268 vs. Worsham
5.276; 2nd Round:  Cruz Pedregon 5.588 vs. Tony Pedregon 6.866

July 21-23 – Seattle:

Qualified:  8th – 4.929 / 310.27; 1st Round:  Pedregon 5.029 vs. Johnson Jr.
5.651 

2nd Round:  Pedregon 5.318 vs. Hight 6.117; Semi-Final Round:  Bazemore
5.029 vs. Pedregon 5.129 

 

FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Ron Capps, 1105

2. John Force, 1017

3. Robert Hight, 855

4. Tony Pedregon, 854

5. Eric Medlen, 811

6. Gary Scelzi, 810

7. Tommy Johnson Jr., 792

8. Whit Bazemore, 737 

9. Cruz Pedregon, 609

10. Del Worsham, 599

 

SONOMA WEEKEND SCHEDULE: 

FRIDAY, July 21

Nitro Qualifying Session (Funny Car / Top Fuel) – 4:00 pm PT

Nitro Qualifying Session (Funny Car / Top Fuel) – 7:30 pm PT

SATURDAY, July 22

Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 12:00 pm PT

Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 3:30 pm PT

SUNDAY, July 23

Final Eliminations – 12:00 am PT

 

SONOMA ESPN2 TELEVISION COVERAGE:

July 29 – Qualifying:  8:00-10:00 pm ET

July 30 – Eliminations:  8:00-11:00 pm ET

July 31 – Repeat Eliminations:  3:00-4:30 am ET

 

SONOMA LIVE AUDIO BROADCAST: 

The public-address commentary from the 19th annual Fram Autolite NHRA
Nationals will be broadcast live over the Internet from
<http://www.nhra.com/2006/events/race15/broadcast.html>
http://www.nhra.com/2006/events/race15/broadcast.html. Follow the
wire-to-wire, play-by-play coverage from the fifteenth 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 11:15 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
T O N Y   P E D R E G O N

 

The B A S I C S . . . 


Car
Q Power Monte Carlo

 

Birthdate
March 8, 1965

 

Residence
Detroit, MI

 

Website
 <http://www.pedregonracing.com/> www.PedregonRacing.com

 

Career NHRA Wins
TOTAL:  32
FC – 32

 

Career NHRA Final Rounds
55
FC – 55

 

Career NHRA Best Elapsed Time
4.680 sec.

 

Career NHRA Best Speed
331.28 mph

 

The B A C K G R O U N D . . . 

·        2005: Set career best for time when he and his brother (Cruz) each
ran 4.680s at Chicago 2; Finished the season on a roll with two wins and a
runner-up finish at the final five events; Earned his first victory since
Las Vegas 2 in his championship season of 2003; Qualified for all 23 events,
increasing his streak of successfully qualifying at national events to 110;
Earned three No. 1 qualifiers and had the low E.T. at three events 

·        2004: In his first season as a team owner, finished No. 8 in the
final POWERade championship standings, his ninth consecutive season
finishing in the top 10; Established career-bests for both E.T. and speed;
Career-best E.T. is the seventh quickest Funny Car pass in NHRA history;
Recorded two of the 10 fastest Funny Car speeds in NHRA history (331.28,
Chicago 1; 329.83, Atlanta); His career won-lost record in elimination
rounds of 319-189 is 13th-best among all active pro drivers with 50 or more
decisions; Was the No. 1 qualifier three times (Las Vegas 1, Atlanta,
Chicago 1); Qualified for all 23 events, upping his national event
qualifying streak to 87 consecutive races dating back to Bristol 2001, fifth
best among all active pro driver 

·        2003: Became the first driver other than John Force to win the
Funny Car championship since 1992; established career-bests for wins, No. 1
qualifying awards, elapsed time and speed; a career-best eight wins on the
season places him fourth on the all-time Funny Car win list with 24 career
victories; one of four Funny Car drivers to qualify for all 23 events;
earned $100,00 for winning the Funny Car bonus event in his eighth career
appearance 

·        2002: Earned six victories in eight final round appearances; Was
contending for the POWERade championship until the semifinal of the last
event of the season; Finished No. 2 in the standings for the fourth time in
his career; Finished in the top five of the standings for the sixth time in
eight professional seasons; Won three consecutive races for the first time
in his career 

·        2001: Won a race as the No. 1 qualifier (Englishtown) for the first
time in his career, beating team owner John Force; Won back-to-back races
(Englishtown and Topeka) for the first time in his career 

·        2000: Went to the finals six times, collecting two victories 

·        1999: Was the No. 1 qualifier at four events; Posted the quickest
time in history when he clocked a 4.779 second run at Gainesville; Runner-up
in the Funny Car bonus race at Indianapolis 

·        1998: Earned two wins in two final-round appearances 

·        1997: No. 1 qualifier at three events and raced in five finals;
Beat brother Cruz Pedregon at Houston in the first final-round meeting
involving brothers; Runner-up in Funny Car bonus race 

·        1996: Made seven final-round appearances in first season with John
Force Racing; Named the inaugural winner of the Automobile Club of Southern
California Road to the Future Award, which identified the sport’s budding
stars; Finished second in driver points in first full season on the tour;
Earned first career victory (Atlanta) 

·        1995: Ran limited Funny Car schedule for car owner Larry Minor 

·        1993: Qualified for first NHRA event at the wheel of a Top Fuel
dragster 

 

The F U N S T U F F . . . 

·        Wife: Andrea; Daughters: Cecily and Arielle; Son: Desidario

·        Height/weight: 5´8", 165 lbs. 

·        Father, Frank, raced Top Fuel dragsters in the 1960s 

·        Brothers Cruz and Frank Pedregon also compete in the Funny Car
class 

·        Pedregon is an accomplished painter whose work adorns the helmets
of fellow drivers John Force, Cory McClenathan, Cruz Pedregon, and others

 

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 Q POWER RACE TEAM

2006 SUPPORTERS

 

Q POWER / 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 
MOUNTAIN VIEW CHEVROLET –  <http://www.mountainviewchevrolet.com/>
www.mountainviewchevrolet.com

GOODYEAR –  <http://www.goodyear.com/> www.goodyear.com 
SLICK 50 –  <http://www.slick50.com/> www.slick50.com 
LARRY MINOR MOTORSPORTS –  <http://www.larryminor-motorsports.com/>
www.larryminor-motorsports.com 
SIOUX CITY TRUCK & TRAILER –  <http://www.siouxcitykenworth.com/>
www.siouxcitykenworth.com 
EARL’S PERFORMANCE PLUMBING –  <http://www.holley.com/> www.holley.com 
WELD RACING –  <http://www.weldracing.com/> www.weldracing.com 
MR. GASKET COMPANY –  <http://www.mrgasket.com/> www.mrgasket.com 
THE PALMS CASINO RESORT –  <http://www.palms.com/> www.palms.com 
FRAM –  <http://www.fram.com/> www.fram.com 

 

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