CRUZ PEDREGON / ADVANCE AUTO PARTS NITRO FUNNY CAR TEAM
SONOMA ADVANCE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 25, 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,
janievogel@yahoo.com
CRUZ PEDREGON
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS 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: Cruz Pedregon
Crew Chief: Ron Douglas
Co-Crew Chief: Sam Shockley
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (July 25, 2006) – Cruz Pedregon, the 1992 NHRA Nitro
Funny Car world champion, and his Advance Auto Parts Nitro Funny Car Team
are headed to the beautiful wine country in Sonoma, Calif. this weekend for
the Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway, the 15th of 23 NHRA
POWERade Drag Racing Series events in 2006. Pedregon retains ninth place in
the NHRA point standings after their last round in Seattle.
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.
"The Advance Auto Parts Team have had some good wins and a lot of great
memories at Infineon Raceway, and we would certainly like to win there
again," stated Pedregon. "It's wine country, and the wins also taste good
there, so what more can you ask for? We're hoping for a break from Mother
Nature's heat this summer in Sonoma so we can get back to running some fast
times like we've been accustomed to. Infineon is a top-notch facility –
it's one of Bruton Smith's tracks, and he's put a lot of effort into
upgrading it recently. We really enjoy bringing both the fans and our
sponsors out to the track during our mid-summer western swing. It would be
a great way to wrap up this stretch of races with a nice, long Sunday."
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 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 Cruz, please go to
<http://www.pedregonracing.com./> www.PedregonRacing.com.
CRUZ PEDREGON HISTORY AT INFINEON RACEWAY:
Pedregon won this event in both 1996 and 1998.
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
July 21-23 – Seattle:
Qualified: 7th – 4.925 / 313.95; 1st Round: Densham 5.019 vs. Pedregon
5.117
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. 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
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 – <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.
# # #
