CRUZ PEDREGON / ADVANCE AUTO PARTS NITRO FUNNY CAR TEAM
RESCHEDULED READING ADVANCE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 26, 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
READING ADVANCE
EVENT:
NHRA Nationals
TRACK NAME / LOCATION:
Maple Grove Raceway, Reading, Penn.
<http://www.maplegroveraceway.com/> www.MapleGroveRaceway.com
DATE:
September 29-October 1, 2006
(rescheduled from original September 15-17 date - rained out)
SERIES:
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Nitro Funny Car Division
CRUZ PEDREGON RACING TEAM MEMBERS
Driver/Owner: Cruz Pedregon
Crew Chief: Ron Douglas
Co-Crew Chief: Sam Shockley
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (September 26, 2006) – Cruz Pedregon, the 1992 NHRA Nitro
Funny Car world champion, and his Advance Auto Parts Nitro Funny Car Team
are headed back to the NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading,
Penn., this weekend for the 20th of 23 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
events in 2006. The event in Reading, originally scheduled for September
15-17, was rained out and rescheduled for this weekend. Pedregon is solidly
in 9th place in the NHRA point standings and is looking forward to a good
performance in Reading and the remaining 2006 races in order to move up in
the standings, creating a solid foundation for a championship run in 2007.
Hosted in cool climes in a tree-studded valley in Pennsylvania’s Amish
country, this race has a long history of barrier-breaking performances,
including the first side-by-side four-second and 300-mph Top Fuel passes and
the first 4.7-second Top Fuel, 6.7-second Pro Stock, and 7.0-second Pro
Stock Motorcycle runs. Historic Maple Grove Raceway, opened in 1962 and
continually improved, provides not only a scenic venue, but also the perfect
launchpad for the performance-rich stretch run to the season world
championships as well as national-record potential and dramatic racing.
The race, originally scheduled for September 15-17, was rained out and
rescheduled for this coming weekend, sandwiched between Dallas and Richmond:
"You learn from each run, so racing in Dallas allowed us to be smarter going
into Reading," Pedregon said of his previous weekend's quarterfinal-round
appearance. "It will also be much cooler this coming weekend than two weeks
ago, which will make for a really fast race track. There is now a revised
schedule for Reading, and we're making all daytime runs, which I like.
Visibility in a Funny Car is difficult to begin with, and at night in that
part of the country, it typically gets dewey and the track becomes
questionable. Night racing is exciting for the fans, but when you are trying
to hold the car in the groove pulling 5 g's and the front end is up in the
air, it's not very precise to begin with. Then you add in the
less-than-perfect lighting and it becomes quite difficult. We don't run
finals at night - we run Sunday afternoons, so qualifying in the evenings is
not really indicative of our total effort at that particular track - one run
will always be done in completely different conditions. We all have to deal
with the schedule each week, no matter if it's running at night or in the
daytime hours, but I am happy that Reading will allow us to qualify with
more applicable conditions."
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 Maple Grove Raceway: The track is 15 miles south of Reading
off the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Exit 298). From Reading, take Route 176 south
to the Green Hills exit, then go south (left) six miles on Route 10 to
Alleghenyville Road and turn right, following signs to the raceway. From
Philadelphia, take the Pennsylvania Turnpike west to Exit 298, then take
Route 10 north six miles to Alleghenyville Road and turn left, following the
signs. From Wilmington, take Route 202 to Route 100 and go north to the
Pennsylvania Turnpike. Go west on the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Exit 298 to
Route 10 north.
After conquering the quarter-mile Maple Grove Raceway Park this weekend, the
NHRA warriors head on October 6-8 to the NHRA Nationals at Virginia
Motorsports Park in Petersburg, Vir. (near Richmond).
For more information on Cruz, please go to <http://www.pedregonracing.com/>
www.PedregonRacing.com.
CRUZ PEDREGON RACING STORY ANGLES:
· Cruz, along with brother and co-team owner Tony, has just opened up
a brand new 25,000-square-foot racing shop, located in the new headquarters
for NHRA teams in Brownsburg, Ind. The shop, housing both teams, was
designed specifically to address the unique needs of Cruz Pedregon Racing,
Inc., and Pedregon Racing, LLC (Tony Pedregon), along with input from Cruz's
wife Sharon, Tony's wife Andrea, and all of the crew chiefs;
· The new Pedregon Racing facility houses the restored version of the
Flamin' Frank Pedregon World's Fastest Coupe (a legendary top fuel dragster
from the 60's with a chopped Fiat body, driven by Cruz and Tony's father,
Frank Sr.);
· A special limited edition set of 1:64 scale Hot Wheels® models of
Cruz and Tony Pedregon's NHRA Nitro Funny Cars are now available exclusively
at Advance Auto Parts stores. These cars will be packaged in a special Hot
Wheels® 2-Pack Collector Car Set (while supplies last);
· Cruz has a strong Hispanic following and is fluent in Spanish.
CRUZ PEDREGON HISTORY AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY:
Pedregon won this event in 1992; Pedregon was number one qualifier in 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
July 21-23 – Seattle:
Qualified: 7th – 4.925 / 313.95; 1st Round: Densham 5.019 vs. Pedregon 5.117
July 28-30 - Sonoma:
Qualified: 15th - 4.952 / 292.39; 1st Round: Pedregon 4.982 vs. Medlen 4.885
August 11-13 - Brainerd:
Qualified: 11th - 4.863 / 315.56; Scelzi 4.815 vs. Pedregon 4.812
August 18-21 - Memphis:
Qualified: 4th - 4.887 / 309.63; 1st Round: Pedregon 5.384 vs. Capps 5.058
September 1-4 - Indianapolis:
Qualified: 12th - 4.779 / 325.92; 1st Round: Pedregon 4.800 vs. Medlen
4.748; 2nd Round: Bazemore 5.072 vs.Pedregon DQ-Centerline
September 22-24 - Dallas:
Qualified: 8th - 4.850 / 313.37; 1st Round: Pedregon 5.258 vs. Head 5.406;
2nd Round: Hight 4.837 vs. Pedregon 5.074
FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Ron Capps, 1352
2. John Force, 1315
3. Robert Hight, 1259
4. Tony Pedregon, 1187
5. Eric Medlen, 1103
6. Tommy Johnson Jr., 1085
7. Gary Scelzi, 1053
8. Whit Bazemore, 956
9. Cruz Pedregon, 812
10. Phil Burkart Jr., 787
READING WEEKEND SCHEDULE (revised for rescheduled race):
FRIDAY, September 29
Nitro Qualifying Session (Funny Car / Top Fuel) – 2:00 pm ET
Nitro Qualifying Session (Funny Car / Top Fuel) – 5:00 PM ET
SATURDAY, September 30
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 12:00 pm ET
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel / Funny Car) – 3:00 pm ET
SUNDAY, October 1
Final Eliminations (Top Fuel/Funny Car) – 11:00 am ET
READING ESPN2 TELEVISION COVERAGE:
September 30 - Qualifying: 4:00 pm-6:00 am ET
October 1 - Eliminations: 7:00-10:00 pm ET
October 3 - Repeat Eliminations: 3:30-5:30 am ET
READING LIVE AUDIO BROADCAST:
The public-address commentary from the NHRA Nationals will be broadcast live
over the Internet from
<http://www.nhra.com/2006/events/race19/broadcast.html>
http://www.nhra.com/2006/events/race19/broadcast.html. Follow the
wire-to-wire, play-by-play coverage from the 19th 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 8:45 a.m. Eastern Friday and Saturday. The all-access final
eliminations show – open, as always, to all NHRA.com visitors – begins
Sunday at 10 a.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 (rained out)
September 21-24 - NHRA Fall Nationals, Ennis, TX
September 29-October 1 - NHRA Nationals, Reading, PA (rescheduled due to
rain)
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
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SIOUX CITY TRUCK & TRAILER – <http://www.siouxcitykenworth.com/>
www.siouxcitykenworth.com
MR. GASKET COMPANY – <http://www.mrgasket.com/> www.mrgasket.com
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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 3,000
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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