NHRA: Pedregon Back in Contention Thanks to Aerodynamic Balance Achieved in New Castrol Syntec Mustang
20 May 1999
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. -- After finishing second in Winston Funny Car points in 1996 and 1997, Tony Pedregon last year slipped to sixth, his poorest showing since signing on with Team Castrol. The apparent culprit? A Castrol SYNTEC Ford Mustang that perhaps was simply TOO aerodynamic.The same qualities that made the Mustang a sales leader for Ford Motor Co. (sleek lines and low coefficient of drag) often worked against Pedregon and his mentor, John Force, the eight-time reigning Winston Champion.
"For years, the aerodynamic goal was to reduce drag," Pedregon said as he prepared for this week's (May 21-23) 30th annual Mopar Nationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. "But last year we found out that at the speeds we're running (320 miles per hour-plus), there has to be a balance: low drag for speed; downforce for stability."
The goal, Pedregon said, is the fly figuratively; not literally.
Because of its profile, the 98 Mustang was good on only a handful of tracks last year, among them Raceway Park, the track on which Force set a national speed record of 323.89 miles per hour enroute to one of his three 1998 victories.
"At most tracks last year, our cars were loose in the middle (of the course)," Pedregon said. "And as smart as Austin Coil, Bernie Fedderly and John Medlen are, there was no way they could compensate for the lack of downforce.
As a result, while Pedregon won twice last season (at Houston, Texas and Denver, Colo.), he also was beaten seven times in the first round. What a contrast to the current campaign in which he has advanced to the second round or beyond in all seven starts, reached the finals four times and won the sixth and seventh races of his career.
Not that the aerodynamic profile of the new Mustang is solely responsible for Pedregon's resurgence. There also has been a change in philosophy at John Force Racing, the umbrella under which both cars compete. Whereas Pedregon's Ford previously was saddled with sole responsibility for developing new parts and new theories, those development duties now are divided more evenly between the two teams due in no small part to the acquisition of separate funding from Castrol SYNTEC.
"We no longer get all the experimental parts," Pedregon said. "Both teams now share responsibility for R&D. Plus, when I came here, we didn't have a full crew. Now we've got seven guys. I think if you look at the numbers you'll see a big difference."
The numbers to which Pedregon alluded are 4.779 seconds, the time he recorded this year at Gainesville, Fla. (the quickest quarter mile in history); and 322.81 mph, the speed achieved by the Castrol SYNTEC Ford en route to its most recent victory at Ennis, Texas.
Mopar Nationals May 21-23, 1999 Old Bridge Township Raceway Park Englishtown, N.J.
Number starts: 3 Times No. 1 qualifier: 1 Final round appearances: 0 Event wins: 0 Most recent win: None Won-Lost Record: 3-3 Best performances:
5.023 seconds, May 17, 1996
302.69, May 17, 1998 Noteworthy: In his first appearance at Raceway Park (1996), Tony was No. 1 qualifer for the first time in his career, reaching the semifinals before losing to Force.
DID YOU KNOW:
Tony is the only driver other than John Force to have broken the 4.80 second and 320 mph barriers..... Tony is one of three Funny Car racing brothers, each of whom won two races on the NHRA tour last season....Tony was the 5th member of the Castrol 4-Second Funny Car Club....in 1995, Tony was named the inaugural winner of the Automobile Club of Southern California's Road to the Future Award which included a $10,000 cash bonus.....Tony has finished second in Winston points two of the last three years and comes into Raceway Park second behind only John Force....Tony has qualified for 81 consecutive races in the Winston Series. In four years with Team Castrol, never has he failed to qualify.
Editors Note: For hundreds of hot racing photos and racing art, be sure to visit The Racing ImageGalleries and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.