Pedregon Racing
JOSH HART BATTLES CRUZ PEDREGON AT SNAP-ON SUPERSPEEDWAY EVENT
OCALA, FL – NHRA Top Fuel championship contender Josh Hart squared off with two-time NHRA Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon on 
Monday, May 29, at Lucas Oil Raceway as part of the grand prize Snap-on Tools Superspeedway contest event. Snap-on Tools hosted 24 VIP contest winners and their guests at the Indy 500 on Sunday and then at an all-day fully immersive day of drag racing that included instruction in the Frank Hawley Drag Racing School culminating with a side-by-side exhibition race between Hart’s R+L Carrier Top Fuel dragster and Pedregon’s Snap-on Tools Dodge Funny Car.
“Cruz called and asked me if I would be interested in racing him in front of some of the Snap-on Tools Superspeedway contest winners and franchisees. I jumped at the chance,” said Hart, who has two Top Fuel national event titles to his credit. “I have never made a pass beside a nitro Funny Car and it was an awesome experience. This was a cool event Snap-on Tools hosted giving these winners the chance to check out the Indy 500 and then get a full day of drag racing.”
Hart and Pedregon fired up their 12,000-horsepower land rockets while the Snap-on guests got an up close and personal experience. They each executed long and smoky burnouts before taking the Christmas Tree with Pedregon getting a slight competition advantage off the starting line to even out the elapsed times. Both Pedregon and Hart were clean off the line and as they blasted towards half-track Cruz’s Snap-on Dodge Funny Car dropped a cylinder and shut off on the exhibition with Hart making a clean pass to the finish line.
Win for Pedregon Racing’s Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car at Norwalk NHRA Nationals
Norwalk, OH – The first victory of the 2021 NHRA season for a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat was earned from the No.10 spot on the 
eliminations ladder by two-time National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Funny Car World Champion Cruz Pedregon who powered his Pedregon Racing Snap-On Tools machine to the national event win at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals near Norwalk, Ohio. It was a 37th career Funny Car win for Cruz Pedregon who’s last victory came in 2018 at Charlotte Four-wide Nationals.
Pedregon’s performance aboard his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat consistently improved with every run throughout the weekend at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park. After earning a tenth place seeding for eliminations with a 3.996 second/320.36 mph qualifying effort, he went on to collect round wins over Tim Wilkerson, Robert Hight and Alexis DeJoria with elapsed time runs of 3.973 sec., 3.959 sec., and 3.947 sec., respectively, to advance to his first final round appearance of the year to face category points leader, Bob Tasca III.
Pedregon Powers Dodge//SRT Mopar to Provisional No. 1 Spot in Funny Car at Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil
Morrison, CO – Cruz Pedregon raced his Mopar-powered Snap-On Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car to the 
provisional No. 1 qualifying position Friday evening at the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil at Bandimere Speedway near Denver.
Pedregon and Ron Capps posted the fastest two runs of the second session to lead six Mopar-powered Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car drivers in the preliminary ladder for Sunday’s elimination rounds. Pedregon’s pass of 4.002 seconds at 317.42 mph narrowly edged out Capps’ lap of 4.005/316.97.
“It feels great to go out and be No. 1 in our Snap-On Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat,” said Pedregon, the 1993 and 2013 Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Funny Car winner. “I’m really happy for Dodge and Mopar. What they do for the sport is tremendous. I was part of the Mopar Block party last night for the first time and it was an incredible event. I really want to pay them back for their investment in me throughout the year. We’ve had some ups and downs, but I think that the needle is pointing up for us. The Snap-On Dodge is coming around. Bandimere Speedway has been really good to me through the years. It’s good to be No. 1 after Friday night.”
Mopar and Dodge//SRT add Cruz Pedregon to driver lineup
Auburn Hills, MI – A two-time NHRA World Champion will field a new Mopar-powered entry in the battle to bring 
home the 2019 Funny Car championship for Dodge//SRT and Mopar. Cruz Pedregon will debut a Mopar-powered Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car for the 2019 season at Pomona, and will give the brand another championship contender in the division.
“The timing was right and it’s a great opportunity with the new body style and all the other components to the relationship,” said Pedregon. “We will utilize the Dodge SRT Durango for support vehicles and it just enhances our entire program. And from an historical perspective, I think back to my dad racing in the early ‘60s with a 392 HEMI engine, and that’s what we have (HEMI engines) in these cars today. So there’s sentimental value in this too. We are really excited about this opportunity.”
Jim Dunn Racing’s Jim Campbell will also carry the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat graphics on his Funny Car this year. Campbell enters his third season behind the wheel of a Mopar-powered Dodge machine for Jim Dunn Racing, which has a long history of fielding Dodge Funny Cars. The team’s entry will bring to six the number of Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat drivers fighting for the 2019 Funny Car crown.
PEDREGON TOP TOYOTA IN NHRA MILE HIGH NATIONALS QUALIFYING
DENVER, CO – Cruz Pedregon bounced back from a massive explosion on Friday to place fourth in Funny Car with a 
3.992-second pass and lead Toyota in qualifying for Sunday’s NHRA Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in suburban Denver.
Saturday’s performance is the fifth top-five qualifying effort for Pedregon this season. The two-time world champion won earlier in the year at Charlotte. He will square off with Jonnie Lindberg in Sunday’s opening round.
“I can’t say enough about this Snap-on Toyota team,” said Pedregon, after a brand new Funny Car body was destroyed on Friday. “I’m so proud of the guys from Aaron (Brooks) to Glen (Huszar) to all of the guys. We spent two weeks building that body and that disaster yesterday just took all of the wind out of our sails. To come back today and have two top-five type runs really shows the character of this entire team. We’re qualified in a good spot, now we’re just going to go out there tomorrow and try continue what we started.”
Shawn Langdon also qualified in the top half of the Funny Car field with an eighth, while Kalitta Motorsports teammate J.R. Todd will open eliminations from the tenth spot. Langdon will face Tim Wilkerson in a match-up with major playoff implications on Sunday, while Todd will run Ron Capps in the first round.
PEDREGON TOP TOYOTA IN CHICAGO NHRA QUALIFYING
JOLIET, IL – Cruz Pedregon qualified fifth with a 3.969-second pass in his Snap-on Camry Funny Car to lead Toyota 
in qualifying for Sunday’s JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway in suburban Chicago.
Pedregon has now qualified in the top five in four of the last five events and in the top half of the field in six consecutive races. He will face a tough first-round match-up against 2017 Funny Car champion Robert Hight on Sunday.
“We’re happy to qualify in the top five again in our Snap-on Camry, but we’re going to have to be more consistent on race day to have a shot,” said Pedregon afterward.
Shawn Langdon qualified in the top three in both of Saturday’s sessions – earning bonus points for the first time since moving over to Funny Car after last season. Overall, the 2013 Top Fuel champion registered his best qualifying performance since Gainesville with a seventh. He will race Tommy Johnson Jr. in eliminations.
PEDREGON, TODD LEAD TOYOTA TOPEKA NHRA QUALIFYING
TOPEKA, KS – Cruz Pedregon qualified third, while J.R. Todd was fourth as the two Camry Funny Car drivers led 
Toyota in preparation for Sunday’s Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka.
Pedregon placed in the top three in each of the first three qualifying sessions to earn six bonus points on the weekend. In addition, he stretched his streak of consecutive top-three qualifying runs to seven – three more than any other Funny Car driver this season. Pedregon’s Snap-on Camry has now qualified in the top three in 11 sessions this year, behind only Ron Capps (13) and Courtney Force (12). He faces a first-round match-up against reigning world champion Robert Hight.
Todd also had a strong weekend in his DHL Camry, placing in the top four of two of the four sessions, including earning one bonus point for placing third in his final run – his seventh time earning bonus points this season. He opens up eliminations on Sunday against Dale Creasy.
PEDREGON LEADS TOYOTA IN ATLANTA NHRA QUALIFYING
COMMERCE, GA – Cruz Pedregon qualified fourth in his Snap-on Toyota Camry Funny Car to lead Toyota in 
preparation for Sunday’s Southern Nationals at the Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia.
Pedregon, who won last weekend in Charlotte, earned bonus points for finishing in the top three in all four qualifying runs on the weekend. He was the only driver to place in the top three in all four sessions. His fourth starting position will be his highest of the season and marks the sixth time he’s qualified in the top half of the field in seven races this year. He will begin tomorrow’s eliminations against John Smith.
“Our Snap-on Camry has been both fast and consistent this weekend,” said Pedregon. “I’m not sure if I’ve ever earned bonus points on every qualifying run in a weekend before. Now we need to do it when it counts on race day and see if we can make it two in a row and get another Wally tomorrow.”
J.R. Todd registered three solid runs on the weekend on his way to qualifying seventh. Todd also earned bonus points in Friday’s first session for placing second. His opening round opponent will be Funny Car point leader Jack Beckman.
Toyota NHRA Summernationals Preview
HOME SWEET HOME – Three-time Top Fuel World Champion Antron Brown will be returning to his home track this weekend for the NHRA Summernationals in Englishtown. Brown, a third-generation drag racer, was still in a stroller when he first went to Old Bridge Township Raceway Park as a toddler. He began racing motocross at the track just a few years later and learned the inside-outs of the sport growing up watching his father and uncle race. He learned well, winning three championships and currently has the fourth most Top Fuel wins of all time – including a mile-stone 50th Mello Yello Series win at Englishtown in 2015.
WORSHAM TEAM STARTING TO GEL – When Del Worsham moved from Kalitta Motorsports to his family run Worsham-Fink Racing Funny Car team in November, it was inevitable that the rebuilding team would go through some growing pains. Approximately one-third of the way through the season, Worsham and his Lucas Oil Toyota Camry are making progress. After introducing a new Camry at Topeka, he has earned round wins at each of the last two events and has now moved into tenth place, currently occupying the final spot in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
TONY PEDREGON LOSES CLOSE RACE IN FIRST ROUND AT GATORNATIONALS
GAINESVILLE, FL –Tony Pedregon and his American Racing Funny Car Race Team
qualified 13th this past weekend at the Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida, but exited
the race early after a close first round loss.
In the first round of competition Tony Pedregon faced Tim Wilkerson. Pedregon was out of the gate and
led most of the way, but Wilkerson grabbed the win by the slightest of margins –MOV 0.0259 seconds
Pedregon had the third quickest time of all Funny Cars in the first round, but in this match up Pedregon
came up just short with an E.T. 4.094 at 306.26 mph to Wilkerson’s E.T. 4.088 at 311.20 m.p.h.
