Toyota Bristol NHRA Preview
PEDREGON STILL GOING STRONG – Cruz Pedregon reached two Funny Car career milestones in the most recent race in 
Englishtown when he earned his 35th Funny Car event win to tie Don Prudhomme for fourth all-time. In addition, he became just the fourth driver to earn 500 career Funny Car round wins. Yet, it’s the future and a third title that Pedregon is looking for after reaching two consecutive finals and running the quickest pass in Funny Car history at Englishtown after some early-season struggles. He has finished in the top four in points in each of the last three seasons and is one of just two drivers in the class to have won a race in each of the last five seasons.
CRAMPTON QUICK TO WINNER’S CIRCLE – Richie Crampton took home his first Top Fuel win at the Toyota Summernationals in Englishtown in just his ninth pro race. No other current Top Fuel driver has won quicker without having prepped in another pro series on the way up the ladder. In comparison, Spencer Massey won his 11th race and Doug Kalitta in his 13th. Series champions Tony Schumacher and Shawn Langdon didn’t win until their fourth seasons in the series.
RECENT HISTORY BODES WELL FOR WORSHAM – Losing in the Funny Car finals at Englishtown may bode well for Del Worsham at Bristol. Each of the last two Funny Car drivers who lost in the finals went on to win the following race in Courtney Force and Cruz Pedregon. Worsham will be looking for his third Bristol win after triumphing at the Tennessee track in 2003 and 2009. He also owns the track E.T. record with a 4.008-second pass run last season.
HALFWAY TO THE COUNTDOWN – Bristol officially marks the start of the second half of the NHRA regular season. At this point, four Toyota drivers currently rank in the top four in points with Antron Brown second and Shawn Langdon third in Top Fuel, while Alexis DeJoria and Del Worsham are third and fourth in Funny Car. If the Countdown to the Championship were to begin today, those drivers would be joined in the playoffs by Khalid alBalooshi, Richie Crampton and Cruz Pedregon.
