Championship Drag Racing

Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
Clermont, IN
(August 31-September 5)

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Driver Profile

Cruz Pedregon Snap-on Toyota Solara Funny Car

Indianapolis, prerace: Cruz Pedregon, driver of the Advance Auto Parts Funny Car, heads to Indianapolis Raceway Park this weekend to compete in the 51st annual U.S. Nationals - the biggest drag race of any NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season.

Pedregon walks among the greatest drivers in U.S. Nationals history. His three victories (1992, 1994 & 1995) ranks him third all time, behind only Ed "the Ace" McCullough (5), John Force (4), and Don "the Snake" Prudhomme (4). Last year, Pedregon came very close to his fourth Nationals title, falling shy of Gary Densham in the final.

“I’m flattered and honored to be mentioned with those guys,” Pedregon said. “There’s definitely a lot of pride on the line any time you line up for the U.S. Nationals. And that track has been very good to us over the years. It’s a special place with a lot of memories. We were close last year and we have a great car heading into this year’s race.”

Testing at Indianapolis Raceway Park went well for Pedregon and the Advance Auto Parts Funny Car team. Consistency was the word of the day, as Pedregon made it down track in four of the five sessions, recording 4.80s in the night sessions and 4.90s during the day.

“It was a very good test session for us because I think we were one of the most consistent cars out there," Pedregon said. "(Crew chief) Ron (Douglas) and (co-crew chief) Sam (Shockley) had it like a bracket car, which was one of our goals for the test. Consistency was key, but we also know what we need to do and can turn up the wick for the two evening sessions. This race will be a great opportunity for us to turn the season around."

So far this season, Pedregon has made it to the semifinals at Pomona, scored a runner up at Houston Raceway Park and reached the semifinals in the next four races. Following a number one qualifier in Englishtown N.J. and a quarterfinal finish in Madison, Ill., Pedregon heads to Indianapolis Raceway Park eighth in NHRA Funny Car points with 863.

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