Two-time Funny Car world champion Cruz Pedregon believes that a number of changes he has recently made to his Snap-on Tools Toyota Camry are about to lead to an impressive turnaround.
While it is still early in the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, Pedregon also knows there is no time to waste facing off against the elite competition in the Funny Car class.
Pedregon made strides two races ago in Charlotte, finishing as the runner-up at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, but expects even more success as the season picks up. That includes performing well at Atlanta Dragway at the upcoming 36th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, May 13-15.
Pedregon was the No. 1 qualifier in Atlanta one year ago and has one victory, in 1998, in two finals at the event.
“There’s always urgency,” said Pedregon, who is 12th in points. “I had a sense of urgency at the very first race. The key is not to panic and to just race within yourself. We have a fast car that we feel can rack up a lot of points in a short period of time. We’re making progress. It’s a bit of a slow start, slower than we anticipated, but the car is making some nice runs, and it’s starting to respond. I’m excited about the remainder of the season.”
Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock), and Hector Arana Sr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of the event. The race will be televised on FOX Sports 1 with qualifying shows Friday and Saturday and three hours of finals coverage Sunday. It is the seventh of 24 events in 2016, and Pedregon knows the time is now to make a move toward the top 10 and a playoff berth in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.
The final spots aren’t decided until September, but early struggles have created a hole in a class loaded with talent and world champions. Pedregon, who has 35 wins but none since 2014, started slow with only one round-win in the first four races.
But Pedregon didn’t stand pat and has been constantly working to find the solution. He found something in Charlotte, trailing only Tim Wilkerson in the final-round quad. Pedregon suffered a first-round loss in Houston a week later in a razor-thin loss to Ron Capps, but recent performances lead him to think that things are looking up.
“We’re just a run or two away from making great runs, and in Charlotte, we put it all together in critical moments,” Pedregon said. “Just taking advantage of the track conditions was key at Charlotte. I like more difficult track conditions, where it’s a little hotter and a little slicker track. It suits our setup, and yes, we can carry over what we learned. Vegas was our first sub-four-second run of the year, and we were able to carry that on to Charlotte and, even though we weren’t able to show it, even on to Houston. We’re on the right track, definitely.”
That ability to perform in warmer weather has been encouraging, especially with where the season is headed. Pedregon ran 3.982 in Las Vegas and 3.995 in Charlotte, which has been a welcome sight after the frustrating start.
But it has only caused the veteran Pedregon to push harder and find solutions. He has left no stone unturned in the process and strongly believes it is about to pay off.
“It’s frustrating, but to see the potential we have based on the changes we made, we’re excited,” Pedregon said. “Anytime you don’t change anything and stay stagnant, the competition passes you by. What we’ve been working on I think will put us back near the top and keep us there for a long time to come.
Anytime you make changes, you lose the predictability of the race car and how it responds to changes. It’s been frustrating, yes, but the changes have been necessary, and we’re starting to see good results as a result of those changes.”
Pedregon will need round-wins to move into the top 10, and they will have to come against top competition that comes in the class, including from defending event winner Wilkerson, who has two wins this season and shares the points lead with Courtney Force, who won in Houston.
Other stalwarts in the class include defending world champion Del Worsham, three-time Atlanta winner Robert Hight, Jack Beckman, Capps, Chad Head, Matt Hagan, Alexis DeJoria, and longtime rival John Force, who has seven wins at Atlanta Dragway.
“It’s a track that I like,” Pedregon said. “I like the challenge of the heat. You start to get into the hot part of the season in Atlanta, and I prefer to race under the more difficult conditions. I kind of tend to enjoy the challenge of that. Plus, it separates some of the really fast cars and brings them back to earth a little bit, so I enjoy that, too. I just like the atmospheric conditions there. It seems to suit my setup.”
Qualifying for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta will feature two rounds at 4 and 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 13, and the final two rounds of qualifying Saturday, May 14, at 1:30 and 4 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, May 15.
