After making his historic 600th race start and sitting firmly in the Countdown to the Championship standings, Cruz Pedregon and Snap-on Tools team will debut a new Socket to Breast Cancer car design to support the Pink Fund in the U.S. and Kelly Shires Foundation in Canada to further their work helping breast cancer patients meet non-medical expenses while they are undergoing treatment.
Pedregon’s sister, Dora, is a breast cancer survivor, so turning his Funny Car pink is meaningful for him and the entire team.
“Dora is several years out from her diagnosis and is doing well, but she is still grateful for the guidance and information she received from the Pink Fund Founder Molly MacDonald when she was facing treatment,” said Pedregon. “So, I guess you could say we have our eye on two prizes: to win this race — because we’ve not won St. Louis before — and to let our loyal NHRA fans know about these organizations. They’re unique because they can provide real help with transportation, utilities, the things of life that keep going even when patients may be out of work during breast cancer treatment.
“So far, Snap-on and its franchisees and customers who participated in sales promotions over the past seven years have donated more than $815,000 to support these organizations and their important work.”
“The Pink Fund’s partnership with Snap-on and the beautiful paint scheme on Cruz’s car brings so much energy and awareness to the important work we do in providing real help when breast cancer patients need it most for real-life, non-medical expenses,” said MacDonald. “And, with Snap-on’s help over the past seven years, we’ve provided more than $5 million in direct financial assistance to creditors for transportation, housing, utilities, insurance, and more to help more than 2,200 breast cancer patients and their families.
“It’s so rewarding to see our logo on Cruz’s car and know all these great NHRA fans here and others watching from home are finding out about the help the Pink Fund can offer those impacted by breast cancer. After the race, I hope everyone will visit PinkFund.org to learn more.”
The new pink design on the El Mero Mero (“The Big Boss”) body features the Snap-on Socket to Breast Cancer logo on the hood, three main colors, pearl white, dark titanium, and pink, with the Pink Fund and Kelly Shires Foundation logos on the wing. The pink stripes form a forward-facing arrow to represent the momentum this presence on the Funny Car brings to the organizations. For more information, check out PinkFund.org and KellyShiresFoundation.org.
On the side of the team’s newly pinked-out Dodge, you’ll see the name of Nitro Franchisee TJ Zach. Zach was a mechanic before deciding he needed a break from the shop, and he decided to invest in a Snap-on franchise. He says his favorite part of his work is interacting with his customers. Zach made tickets to this weekend’s race for his customers a priority, so more than 50 of them will be enjoying NHRA racing live and in person over the weekend.
