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Show If he quits racing... he can always paint. WW By JASON STEIN ff V 'jT FOB WHEEL8ASE COMMUNICATIONS I FOR WHEEL BAi fr (7 Tfl ffK f7K 7 HT1 -J it 11 I OMEHWERE IN THE SKIES OVER FLORIDA So, you want to be a great drag after all, has had some racer And you're look- -A ing for the blue- f print of how to big driving shoes to fill. Nitromethane was in his veins. become a top driv- v He grew up in er in a sport thai pro-files and around will singe your Automotive legends Southern 1 . 1 ; and heroes . . eyeorows, spin California race your eardrums and give tracks where his late you an 8,000-horsepow- ; father, Frank Sr., comer com-er headache. neted in rear-engined Tony Pedregon has top Fuel division drag-some drag-some simple advice. sters, the quickest, "Slow down," he fastest and most power-says. power-says. "If I could do one fuj cars to ever grace thing over again, I ; 1,320 feet of asphalt: the would have never gone quarter mile. His older that fast, that young." brothers, Frank and Come again? Cruz, were natural-born This is Tony i drivers. Pedregon, the prodigal ; Cruz won a champi- son of a drag family? The heir appar onship in 1992. Frank won the U.S. Nationals, ent to the National Hot one 0f the sport's pre ruu nssuudiiun mier events, in iyyy. (NHRA) Funny Can Tony Pedregon, now drag-racing king (and 38, wasn't convinced he his boss), John Force? ; wanted to do any of it. Pedregon, the man who "i knew I was going will be crowned the to drive, but that first division's champion just time, that first spin. I two days after this mid- took in a car, really was-October was-October airborne inter-; n't the way to go about view? i it," he says. "You've got Slow down? ; t0 start off smaller and "It's true," he says. "I ; your way up." was stupid." ; After he decided that The truth is, Pedregon racing was what he shouldn't even be here, wanted to do, it would sitting on a plane to take a while for Miami for an event Pedregon to work his where he will talk about way up. He briefly safety and car seats for j drove rear-engined Top Hispanic kids. Pedregon Alcohol dragsters shouldn't have been so similar, to Top Fuel dominant this year that (drag racing's highest he would break Force's i order) except the cars 10-year winning streak, run on alcohol instead of And he shouldn't have potent nitromethane beaten Whit Basemore ; in the early 1990s but on the third weekend in couldn't find a ride that October to clinch the j Was permanent. His Funny Car title after fin- career turned the corner ishing as a runner-up for in 1993 when racing the championship four entrepreneur Larry times in seven years. : Minor, for whom Cruz Why? Truth was, at Pedregon won his first one point, Pedregon was ; series championship, scared to death of rac- offered Tony a part-time ing. ride in his mdependent- "I remember getting iy funded Top Fuel car. into my first drag racing But in two years, car and giving it a go, Pedregon won only hitting the gas," he says, twice, his dark eyes narrowing Frustrated and with then quickly darting ; no place to turn, by back and forth. "I; 1993 Tony climbed into almost couldn't climb I the cockpit of a Funny into a car after that, I Car (a front-engined was so shocked by the 8,000-horsepower experience." ; nitromethane-powered Blame his family if drag car with a full body you will. Blame the '. that drops onto a short pressure. Pedregon, : chassis) for the first time. It was a perfect match. Driving Minor's 'Geronimo' entry in 11 national events, Tony would show the form that would eventually take him to the top. With John Force as i his team owner, over the ; next seven years Pedregon would move past brothers Cruz and Frank in career victories (27), and with a quarter-mile quarter-mile best speed of : 325.69 m.p.h. in 2002 : he assumed the handle once used by his father, the self-described "World's Fastest Mexican." This year, after winning win-ning in Las Vegas, Nev., in October, Pedregon .would finally hold an., even greater title: Funny Car champion. Unfortunately, Frank Sr. never saw any of it happen. He was killed in a private-plane crash ; before his sons win a ' single race. Tony says j his father would have been proud of the accomplishments, especially espe-cially the way his youngest son ' started out. "He knew his boys were pretty special," 1 Tony says. "And we've proven that." Tony has proven something else: that you can be good at more than racing. He's also an I accomplished painter whose work adorns the helmets of Force and numerous other race drivers. "It's a passion I have that I hope to do long after I am retired," he ; says. And with his first championship in his Eocket, can a retirement e far off? "Not yet," Pedregon says., "John's still running. run-ning. And he's, like, a ; hundred. I've got a few years left." D Jason Stein is a feature writer and the editor of Wheelbase Communications ' i RaceWEEK racing page. He can be reached at jsteinwheelbase.ws. Wheelbase Communications supplies sup-plies automotive news and features to newspapers newspa-pers across North i America. I ' www.parkrecord.com Don't Buy A Car Until You Read This... VEHICLES TO BE SOLD FOR AS LOW AS $497 AND UP TO THE PUBLIC, PAYMENTS AS LOW AS $79 PER MO. Provo. Utah - Due to the national increase in defaulted automotive loans, banks and finance companies are having to store and stockpile vehicles. Brent Brown, Owner of Brent Brown Toyota, Chevrolet. Buick. Chrysler. Dodge, Jeep said, "they were asked for help in disposing of over 300 vehicles. Helping Banks and Credit Unions is the right tiling to do. After all. many times they loan money to our customers that were turned down at multiple lending institutions." Vehicles included in this three day event will be domestic and imported sports cars, vans, trucks, family sedans and sport utility vehicles, many still under factory warranty. This is a great deal for bargain hunters. Simply pick out one of over 300 vehicles that have been traded, repossessed, or purchased from around the country. Put down as little as Vehicles may be sold for pennies on the dollar!" -Brent llrown- S57 or start making payments as low as $79 per month. The banks are making the buy of a lifetime available to the public; making it very attractive for the person who wants a super clean late model vehicle at a fraction of its true value. This three day sales event will run December 5ih.6th & 8th! That's Friday, Saturday and Monday! It will be ovn to the public and promises to be one of the biggest automotive events Utah County has ever seen. It is recommended that you arrive early to beat the crowds. During this one time event, cars, trucks and vans that normally sell for five to ten thousand dollars will be sold for thr.ee to five thousand. Some cars will be sold for as little as S497. Banks' Reps will be on hand to help pre-approve pre-approve you before the sale. Brown comments. '"F.ven if you have slow pay or bad credit the banks will bend over backwards to make loans to good people with past credit prolems, provided you are currently employed." (See Credit Amnesty Page 4). Brent Brown Automotive Group of Provo is located at 1995 N. University PaYkway. 2 blocks West of Lavcll Ivdwards Stadium. Any phone calls should be directed to a Brent Brown dealership listed below. THIS SALE WILL BE HELD RAIN, SNOW OR SHINE.' o Come See What Yom Summit County Dealer Can Do For You! geta gpsa NT632oo 2003 F250 4X4Crew Cab XLT Power Stroke, Automatic $41,730 MSRP $33,900 Our Price WITH YQUR NEW SUV cm New Saturday- Service Hours- 8am-3pm ' ' After rebate NC398i9 2003 Taurus SE $20,700 MSRP $14,987 Our Price After rebate. Requires FMC financing oac. f19 New Models Priced to Sell! Focus Expedition Taurus . Ranger Mustang F250-F350 Escort zx2 Econoline Explorer Sable 2ero Financing on all '03 models, oac Let's clear them out! Did You Know?l J lNew vehicles cost the same for every dealer from the factory. -What makes the difference? OUR LOW OVERHEAD EQUALS LOWPRICES! 1 I KIMBALL I PARK V ?7 cWotc aAA (eitotation (flight (fiete (ftjgit (fiow RESTORATIONS ETC. Jt. 1993 www.cu!itorn!an.dclat!Lc!.corrL 4674 $ Jitown t $JZ, Vtah 84107 801-288-7863 tfu-1970 |
