Heat ratchets up as NHRA rolls into Arizona

February 22, 2008 by  
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Heat shows up in a variety of ways. For some, heat means pressure – a mental game. For Tony Pedregon, heat was something he could feel.

Pedregon’s Q Horsepower Chevy Impala SS exploded in the first round at the season-opener in Pomona, Calif., instantly propelling the reigning POWERade Series Funny Car champ back to the center of attention in a category already ripe with story lines. Since the accident there’s been no rest for Pedregon...

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Pedregon out to rise from ashes near Phoenix

February 22, 2008 by  
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After literally getting hot in California earlier this month, NHRA Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon gladly will settle for the figurative side. Healed and rested, Pedregon aims to defend his event title at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, Ariz., at this weekend's Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals.

Read full story in USA Today

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NHRA: Winning Funny Car built for safety

February 13, 2008 by  
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John Force proved you don't have to slow down to be safe in the NHRA.

Driving a revolutionary Funny Car designed to help bring the class into the 21st century, Robert Hight defeated Cruz Pedregon by 7 feet in the Funny Car final to give John Force Racing its 18th victory at Auto Club Raceway.

Hight clocked in 4.861 seconds at 284.39 mph in the NHRA season opener, which was slightly quicker than...

Read full story by Damian Dottore in The Orange County Register

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Schumacher, Hight, Anderson grab first 2008 POWERade glory in Pomona

February 10, 2008 by  
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...Like Schumacher, Hight continued his love affair with Pomona's pavement, winning his second straight race and third overall at his hometown facility. This time it was Pedregon on the losing end in the final as Hight's 4.861 at a blower-belt-tossing 284.39 mph in the Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang defeated Pedregon's 4.879 at 322.50 mph in his Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Impala SS...

Read the full story by Rob Geiger, Sr. at NHRA.com

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Pedregon sent for evaluation after first-round incident

February 10, 2008 by  
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Defending NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car champ Tony Pedregon was transported to Pomona Valley Medical Center Hospital for evaluation after his Q Horsepower Chevy Impala suffered an engine explosion ...

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Force returns to action at Phoenix test and immediately runs low

January 29, 2008 by  
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John Force is back! He will continue testing at Firebird Raceway through Wednesday.

From NHRA's Rob Geiger:

Climbing into a Funny Car for the first time since his devastating accident Sept. 23 in Dallas, 14-time champion John Force needed just one warm-up pass before blasting his way to the forefront of the National Time Trials with the quickest and fastest pass of the four-day test session. Force's 4.782 at 327.51 mph was so good he ended up out in the Arizona desert past the final turn-off, but the most prolific Funny Car driver of all time was still smiling when he emerged unscathed from his dusty Castrol GTX Ford Mustang.
[...]
New Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon was the closest to Force but he was almost a tenth of a second back with a best of 4.869 at 278.98 mph in his Q Racing Monte Carlo R/T. Gary Scelzi was next with a 4.879 at 318.02 mph in his Mopar/Oakley Charger R/T, while Cruz Pedregon (4.959) and Jerry Toliver (4.992) also dipped below five seconds on the day.

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Sweetwater native David Densmore earns prestigious public relations honor

January 17, 2008 by  
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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - David Densmore... recently was presented the 2008 James P. Chapman Award for excellence in motor sports public relations by the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association (AARWBA).

[...]

In his 25 years in the PR business, Densmore has represented nine drag racing world champions including Texans Raymond Beadle, Kenny Bernstein, Richard Tharp and the late Lee Shepherd along with Gary Beck, Mark Oswald, the late Gary Ormsby and Tony Pedregon.

Read the rest of the story in the Sweetwater Reporter

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Gary Scelzi and Cruz Pedregon try to make Main at Chili Bowl

January 13, 2008 by  
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Funny Car drivers Gary Scelzi and Cruz Pedregon attempted to make the main event at the 22nd annual Dodge Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Okla on Saturday. Despite both drivers having stellar sprint car driving teammates, neither placed high enough to advance to the A-main race.

Read more about their attempt at NHRA

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