Pedregon looks for momentum
MORRISON» After almost ten years as a professional drag racer, Cruz Pedregon wanted his career to be on his own terms. In 1999, he found his next boss staring back at him in the mirror.
Making the move toward team ownership was a natural evolution for Pedregon, who invested in his own equipment, landed his own sponsors and eventually created Cruz Pedregon Racing Inc. — still going strong 31 years later.
Always trying to be more innovative and “push the limits” even further, he acquired veteran tuner John Collins, assistant crew chief Rip Reynolds and their experienced team for 2021.
“The biggest thing was Cruz letting go of some things and letting us run the car the way we’re used to and that’s why he brought us on,” Reynolds said.
With a fresh, new crew along with Pedregon’s veteran experience, the Snapon Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat was bound for success. Last month, he found it. Snapping a threeyear dry spell, the Torrance, Calif., native won the last race at Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.
“Norwalk was a huge win for Cruz because it’s been three years,” Reynolds said. “Our team won this race last time they had it in 2019, but it’s taken us a while to get him and our car working with one another. That part of it makes it good for us because he’s finally comfortable with the car and we’re comfortable with his driving …. It’s really started to work well together.”
Pedregon credits victory No. 37 to his decades-long career and the advantage that’s given him, saying that “Youth in this sport is good, those new pair of eyeballs are good, but boy, that veteran experience is invaluable.”
He’s back in Denver, where he’s a two-time champion at Bandimere Speedway, looking to use his momentum from Norwalk to continue on the championship hunt.
“The pressure’s back on,” he said. “As a driver, you have to get yourself back in that mode. I’m back in the mode. My appetite is not good, I’m not sleeping well, so I’m right how I was before I won that last race,” Pedregon said with a laugh before Friday night’s qualifying round.
“I’ve gone on rolls and I’ve gone on dry spells, but I’m back mentally where I need to be to perform at a high level again. … I’ve had many moments where I’ve had things not go my way and I know now how to deal with that.”
Pedregon said he relies on those reps and years of built-up knowledge to keep a steady mindset so there’s “no second guessing anything.”
“When you first pull up to the starting line and put your helmet on, I’m a little apprehensive,” he said. “But it seems that when I get in the car, they start the engine and lower the body, then I’m locked in. I’m relaxed, I’m calm, I’m ready to hit my marks and not let the race get in my head.”
He’ll need to keep that mindset in a loaded funny car field at Bandimere that includes Bob Tasca III, legendary racer John Force and defending world champion Matt Hagan. But Pedregon knows his team is coming together at the right time and if it wasn’t for them, he said he would possibly still be in a winless drought.
“At the end of the day, I’m fortunate to learn that I’ve hired the right team, and it all comes down to bringing on great people,” he said. “I can honestly say they make my job a lot easier. My team takes away any uncertainty I may have.”
The top fuel and funny car finals begin Sunday, starting at 11 a.m. Television coverage on FS1 will begin at 2 p.m. with elimination rounds.