Sonoma: Tony Pedregon Saturday summary

Tony Pedregon Stays On Top at Infineon Third No. 1 Qualifier of 2005

SONOMA, Calif. (July 30, 2005) - Tony Pedregon, driver of the Q Racing Nitro Funny Car, wrapped his third No. 1 qualifier of the 2005 season at this weekend's FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway.

During Friday night's second-qualifying session, the California resident covered the scenic Sonoma quarter mile with a track record elapsed time of 4.759 seconds at 321.12 mph. So far this year, Pedregon has qualified in the number one position and broke the elapsed-time record in Pomona, Calif. with a 4.681-second pass, and Chandler, Ariz., with 4.703 seconds.

After Friday's successful run, the Q Racing car struggled today to make it to the finish line.

"We were hoping for two solid runs today," said Dickie Venables (crew chief). "But we were in a solid place with the No.1 qualifying spot and decided to experiment a little with the clutch set-up. It did not work to our advantage, so we plan on getting back to what we know works for the Q car."

The 2003 NHRA POWERade NHRA Nitro Funny Car World Champion talked about what his keys to success are for tomorrow.

"Consistency," Pedregon noted. "We are prepared to step on it when we have too. We have a very good engine combination and the horsepower is there, we are going to have some tough races tomorrow starting with my brother Cruz, but we have the confidence that we can run with any one out there."

Pedregon will match up with brother Cruz Pedregon during Sunday's first round of eliminations. So far, during their elimination meetings, Tony holds a 15-8 advantage.

"It is unfortunate we have to race each other during the first run but, as a driver, you do what you have to do," concluded Pedregon.