NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Cruz Pedregon is an avid boxing fan and the two-time Funny Car world champion feels like he’s been knocked down on more than one occasion during what has been a frustrating 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

 

But the 35-time event winner is determined to land a knockout punch or two at some point this season in his 10,000-horsepower Snap-on Tools/WIX Filters Toyota Camry. With time running out before the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship begins and Pedregon currently outside the top 10, he hopes that spark comes soon and is eyeing this weekend’s 29th annual Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway to get his season on track.

 

“My favorite fighter was Muhammad Ali, [and] I feel like this time right now for me and our team is like Ali-Frazier 1,” said Pedregon, who is currently 12th in the Funny Car points standings. “Joe Frazier hit Ali with a big left hook right on the chin and [knocked] him down. Ali took a breath and got right back up, and that's what we have to do, just take a deep breath and get up and keep fighting for these round-wins and points.”

 

Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Chris McGaha (Pro Stock), and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of an event that will be televised by the FOX national broadcast network for the first time. It is the 15th of 24 events during the 2016 season, and the track is a favorite for Pedregon, who is a two-time winner in Sonoma.

 

Getting back in the winner’s circle is a chief priority for Pedregon, who has suffered through a winless stretch dating back to Englishtown in 2014. He advanced to a final round in Charlotte earlier this year but has struggled to build consistency, falling in the first round in eight of the past nine races. What’s added to the disappointment for Pedregon is knowing his car is capable of performing at a much higher level.

 

“The most frustrating part about the entire thing is just not having the runs we all know we are capable of running,” Pedregon said. “We are a 3.90s car, we are a 3.80s car, and we just haven't been able to completely show our full potential. It also frustrates me for our team. I have the best group of guys I've ever had work on my car. There is no quit in them, and even when they are frustrated like me, they put their heads down and work harder because they want to win; they want to show people what we have here, and I think that speaks to the core leadership on our team.”

 

Pedregon is prepared to go down swinging and will again bring his best effort in Sonoma, determined to get his season turned around. He is currently 188 points behind Alexis DeJoria for the final spot in the Countdown to the Championship, something he is well aware of heading into the second of three stops on the famed Western Swing.

 

Only three races follow the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals before the Countdown to the Championship begins, and Pedregon, whose career has been highlighted by numerous pressure-packed performances, is eager to try and rise to the occasion one more time.

 

“Every qualifying session, every round of racing means something,” Pedregon said. “If you feel as if you’re under pressure, people tend to tense up and lose focus and miss their mark. You can control only what you can control and that's all you can do. [In] 1992, I won five straight races to clinch a title, and in 2008, I won four. That's not because I felt the pressure of needing to win, it was the mentality of going out and everyone doing the same routine over and over, like chopping a tree down. I believe in my team and in my race car.”

 

But Pedregon knows he has to build major momentum in Sonoma, and his first victory in more than two years would go a long way in building that. It has to continue the next weekend in Seattle as well, but Pedregon is ready for the challenge.

 

Standing in his way is a loaded Funny Car field, topped by points leader Ron Capps, who has four wins in 2016. Others to watch include 16-time world champion John Force, who won last weekend in Denver to start the Western Swing and has seven career Sonoma wins; defending event winner Beckman; Tommy Johnson Jr.; reigning world champion Del Worsham; Matt Hagan; Courtney Force; Robert Hight; and Tim Wilkerson.

 

But Pedregon is only focused on improving his own performance and fighting as hard as he can to earn a win in Sonoma.

 

“Our mindset for these next few races is first, figure out the little things that [are] happening to us and get them straightened out,” Pedregon said. “Second is just going out and running how I think our Snap-on Tools/WIX Filters Toyota is capable of running. I know we have a fast car, everyone knows we have a fast car, it’s just these little things jump up and happen to us, and it’s frustrating. We go out to each qualifying session with the goal of top five in mind, and we will fight for each round to get into the Countdown.” 

 

NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 4:30 and 7 p.m. on Friday, July 29, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, July 30, at 1:10 and 5 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 31.

 

To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call 800-870-RACE (7223). Tickets also are available online at www.sonomaraceway.com. Kids 12 and under are admitted free on Saturday, July 30, in general-admission areas with a paid adult (advance only).