NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Funny Car racer Cruz Pedregon has been a long time fan of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders and this past summer he got to spend time at the Raiders training camp during NHRA’s Western Swing.

After completing the second stop of the Swing at Sonoma Raceway, Pedregon and Top Fuel racer Leah Pritchett stopped by the Raiders’ training facility in Napa, Calif., to watch the team prepare for its season, which was about to begin.

“It’s an honor for me to come out here to the Raiders’ training camp and I really appreciate them having us,” said Pedregon. “I’ve been a Raiders fan since I was a teenager in Los Angeles and I came to love everything they were about. It’s a pleasure to see all that these guys do to prepare for the season. It reminds me of sitting at the starting line during a drag race getting ready to launch.”

Pedregon and Pritchett, both from Southern California, were also able to meet some of the Raiders’ players and coaches after practice, including Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Carr and head coach Jack Del Rio, whose uncle Wayne won best-appearing car at the 1971 NHRA Winternationals.

“As a Raiders fan, I was really happy to meet Derek and coach Del Rio,” Pedregon said. “Derek reminds me of the driver and coach Del Rio as the crew chief, orchestrating the whole run. It was great to talk with them and compare sports, from everything that goes into a run down the dragstrip, to everything that happens in one play on the football field.”