NHRA News: Quaker State Chevy closing in fast on first victory (6/3/2004)

Quaker State Chevy closing in fast on first victory

Contributed by Jeff Romack
6/3/2004

"The reason our goals are modest is because I know what we're up against."
– Tony Pedregon

A recent surge in performance would indicate that it's only a matter of time before Tony Pedregon's Quaker State Chevy Monte Carlo Funny Car makes its first visit to an NHRA winner's circle.

The 2003 NHRA POWERade champion climbed into the new Chevrolet for the first time just three races ago at the Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac, and the results have been astounding for the Dickie Venables-tuned Monte Carlo. In his brief tenure in the 2004 Chevrolet, Pedregon has captured a pair of low-qualifying efforts at Atlanta and Chicago, qualified second at Topeka, and recorded career-best numbers in E.T. and speed with a run of 4.716 seconds at 331.28 mph.

The next stop on the tour is the 40th annual Pontiac Excitement Nationals presented by Summit Racing at National Trail Raceway where the 39-year-old Pedregon is a two-time winner (2000, 2003) and the defending event champion. In addition to driving his nitro-powered Monte Carlo, Pedregon will return to the storied Ohio strip for the first time with the job description of "team owner" stamped on his already impressive resume.

What does it feel like to go 331 mph?
Pedregon: It's a great feeling and a difference in acceleration you can definitely distinguish. The Monte Carlo is much more pleasant to drive, and from a driver's perspective, you can see better than the old design. Because of the improved aerodynamics it's quieter inside and it drives better because the frontal downforce has made the car easier to steer.

Pedregon's new Chevrolet Monte Carlo body has already produced a 4.716 at 331.28 mph, which was the quickest and fastest of all-time.
Racers Edge Photography

You can tell when the car is moving. We knew that's what we were shooting for in Chicago – a mid to low 4.70. We weren't sure what the track would take and we pretty much threw everything we had at it, and it all worked. You could hear the motor revving up, and really, it was a picture-perfect run.

We're learning that the aerodynamics are different on the Monte Carlo, so we'll shift some weight forward to make it even easier to drive. The new body compliments a lot of the things we've been developing in the engine department. We'll continue to press, continue to take that information and make it useful, and then we'll go to the next race and hope things come together.

Is your new team progressing the way you'd expected?
Pedregon: Yes, it has. We've seen the potential there, without a doubt. I still have to take into consideration that we're a new team, and as impatient as I have a tendency to be, at this stage of the season, I would say there may have been a couple of missed opportunities, but that's just part of the growing process. Coming off the Chicago event, and the 331 mph top speed, there aren't too many teams that take lightly the fact a new program has come into the series, with access to GM technology and the new Chevy Monte Carlo Funny Car, and is a threat to win races.

It's great for drag racing because our sport is built on competition, and a large number of quality teams only fuels that competition. We're a new team, with Quaker State as a major sponsor, and we've just introduced the Monte Carlo into our program, which is without a doubt, a very important part of our recent performance.

This business is no different than any other business in terms of some of the challenges we've been presented with. Like any other start-up company, there have been little glitches, but you put all of these things in the right perspective. Probably, in terms of performance, we've surprised a lot of people. It hasn't surprised us though. Now we just need to figure out how to win, and I really believe that's around the corner.

What are the key components for being a successful?
Pedregon: The backing of our sponsors and team chemistry. When I say chemistry, I mean a combination of management, crew chief, personnel, and our sponsor partners. Quaker State and what they do on the engineering side with their product is a crucial part of that.

Pedregon has a runner-up finish and three low qualifiers to his credit this season.
Racers Edge Photography

When you look back on our most recent performance, we came close to setting the national record in Atlanta and Chicago, and a big reason for that is the new Chevy Monte Carlo body. GM has invested a lot in the engineering and development of the Monte Carlo, and has come up with a body that is aerodynamically, as good, if not better than what the competition has.

What are your goals this season?
Pedregon: To be competitive. Initially to be in the top 10 was probably a modest goal we'd set out to accomplish, and that's being realistic. It would be easy to say that we'd like to race for a championship, and maybe our goals have shifted. Now that we're in the top 10, I think it's only human nature, and it reflects the competitive side of us, we want to be in the top five. The potential is there, we just need a little bit of time to achieve that.

You get used to winning, everyone wants to win, and we all talk about winning races and winning championships, but at this point, we've been able to stay in the top 10. We're in an era in Funny Car where the competition is better than it's ever been. Across the board, the quality of the competition has been elevated and that's probably the biggest reason that maybe our goals were modest, because I know what we're up against.

Can you defend your Columbus title?
Pedregon: One of the things we're deficient on is race data. We started from nothing, so we only have the information from the tracks we've raced on. But we've already encountered tracks with high temperature and high humidity. Regardless of what the conditions will be at Columbus, I like our chances. Right now we're probably more motivated than ever.

Are you prepared for summertime conditions?
Pedregon: I think so. The new design of the Monte Carlo will give us a lot more latitude. We've been racing at tracks where we've been lowering the wing, that's where 'less drag and more downforce' has been an advantage for us. We really haven't had to adjust the spoiler, but we have a lot of room to do that and those are the tracks where the new Chevrolet will benefit us. At the same time, what we do with the setup on the car, and our clutch combination, and our fuel combination, are all going to work fine. We have a very forgiving setup with the ability to adjust to a variety of conditions.

Do you share information with Cruz's team?
Pedregon: Going into this partnership we knew that would be one of the benefits of being teammates, and it now it looks like it's starting to pay off. They have full access to all of our data and information, and vice-versa. Two is always better than one.

Do you feel any pressure to defend your championship?
Pedregon: The goal for me at this point is to win a race. I haven't been the type of person that looks too far ahead. I never did that when I won the championship. I have a long-term vision I think about, but short-term is the more important focus for me; and that would include the next series of events beginning with the Columbus race.

Without a doubt, the new car has performed with two low-qualifying efforts and we were No. 2 at Topeka. We didn't do that by accident. It's undeniable that we have the talent and the resources, but I know what we're up against. We're up against super teams that are established and have been for a lot of years. For me to even be competitive with them, and to be outperforming most of them, is a good sign for our program, a very positive and an indicator that we're moving in the right direction.

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