NHRA News: F. Pedregon signs sponsor, crew chief (10/25/2004)

F. Pedregon signs sponsor, crew chief

10/25/2004

Frank Pedregon

Underdog Racing Funny Car driver Frank Pedregon will return to the POWERade tour fulltime in 2005 flying the colors of new primary sponsor Platinum Machine Concepts. Additionally, Pedregon has inked former world champion driver and noted tuner Mark Oswald to a three-year contract to serve as crew chief.

Platinum Machine Concepts is an up-and-coming designer and manufacturer of custom aftermarket parts and accessories for American-made V-Twin motorcycles. As a driver, Oswald scored 20 national event wins – two in Top Fuel and 18 in Funny Car – in 41 final-round appearances.

"The guys at Platinum Machine Concepts are unbelievably talented and we're thrilled to have them as our sponsor for 2005," said Pedregon, who serves as president of Underdog Racing. "We compliment each other very well with our goals and talents. We feel we are breaking new ground with the type of sponsorships we are going after. This highly-talented company just keeps adding to our goals of gaining more race fans.

"Adding Mark Oswald to the team with a long-term commitment shows we're serious about racing in the NHRA. We're not interested in just being there; we are in this to win a championship."

Pedregon executes a burnout in Indy this year.

As owners of several patent-pending spinning wheels and other aftermarket items, Platinum Machine Concepts is very interested in getting their products in front of the racing industry in order to show NHRA fans their unique product lines.

"We are very excited to help Underdog Racing in 2005," said Aaren Jenson, president of Platinum Machine Concepts. "I am personally interested in creating something new with my team of engineers for this industry. I was hooked the very first time I attended a drag race and now that we are teaming with a fresh new concept within this racing industry, we are excited to get this going."

"The things we saw Jesse James and West Coast Chopper bring to the table influenced us," said Underdog Racing co-founder Jeff Flasco. "Our team is growing and thanks to the help of the NHRA we are accomplishing our goals."

Mark Oswald

Oswald, the 1984 Funny Car champion, brings a wealth of experience to this start-up team, which includes Pro Stock Bike frontrunner Karen Stoffer and Top Fuel hopeful J.R. Todd. He was selected as one of the top 100 drivers of all-time in 2001 – he finished 63rd on the list – and is widely known as the man who ended "Big Daddy" Don Garlits' seven-year stranglehold on the E.T. and top speed national records for Top Fuel in 1982.

"I couldn't be happier than to couple my talents with this great team," said Oswald, who turns 52 on Halloween. "They are truly onto something this sport's needed for a long time. Frank and I go way back and it's an honor to be teamed with such a great person and driver."

Among his many accolades, Oswald earned membership in the exclusive NHRA 250-mph Top Fuel Club, the Crane Cams Funny Car 250-mph Club, and the Castrol 4-Second Club for Funny Cars. He's also a two-time winner of the Skoal Showdown for Funny Cars after qualifying for the event nine times in his career.

Pedregon, the older brother of reigning Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon and 1992 Funny Car champ Cruz Pedregon, has four victories in six final-round appearances in his 132-race Funny Car career. By far his biggest days as a racecar driver thus far have come at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, where he won the event in 1999 and captured the $100,000 Skoal Showdown in 2001.

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