Quaker State Driver Finishes Ninth in the 2010 Season Standings

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 14, 2010) – The Quaker State brand once again returned to the Funny Car of Tony Pedregon this weekend at the 46th Annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif. The competition marked the final event in the 2010 Countdown to the Championship.

The action kicked off with the first round of qualifying on Thursday. Pedregon took to the track for his attempt and lined up next to Tim Wilkerson. The driver of the Quaker State Impala laid down a 5.795 -second run after losing traction around the 500-foot mark, ranking him tenth at the completion of the round.

On Friday, competitors returned to the track for another attempt at improving their times. Paired with Melanie Troxel, Pedregon made his run without any major issues for the Quaker State Impala. A 4.179-second run with a top speed of 296.57 mph moved Pedregon to 10th at the end of the second qualification round.

Drivers returned to Auto Club Raceway at Pomona for two more rounds of qualifying for the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals on Saturday. In the third round, Pedregon once again lined up next to Melanie Troxel. The duo ran solidly down the track to the 800-foot mark before both cars became loose and moved around the track. The attempt left Pedregon ranked 11th. Later that afternoon, Pedregon had one more chance at maintaining his position in the elimination rounds. The Quaker State Impala pulled up next to the car of Tim Wilkerson. Wilkerson lost the blower belt near half track while Pedregon encountered problems on the top end of the track. Luckily Pedregon’s earlier 4.179-second run maintained its position on the speed chart to qualify Pedregon for the elimination rounds.

In the first round of eliminations on Sunday, Tony Pedregon was paired against his brother, Cruz Pedregon, to mark the 32nd time that the two brothers have faced each other in elimination rounds, with Tony holding a 26-15 edge in those meetings. Both drivers had good reaction times to kick off a very close race. The Quaker State Impala took the victory by 0.0046 seconds, or approximately 24 inches, winning on a holeshot.

Pedregon lined up next to Bob Tasca III for the second round of eliminations. The Quaker State Impala was first out the gate, but second to the finish line after running side-by-side to the 330-foot marker before Tasca pulled away for the win.

The competition allowed Pedregon to pick up one position in the 2010 season standings to finish out the year ranked ninth among the NHRA Funny Car competitors.

With the 2010 season wrapped up, Pedregon and the rest of the Funny Car competitors will enjoy a few short off-months before returning to the track for more side-by-side racing with down-to-the-wire finishes. The 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series will kick off with the 51st Annual Kragen O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., Feb. 24-27, 2011.

Quaker State Driver Continues his Quest in the 2010 Countdown to the Championship

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (September 6, 2010) – The Quaker State brand once again returned to the Funny Car of Tony Pedregon this weekend at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Ind., Sept. 1-6. The competition marked the first event in the 2010 Countdown to the Championship.

The action kicked off with the first round of qualifying on Friday. Pedregon took to the track for his attempt and lined up next to Del Worsham. The driver of the Quaker State Impala laid down a 4.334-second run which ranked him 12th at the completion of the round.

Sitting on the brink of qualifying for the main event, Pedregon knew the pressure was on for his remaining four qualifying attempts. Saturday was the second and third rounds of qualifying at O’Reilly Raceway Park. During both attempts, the Quaker State Chevrolet Impala suffered traction issues leaving Pedregon with a 4.803-second and 4.191-second run. At the conclusion of Saturday’s qualifying rounds Pedregon was on the outside looking in at the top-12 qualifiers and hoping to qualify for the elimination rounds on Sunday.

Drivers returned to O’Reilly Raceway Park for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals on Sunday for two more rounds of qualifying and elimination rounds. In the fourth round, Pedregon lost traction just before the 660 lights and was forced to lift. The attempt resulted in a 5.419-second run and left him 19th with one more attempt to qualify for the final elimination rounds. For his fifth qualifying attempt, Pedregon lined up next to Jeff Diehl. He made a 4.151-second run and reached a top speed of 297.48 mph ranking him sixteenth and qualifying for the elimination rounds.

Tony Pedregon was paired against Matt Hagan during the first round of eliminations at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. Pedregon who had struggled throughout the qualifying rounds knew that it would be a tall order to beat Hagan who had been strong all weekend. The Quaker State Impala ran into traction problems past the 330 marker, posted a time of 5.075 seconds and was eliminated from the competition.

Pedregon will continue his battle for the 2010 championship at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at zMax Dragway in Charlotte, N.C., September 16-19. Qualifications will be televised on ESPN2 beginning at 10:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, Sept. 18. Coverage will continue on Sunday, Sept. 19, with eliminations beginning at 7:00 p.m. EST also on ESPN2.

Quaker State Driver Strong in Opening Qualification Run but Faltered in First Round of Eliminations

DENVER, Colo. (July 26, 2010) – Tony Pedregon returned to the race track this past weekend with the Quaker State brand aboard his Chevrolet Impala Funny Car. The series made a stop in Denver, Colo., for the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, July 23-25.

The racing action kicked off with rounds one and two of qualifying on Friday. Pedregon took to the track for his first attempt of qualifying and hit a speed of 247.61 mph. The driver of the Quaker State Impala was ranked second overall following the conclusion of the qualification round. During his second qualification attempt, Pedregon pedaled it once at about 250 feet during his run before the engine went silent. The driver reached a top speed of 112.08 leaving him ranked 11th overall going into Saturday’s competition.

Pedregon kicked off the day on Saturday with his fastest qualifying run of the weekend. The driver of the Quaker State Impala had a perfect run where he hit a speed of 247.61 mph in 4.341 seconds. The day’s competition rounded out with a 4.632 second run during the final qualification round. The attempt placed Pedregon 12th overall on the time chart and allowed him to hold his position in Sunday’s elimination rounds.

In the first round of eliminations at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, Pedregon lined up next to Ron Capps. Going into the round, Pedregon was 27-19 against Capps in prior events and hoped to be successful once again. Pedregon ran a 4.365 second run with a speed of 272.83 mph, but was unable to beat Capps 4.204 second run. The defeat meant that Pedregon was eliminated from the competition outside Denver, Colo., after just the first round of eliminations.

Next up for Pedregon and the NHRA Funny Car Series is the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn., August 12-15.

Quaker State Driver Eliminated By a First Round Loss to His Brother

SEATTLE, WASH. (July 12, 2010) - Tony Pedregon returned to the race track this past weekend with the Quaker State brand aboard his Chevrolet Impala Funny Car. The series made their 14th stop of their 17 event 2010 season for the running of the NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways outside Seattle, Wash.

The racing action kicked off on Friday with rounds one and two of qualifying. Pedregon took to the track for his first attempt with at a fast run and hit a speed of 111.18 mph. The attempt left him ranked 13th and not qualified to participate in Sunday’s elimination rounds.

Pedregon’s second round qualifying attempt was actually his fastest of the weekend. The driver of the Quaker State Chevrolet Impala got off the line much better than he did during the first round. His Impala then drifted out of the groove and toward the wall before he herded it back toward the middle and crossed the line with the 11th-quickest run of the field. Pedregon reached a speed of 254.90 mph during the 4.331 second run.

Saturday’s action brought on the final qualifying runs for Pedregon and the Quaker State racing team. The Brownsburg, Indiana native could not beat his time from Friday’s second round and cut it close to make the field, but placed 14th on the final qualifying record.

Pedregon lined up with his brother, Cruz Pedregon on Sunday for the first round of eliminations. The duo fired their engines, left the starting line nearly simultaneously and striked the tires at almost the same time. From there, there was a lot of pedal slapping and the brothers traded the lead back and forth down the track. Cruz slipped by his brother for a narrow victory, eliminating Tony Pedregon from the NHRA Northwest Nationals in just the first round.

Next up for Pedregon and the NHRA Funny Car Series is the Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., July 16-18.

Pedregon Makes it to First Elimination Round in NHRA SuperNationals

ENGLISHTOWN, NJ (June 13, 2010) – Tony Pedregon entered Old Bridge Township Raceway Park this weekend with hopes of turning in a stronger performance in the NHRA SuperNationals than last week’s run in Chicago.

The weekend kicked off with qualifying runs beginning with the first two rounds on Friday. Pedregon’s first pass was not to his liking as his tires began shaking and he had to shut the Quaker State Impala down half way down the track. In the second round, the Brownsburg, Indiana native had to shut down the car once again leaving him 10th in the order going into Saturday’s final qualifying runs.

Trouble followed the two-time Funny Car champion into Saturday’s runs with the Quaker State driver losing power halfway down the track in his first pass of the day. In his fourth and final qualifying run, Pedregon turned in his best pass of the qualifying session and put himself 11th in the final order going into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

With two wins in Englishtown, Pedregon entered Sunday’s competition confident he could pull out a solid finish. Battling Matt Hagan in the first round, the Quaker State driver got to about 330 feet and shook the tires. Hagan had a clean run down the groove taking the win and ending Pedregon’s day early.

The NHRA heads to Bristol Dragway next for the June 18 – 20 running of the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. Pedregon will return to the track with Quaker State in Seattle on July 9 -11.

Pedregon has Trouble in First Round of Eliminations at Route 66 Raceway

JOLIET, ILL (June 6, 2010) – Tony Pedregon returned to the race track this past weekend with the Quaker State brand aboard his Chevrolet Impala Funny Car. The series made their 10th stop of the 2010 season for the running of the United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Miller Welders at Route 66 Raceway.

Racing action kicked off with qualifying on Friday. Pedregon took to the track for his first pass turning in a solid run. In his second pass of the day, the Quaker State driver “lit it up” around the 660-foot marker and had to fight to get the car stopped and body up so the Safety Safari could put the fire out.

Saturday’s action brought on the final qualifying run with Pedregon looking from the outside in as he was not firmly in the field for eliminations. The Brownsburg, Indiana native cut it close as his car started trailing a dense cloud of smoke well short of the finish line. However, the two-time champion had enough momentum to make the field and wound up in the 14th spot when the qualifying sessions were complete.

Pedregon lined up with Matt Hagan on Sunday for the first elimination round. After they fired up their engines and got ready to stage, they were signaled to shut them down as the track crew spotted debris in one of the lanes. The Quaker State Impala had a little trouble shutting down and the engine sputtered along for about 30 seconds before Pedregon’s crew got it turned off.

After the track was cleared, the paired fired up their engines again, staged and took off down the track together. However, Pedregon started smoking the tires about 200 feet out and shut down the engine taking the loss.

Next up for Pedregon and the NHRA Funny Car Series is the NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey on June 10 -13.

Quaker State Driver Sits Seventh in Championship Point Standings

COMMERCE, GA (May 16, 2010) – Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team headed to Atlanta Dragway this weekend for the 30th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals.

Racing Action began on Friday with the first two of four qualifying rounds. In his first pass of the weekend, Pedregon dropped a cylinder early in the run but was still able to pull out a pass quick enough to make the top half of the show. In his second run the Brownsburg, Indiana native lost traction and had to shut the engine down around the 330-foot mark.

Saturday’s qualifying rounds proved to be more successful for the Quaker State driver as he had a good looking pass that resulted in his quickest time of the weekend and put himself on the board. The fourth and final round netted yet another clean pass with Pedregon ending up in the 12th spot overall for Sunday’s elimination rounds.

In the first elimination round, Pedregon was paired with Del Worsham. The Quaker State driver started to lose traction around the half track mark and began to pedal it but was able to hold off the hard charging Worsham for the win light and advance to the second round.

In round two, Pedregon faced off against long-time fried Bob Tasca III and got the starting line advantage but Tasca had the difference made up by the time they got by the Christmas tree leaving Pedregon trailing the entire pass and eliminating him from competition.

Pedregon sits seventh in the point standings with eight races in the 2010 record books.

The NHRA Funny Car Series heads to Topeka, Kansas on May 21-23 for the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Summer Nationals.

Quaker State Driver Ends Up Sixth in Final Championship Standings

POMONA, Calif. (November 15, 2009) – The NHRA Funny Car Series completed their 2009 season this weekend with the running of the 45^th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals. Quaker State driver Tony Pedregon entered the final event fourth in the championship point standings however Pedregon took a first-round loss in the eliminations ending his day early.

Racing action began on Thursday with qualifying rounds that lasted through Saturday. The Quaker State driver struggled a little in his first pass losing traction around the 800-foot mark. In his second run, Pedregon improved his position during Friday’s qualifying session turning in a nice pass.

Saturday’s rounds saw Pedregon have mixed results with him putting the Quaker State Impala in the 13^th overall spot for Sunday’s elimination rounds.

The Quaker State team had hoped to cap off the season with a solid performance however the cards were not in their favor.  Facing off against Matt Hagan in the first elimination round, Pedregon found himself in a close race to the 660-foot mark before his pipes went wet causing him to take the loss and ending his day early.

Pedregon turned in another solid season leading the championship point standings for many weeks before settling for the sixth position in the end.

Quaker State Driver heads into Final Event in the Third Position in Point Standings

LAS VEGAS, NV (November 1, 2009) – After taking a couple of weeks off, the NHRA Funny Car Series returned to action this weekend for the Ninth annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Racing action began Friday with the first two of four qualifying sessions. In his first run of the weekend, Tony Pedregon made a good, solid pass in the Quaker State Impala putting himself in the top-five of the qualifying run down. A second run netted another solid pass good enough to keep the Quaker State driver in the top-five as he sat fourth spot going into Saturday’s rounds.

Saturday’s session proved to be just as good as the two-time champion was able to maintain his top-five position and remained in the fourth spot for Sunday’s elimination rounds.

Facing off  against Jeff Arend in the first round of eliminations, Pedregon got beat out of the gate but the Brownsburg, Indiana native was able to pull even and started to pull away before losing a cylinder. However he was able to continue to extend his lead and take the win moving into round two.

Unfortunately Pedregon’s second round didn’t fare as well as his opening run. Paired with Del Worsham, the Quaker State driver was behind from the green light but was able to close the gap after the 330-foot mark. He still came up a little short and had to take the loss ending his day.

Next up for the NHRA Funny Car Series is the final race of the 2009 season. The Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals are set for November 12 – 15 at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Qualifying rounds are set to start on Friday with elimination rounds scheduled for Sunday, November 15.

Quaker State Driver Still Fighting for Third Funny Car Championship

RICHMOND, VA (October 11, 2009) – The NHRA made a stop at Virginia Motorsports Park this past weekend for the Virginia NHRA Nationals. With just three races remaining in the season Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team hoped to bring the momentum from last week’s final round appearance and continue to gain in the points. However, the team suffered a first round loss in eliminations ending their day earlier than they would have liked.

Racing action began at the Virginia track with qualifying rounds on Friday. The Quaker State driver made a nice opening pass followed by another strong run winding up the day 11^th overall. Saturday’s qualifying rounds were a little more challenging with the Brownsburg, Indiana native rattling his tires before halftrack causing him to have to lift during the day’s first run. Pedregon returned to make a nice run on his fourth and final pass jumping into the top half of the field. With all rounds complete, the Quaker State driver ended up ninth overall.

 As Sunday’s elimination rounds got under way, Pedregon was paired up with Mike Neff for the first pass. Unfortunately the two-time champ lost traction almost immediately in the run costing him the race and ending his day only after the first round.

Pedregon remains in the third spot in the championship point standings. He is 48 markers out of first place with two races remaining in the season.

The NHRA will take a couple of weeks off before heading back to racing action for the Oct. 29 – Nov. 1 Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Quaker State Driver Gains a Position in the Point Standings as well

MILLINGTON, TN (October 4, 2009) – Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team headed into Memphis Motorsports Park coming off of two straight weeks of first round elimination losses. Hoping to make a strong showing and rebound in the championship point standings Pedregon did just that making his way to the finals before losing an elimination round. With his performance the Quaker State driver picked up a spot in the championship point standings and now sits in the third position with three races remaining.

Racing action got underway on Friday with the first two rounds of qualifying. Pedregon had two solid passes ending up in the top-five after the sessions were complete. Saturday’s rounds proved to be just as strong with the two-time champion maintaining the fourth qualifying position going into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

The skies opened up on Sunday causing a delay in racing action at the track. Officials finally called the day’s activities and rescheduled elimination rounds for Monday.

Once Monday rolled around conditions were much more favorable and eliminations got under way. In his first run for the day Pedregon was paired with Mike Neff. The past champion rebounded from a slight starting line disadvantage to take the win. The second round saw the Quaker State driver up against Matt Hagan where Pedregon had the starting line advantage but banged the blower around half track sending the Quaker State body flying in the air. However the Quaker State driver had enough of an advantage to keep the win.

The semi-final round saw Pedregon in a race with Ron Capps. The Brownsburg, Indiana native has won all four times when paired with Capps in prior events this season. Once again the Quaker State driver pulled off the win advancing to the final round.

With two straight first-round losses the Quaker State team was hoping to redeem themselves with a win. Pedregon faced off against Jeff Arend for the final pass but was late getting to the starting line and had problems as soon as the light turned green. Arend took the win with Pedregon finishing in the runner-up position.

Next up for the NHRA Funny Car Series is a stop at Virginia Motorsports Park in Richmond, Virginia. Racing action for the Virginia NHRA Nationals is set to begin on Friday, October 9 with qualifying rounds. Elimination rounds are set for Sunday, October 11.

Quaker State Driver Continues Hunt for Third Funny Car Championship

ENNIS, TX (September 27, 2009) – Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team headed to Texas Motorplex near Dallas, Texas for the O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals in hopes of rebounding from their first-round loss one week ago in North Carolina. 

The two-time champion started the weekend off with a strong qualifying run in Friday’s opening session. With two decent passes under his belt, Pedregon found himself in the 11^th spot going into Saturday’s qualifying rounds.

The Brownsburg, Indiana native had trouble in Saturday’s opening run going up in smoke in his first pass of the day. However, the Quaker State driver rebounded with a solid pass in the fourth and final round earning himself the 11^th spot going into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

Paired with close friend Bob Tasca III in round one, Pedregon got out of the gate first with Tasca pulling even quickly. The pair stayed side-by-side to the 330-foot mark with Tasca pulling ahead at the end of the run to take the win and ending Pedregon’s day early. The loss marked Pedregon’s the second first-round loss in a row.

Next up for the NHRA Funny Car Series is the O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park in Memphis, Tennessee. Racing action begins on Friday, October 2 with qualifying rounds followed by elimination rounds on Sunday, October 4.

Quaker State Driver Maintains Points Lead with Five Races Remaining

CONCORD, N.C. (September 20, 2009) – The NHRA Funny Car Series returned to action this weekend with the first event in the six-race Countdown to 1. Qualifying for the NHRA Carolinas Nationals began on Friday, September 18 with the elimination rounds run on Sunday. Pedregon got off to a slow start and had his day end early after suffering a first-round loss. However, the Quaker State driver was able to maintain the top spot in the championship points standings with just five races remaining in the season.

Pedregon experienced trouble early when he came to the line for his first qualifying run when the Quaker State driver began his burnout and something went wrong with the car. After looking under the hood the team decided to abort the run and take no time. In the second qualifying run, the Quaker State driver just needed to make a clean pass to get in the show. Pedregon did just that moving into the 11^th spot after the day was done.

During Saturday’s qualifying rounds, the Brownsburg, Indiana native got off to a strong start after making a great run in the third round and moving all the way up to the third spot. Following the fourth a final run, Pedregon found himself in the fourth position going into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

Unfortunately Sunday’s results were not as good as Saturday’s as Pedregon found himself eliminated after the first round. Paired up with Matt Hagan, Pedregon was a little behind out of the gate but made up the distance at the 330-foot mark. However Hagan was able to pull away again and take the win.

Next up for Pedregon and the Quaker State team is the O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex in Dallas, Texas. Racing action begins on Thursday, September 24 with elimination rounds on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

Quaker State Driver Secures Top Spot in the Countdown to 1

CLERMONT, IN - INDY (September 7, 2009) – The NHRA Funny Car Series headed to O’Reilly Raceway Park over the Labor Day weekend for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, the final event before the Countdown to 1. Pedregon put the Quaker State Impala solidly into the field making it all the way to the semi-final round before losing to eventual race winner Ashley Force Hood. With his strong performance, the Quaker State driver secured the top spot in the point standings going into the six-race Countdown to 1.

Qualifying rounds began on Friday with the fourth and final round taking place on Sunday. Pedregon opened the qualifying session struggling a little to get his Quaker State Impala to hook up and get a solid pass. After the first two rounds, the two-time champion remained on the outside looking in not yet qualified for the event.

It was in the third round that Pedregon laid down a strong and clean pass getting his 300 mile per hour run just missing the top half of the field. Going into the fourth and final round in the 10th position the Brownsburg, Indiana native paired up with his brother Cruz to make his final qualifying run. Pedregon was able to gain a little speed but dropped one spot to the 11th position going into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

The first round of eliminations proved to be a wild race for the Quaker State driver as his competitor smoked his tires giving Pedregon the lead just before his shoots came out around the half way point of the run. However the Indiana native was able to hold on to his lead taking the win and advancing to the next round.

In the second round, Pedregon’s Quaker State Impala took the early lead and kept pulling ahead steadily to take the win and advance to the semi-finals. The semi-final proved to be a great looking race with Pedregon taking the loss after slightly trailing eventual race winner Ashley Force Hood.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will take a weekend off before heading to zMax Dragway in Concord, North Carolina for the NHRA Carolinas Nationals, site of the first race of the Countdown to 1. Qualifying is set for Friday and Saturday, September 18 – 19 with elimination rounds on Sunday, September 20.

Quaker State Driver Continues to Lead Points

MOHNTON, PA (August 23, 2009) – Following their victory last week in Brainerd, Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team hoped to carry the momentum into this week’s running of the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at maple Grove Raceway. With a solid qualifying effort the Quaker State team made it to the semi-finals in Sunday’s elimination rounds.

Weather plagued the two days of qualifying sessions only allowing two of the four runs to get in. Pedregon turned in a solid performance putting the Quaker State Impala in the second qualifying spot going into the elimination rounds.

The two-time champion made a solo run in the first elimination round after his competitor broke before the pass. With the win Pedregon then faced off against Del Worsham in round two and took the win after Worsham spun his rear tires. The victory moved Pedregon to the semi-final round where he was paired up against Mike Neff.

The Brownsburg, Indiana native came into the semi-final with a 5-2 record over Neff in prior events. Pedregon had the quicker start but the rear tires on the Quaker State Impala began to shake at the 330-foot mark and he had to click it off ending his day early.

Pedregon continues to lead the point standings with one event left before the start of the six-race Countdown to One.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will take a weekend off before heading to O’Reilly Raceway Park on September 2 – 7 for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. Qualifying sessions are set to begin on Friday, September 4 and run through Sunday, September 6. Elimination rounds will take place on Monday, September 7 (Labor Day).

Quaker State Driver Maintains Points Lead with Victory

BRAINERD, MN (August 16, 2009) – Following two final round appearances in the previous two NHRA Funny Car events, Tony Pedregon and his Quaker State team entered Brainerd International Raceway with hopes of continuing the momentum and scoring another win for the season.

The Quaker State driver started the weekend off on a strong note by putting the Quaker State Impala in the No. 3 qualifying spot after three rounds of sessions between Friday and Saturday.

Coming into Sunday’s elimination rounds, Pedregon continued the momentum from his strong qualifying effort as he took to the track on his way to his third victory of the season. The two-time champion won the first three elimination rounds making his way to his 74^th career final round appearance. With the top two drivers in the point standings facing off in the final the pass was sure to be an exciting run. However, Pedregon ended his day with an easy victory over Ron Capps who smoked his tires 250 feet into the final pass.

Sunday’s win in the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals not only marked Pedregon’s third win of the season but his 43^rd career victory as well. In addition, it was his seventh final-round appearance of the season and 74^th of his career.

Next up for Pedregon and the Quaker State team is the Toyo Tires NHRA National at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania. Racing action is set to begin on Friday, August 21^st with elimination rounds scheduled for Sunday, August 23^rd.

Quaker State Driver Clinches Spot in Countdown to One

SONOMA, Calif., (July 26, 2009) – For the second week in a row Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team made an appearance in the final round of eliminations as they turned in another strong performance this weekend in the 22^nd annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.

With qualifying rounds beginning on Friday, Pedregon looked to carry the momentum from one week ago in Seattle to the event in Sonoma. In his first pass, the Quaker State driver turned in a flawless run putting himself second on the leader board. It was in the second round that he found trouble as one of his tires came loose around the 300-foot mark resulting in a slower pass and dropping him further down the leader board.

The second day of qualifying was uneventful with Pedregon turning in consistent runs that put him just outside the top-10 in the qualifying order in the 11^th position. However, by qualifying for Sunday’s elimination rounds, the two-time champion clinched his spot in the Countdown to One.

On Sunday in the first round of eliminations, Pedregon defeated Del Worsham after trailing him to the 60ft mark. The Brownsburg, Indiana native went on to defeat Mike Neff as well in round two after starting and staying out front for the entire pass. Up against Robert Hight in the semi-final round, Pedregon was quick off the light taking the win to move to the final round for the second week in a row.

Facing off against Tim Wilkerson in a re-run of the final one week ago in Seattle, the Quaker State driver was hoping to reverse the result and take the win. Pedregon got off the line first and was leading at the 660-foot mark but Wilkerson was able to pull out the win in the last 340 feet.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will take a weekend off before returning to action on August 13-16 for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainers, Minnesota.

Quaker State Driver Makes it to the Final Round before Taking Loss

KENT, Washington (July 19, 2009) - The NHRA Funny Car Series headed to Pacific Raceways near Seattle, Washington for the 22^nd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals. Coming off a solid qualifying run in Denver, the Quaker State team was looking to redeem their performance in the elimination rounds where they lost in the second round ending their day early.

Racing action began on Friday with the first two rounds of qualifying. Once again Pedregon and the Quaker State team put in a solid performance taking the provisional number one spot by the end of the day. Just missing taking over the number one spot after his first run, the Brownsburg, Indiana native made it look easy in his second pass when he went right around the leader with both the low ET and top speed for his class.

Saturday’s qualifying session proved to be just as successful for Pedregon as he remained in the top spot for the final two rounds. With four consistent runs over the two qualifying days, the two-time champion was set to take on the competition in Sunday’s eliminations.

The Quaker State driver took the win in the first two rounds of eliminations defeating Grant Downing in his first pass and Ashley Force Hood in the second round.

A semi-final match-up with John Force saw the Quaker State driver pull away first at the green and then build a huge lead taking the win. In what was a close final round, Pedregon just fell short taking losing to Tim Wilkerson but ending his day with a solid effort.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will wrap up their three-race West Coast swing with the final event at Infineon Raceway. Qualifying rounds for the Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals in Sonoma, California begin on Friday, July 24 with eliminations rounds set for Sunday, July 26.

Quaker State Driver’s Day Ends Early with Second Round Elimination Loss

MORRISON, COLO. (DENVER) – July 12, 2009 – The NHRA kicked off the second half of the season with the first of three consecutive weekends of racing this past weekend. Traveling to the Rocky Mountains the teams faced one of their most challenges races on the schedule due to the altitude and its effects on the cars.

Tony Pedregon and his Quaker State team arrived at Bandimere Speedway for the 30^th annual Mopar Mile–High NHRA Nationals with hopes of pulling out a strong showing and putting the first–round loss from Norwalk behind them. Pedregon had a solid qualifying performance putting his Quaker State Maxim in the second spot. Unfortunately, the Quaker State driver was paired against points leader Ashley Force Hood in the second round of eliminations taking the loss.

Pairing up against Force Hood in both passes on the first day of qualifying it became obvious the two drivers had strong cars and would be contenders throughout the weekend. With two good looking runs during Friday’s qualifying rounds, Pedregon entered Saturday on top of the leader board.

Saturday’s rounds resulted with two more strong passes for the two–time champion that put him in the second position going into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

In his first elimination round, Pedregon was paired with Mike Neff. The two put on a good looking drag race with Pedregon finishing about 39 feet ahead of Neff. After his first–round win, the Brownsburg, Indiana native was set for a race against Ashley Force Hood in round two. This race was another good show but this time the Quaker State driver was just a little behind at every increment and had to take the second–round loss ending his day.

Up next for the NHRA Funny Car Series is the NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways in Seattle, Washington on July 17 – 19.

Quaker State Driver Ends Two-Race Win Streak with First-Round Loss at

Summit Motorsports Park

NORWALK, Ohio (June 28, 2009) – Coming off of two wins in a row, Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team hoped to continue the momentum they have gained over the past two events as the NHRA Funny Car Series rolled into Summit Motorsports Park for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.

Kicking off a full weekend of racing action was the first two of four qualifying rounds on Friday.

In his first pass of the weekend, the two-time champion lost traction just past the 660-foot mark and had to shut his engine down. However, the Quaker State driver followed that up with a strong pass. Pedregon’s second-round solid run put him in the top-five qualifying positions going into Saturday’s qualifying rounds.

His first run on Saturday, third overall, pretty much mirrored his opening pass with the Brownsburg, Indiana native hazing his tires around the 700-foot mark and shutting it down as a result. In his final pass Pedregon turned in a clean run keeping his third overall qualifying position going into the elimination rounds.

In Sunday’s elimination rounds, Pedregon was set for a repeat of the last two events when he lined up against Jim Head for the first round. Unfortunately the former champion had trouble with his first pass and lost traction and got out of the groove. As he got the Quaker State Impala close to the wall, Pedregon finally had to lift taking the first-round loss and ending his day early.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will take a weekend off before heading to Bandimere Speedway in Denver, Colorado for the Mopar Mile-High NHRA. Racing action will begin on Friday, July 10 with eliminations rounds scheduled for Sunday, July 12.

Quaker State Driver Scores Final Win along with No. 1 Qualifying Spot

JOLIET, ILL (June 7, 2009) – The NHRA headed to Joliet, Illinois for the United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals this past weekend. Returning to one of his favorite tracks, Tony Pedregon entered Route 66 Raceway, located just outside of Chicago, with hopes of claiming his first final win of the season.

Racing Action began on Friday with qualifying and Pedregon and his Quaker State team came out of the box strong. In his first pass, the two-time champion made a very nice run turning in a speed over 300 miles per hour, the first in some time. With his strong pass he put the Quaker State Impala in the No. 1 spot after the first round was completed. The last round of the day proved to be just a successful for the Brownsburg, Indiana native as Pedregon remained in the No. 1 spot going into Saturday’s rounds.

His third qualifying pass saw Pedregon going up in smoke by the 300-foot mark but he was able to rebound in round four by turning in his quickest pass to claim his second No. 1 qualifying spot of the 2009 season.

Pedregon faced up against Ron Capps in the first elimination round on Sunday. Capps got a slight starting line advantage but Pedregon was able to make up the difference by the time they went by the Christmas tree to take the win. The former champion followed up the first round with another strong pass as he faced off against Robert Hight. The Quaker State driver took the starting line advantage to take the win and advanced on to the semifinals.

Running up against his brother Cruz in the semifinal round, Pedregon got out the gate first and ran the low E.T. of the event to take the win. The run was the Indiana native’s quickest pass of the season.

Pedregon faced off against Ashley Hood Force in the final round, where he had a slight starting line advantage and never looked back as Force Hood went up in smoke as soon as she hit the throttle. The win marked Pedregon’s first victory of the season and his 41st career National event win.

Next up for the NHRA Funny Car Series is the running of the United Association NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey on June 11-14.

Second-Round Loss Ends Two-Time Champion’s Day Early

TOPEKA, Kan. (May 31, 2009) - Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team headed to Topeka, Kansas for the running of the O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals this weekend for the first of three events in a row. The Quaker State team was still looking for their first win of the season and has been consistently inching their way toward victory in the past several events.

Racing Action began on Friday with the first two of four rounds of qualifying. Pedregon had two strong qualifying runs during Friday’s rounds that put the two-time champion in the third spot overall going into Saturday’s rounds. In the third round of qualifying, the Quaker State driver got a little loose and had to ease off the throttle. Experiencing a little trouble with his fourth and final pass Pedregon was able to maintain that third spot going into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

Facing off again Robert Hight in the round one of eliminations, Pedregon turned in a good pass that got the Quaker State Impala the win advancing him into the second round of eliminations.

In round two, the Brownsburg, Indiana native was paired up against Jack Beckman. Pedregon was ahead before the half-track point but began to fade just a bit from that point allowing Beckman to take the lead and win the round. Pedregon’s day was ended with a second-round loss.

The NHRA Funny Car Series returns to action next weekend for the running of the United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Speedway in Chicago, Illinois June 4 - 7.

Quaker State Driver Falls just Short of Claiming First Win of 2009

BRISTOL, Tenn. (May 17, 2009) - The NHRA Funny Car Series headed to Bristol Dragway in Bristol, Tennessee for round eight of the 2009 NHRA schedule. The running of the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals began on Friday afternoon with the first of four rounds of qualifying.

Taking to the track for Friday’s qualifying sessions, Pedregon sported a new paint scheme this weekend featuring fellow Quaker State driver Jimmie Johnson’s charity foundation. The Quaker State driver turned in a decent first pass putting his Impala in the fourth position after the run. In his second pass, the Brownsburg, Indiana native two-stepped the throttle before the green light not posting a time. After Friday’s rounds were complete, Pedregon sat in the 13^th spot not in the show.

Saturday’s session started off better with the Quaker State driver turning in a conservative time on his first pass. The two-time champion made his best run of the qualifying sessions on his fourth and final pass but remained in the 13^th spot having to run on Sunday from the bottom half of the ladder.

In the first round of eliminations Pedregon turned in a great pass after Matt Hagan lost an engine before the run. The win gave the two-time champion lane choice over Ron Capps in the second round. Once again, the Indiana native made a clean pass taking the win over Capps and advancing into the semi-finals.

In the semi-final round, Pedregon faced off against Ashley Force Hood where he had a great side-by-side race taking the win to advance to the final round.

In his second final-round appearance of the season, Pedregon put on a great drag race against Del Worsham. Both cars got a straight and clean start but Worsham opened up the lead all the way down the track taking the win. Pedregon recorded his second runner-up finish of the season.

After taking a week off the NHRA Funny Car Series will return to action on May 29 - 31 for the O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka in Topeka, Kansas.

Quaker State Driver Continues Consistent Runs at Gateway

MADISON, ILL (May 3, 2009) - Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team headed to Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis, Missouri for the running of the 13^th annual O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals. Pedregon, a two-time winner at the track, entered looking for his first victory of the 2009 season.

After rains cancelled all events on Friday, Pedregon geared up for his qualifying runs on Saturday. The Quaker State driver had a solid run in his first pass but had trouble in his second run. After going up in smoke around the 250-foot mark, Pedregon shut his engine off and coasted down the track. The Brownsburg, Indiana native ended up 10^th after the two sessions of qualifying were complete.

In Sunday’s elimination rounds Pedregon faced off against Ashley Force Hood in the first match-up where he had a great light before running his quickest pass of the weekend moving him on to round two.

The second round saw Pedregon up against Matt Hagan where the two-time champion started his pass off with a slight advantage at the starting line. Hagan took the lead by the 330-foot mark but had trouble around the 1/8-mile mark giving Pedregon the victory.

For the second week in a row, Pedregon found himself in the semi-final round this time facing off against Del Worsham. After giving up lane choice Pedregon was the first out of the gate in his Quaker State Impala but was up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle allowing Worsham to take the win and ending his day.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will head to Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee next after taking a week off. The NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals are set for May 15-17.

Quaker State Driver Earns Top-Five Qualifying Spot

COMMERCE, GA (April 19, 2009) – Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team headed to Atlanta Dragway this weekend for the 29^th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals. Atlanta is the site of Pedregon’s first Funny Car victory and the Quaker State driver entered this weekend’s event hoping to revisit the winner’s circle and claim his first win of the 2009 season.

As usual, racing action began with qualifying rounds held on both Friday and Saturday. In his first pass, Pedregon had a lot of tire shake and got out of the grove slowing the Quaker State Impala. The second qualifying pass for the Brownsburg, Indiana native proved to be better with Pedregon getting into the top half of the show after a 4.158 second run.

The Quaker State driver continued the momentum into the next two rounds of qualifying with two good passes that put him in the fourth spot overall going into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

The elimination rounds started off good for Pedregon as he took the win in the first round defeating Jeff Arend. After his win he moved on to the second round where he faced off against Matt Hagan. The two-time champion had a good pass posting the second quickest pass of the round as he defeated Hagan to move on to the semi-finals.

Facing off against Ashley Force Hood in the next to last round, Pedregon had the advantage off the starting line but Force Hood had the difference made up by the time they went by the Christmas tree. She was able to hold on to the lead taking the win and ending Pedregon’s day.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will take a weekend off before returning to action the first weekend of May. The Series heads to Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois for the O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals.

Trouble in Second Elimination Round Ends Day Early for Quaker State Driver

LAS VEGAS, NV (April 5, 2009) – The NHRA Funny Car Series made its first of two trips to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend for the running of the tenth annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals.

Racing action began on Friday with qualifying rounds. In his first qualifying run, Pedregon turned in a clean pass putting the Quaker State Impala fifth on the charts after round one. With only one round completed on Friday, the Quaker State team looked forward to Saturday’s rounds in hopes of improving their spot.

The two-time champion didn’t have as great of a run in the second round on Saturday as his engine shut off at about the 600-foot mark causing him to have a slow run. However his third and final qualifying pass was his best run at 4.100 seconds, 302.62 miles per hour. With this strong pass, Pedregon was able to claim the No. 1 qualifying spot for the first time of the 2009 season.

Pedregon and the Quaker State team were ready for Sunday’s elimination rounds hoping to follow up their strong qualifying performance with a final round win, which would be their first of the season.

The Brownsburg, Indiana native had a good looking pass in the first elimination round defeating Del Worsham and moving on to round two where he was paired up with his brother Cruz.

Unfortunately for Pedregon trouble plagued his second pass in eliminations. The Quaker State driver dropped a cylinder before the 660-ft mark which caused his Impala to push to the left. Pedregon tried to keep his Quaker State machine going straight but crossed the centerline taking out the finish line timing cones. Pedregon was disqualified for crossing the centerline which caused the loss to his brother Cruz and ended his day early.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will take a weekend off before returning to action on April 16 – 19 for the running of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia.

Quaker State Driver Hoped for Better Finish at Sponsor’s Hometown Track

BAYTOWN, TX – (March 29, 2009) - Coming off of a final round appearance two weeks ago, Tony Pedregon and his Quaker State team hoped to continue the momentum gained in Phoenix and pull out another strong showing at Houston Raceway Park the home track for sponsor Quaker State.

Pedregon who has multiple wins at the track was set for the 22nd annual O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil and hoping to add to his list of victories.

Qualifying rounds began on Friday and continued into Saturday with Pedregon struggling in his first two runs. The Quaker State driver broke on the burnout getting ready for his first pass and was unable to turn in a time. In his second qualifying pass the two-time champion lost his engine around the 660-foot mark with a pretty big fireball but was able to post a time for that run.

In his third and final pass the Brownsburg, Indiana native pulled off a good looking run that got him back in the show. With his 4.160 second run Pedregon ended up in the top half of the qualifying order in the ninth position.

During Sunday’s eliminations Pedregon earned a first round win over Mike Neff after making the second quickest pass of the round. His win also earned him lane choice in the next round where he faced off against his brother Cruz. Cruz was just a little too quick on the tree helping the Quaker State driver advance to the semifinals.

Unfortunately the Indiana native suffered a loss in the third round of eliminations in his run against Jack Beckman just falling short of a second consecutive final round appearance.

The NHRA Funny Car Series returns to action next weekend, April 2 – 5, for the running of the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals April 2 – 5, SummitRacing.com NHRA nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Quaker State Driver Falls Short of Repeat Victory in Gainesville

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 15, 2009) - After getting off to a slow start to the 2009 season, Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team entered the 40th Annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals with hopes of a repeat from one year ago where the two-time champion claimed his first victory of the season.

The Quaker State driver hit the track on Friday for the first two of four qualifying runs for the weekend. After a strong first pass, Pedregon experienced a little bit of trouble in the second round after his Quaker State machine let out a big boom with flashes of flames. The Brownsburg, Indiana native found himself sitting in the 11th spot overall after the two qualifying rounds were complete.

As Saturday rolled around the Quaker State team returned to the track in hopes of improving their qualifying position. In his third pass of the session Pedregon lost traction in his tires and had to lift just past the concrete pad. The final qualifying run proved to be the champion’s best pass moving the Quaker State driver back into the 11th position going into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

After two first round losses in the first two events of the season, Pedregon was looking forward to Sunday’s elimination rounds in hopes of repeating his victory in Gainesville from a year ago. Facing off against Ron Capps in the opening round, Pedregon pulled off the victory after Capps was late off the line. For the first time of the 2009 season Pedregon advanced to the second elimination round where he faced off against Del Worsham.

Pedregon once again found victory after Worsham had engine problems at the halfway point. The two-time champion won by over 100 feet earning a spot in the third round of eliminations. With a win against Matt Hagan in round three, Pedregon made his way to the Gatornationals finals for the second year in a row.

Pedregon faced off against Bob Tasca III for the final pass. The defending event champ left the line first and was pulling away when the engine in the Quaker State machine started to have issues allowing Tasca to drive by before the half-way point and on to victory.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will take a weekend off before returning to racing action on March 27 – 29 for the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park in Houston, Texas.

Second-Round Loss Dropped Tony One Spot in the Final Event at Pomona

POMONA, Calif. (November 16, 2008) – Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team entered the Auto Club of Pomona for the final event of the 2008 NHRA POWERade Funny Car season this weekend. Pedregon took to the track for the 44th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals sitting fourth in the championship point standings looking to improve upon that position while his brother Cruz Pedregon, was in position as well to win the NHRA Funny Car Series title.

Quaker State® driver Cruz Pedregon backed up his brother’s (Tony Pedregon) title from last year by claiming his second NHRA Funny Car Series title 16 years after his first championship. On his way to the title, Pedregon scored three final wins in the three final events of the season. Tony, the 2007 Champion aided his brother by defeating Robert Hight in the first round of eliminations securing the 2008 title for Cruz.

In his first round of qualifying, Tony Pedregon had a solid run taking the third spot in the line-up going into the second round. The second pass for the 2007 champion was not as good as he drove over the center line and wiped out both of the 1000-foot cones. With the incident stopping the clock, Pedregon did not have his time counted. After the round was complete, the Brownsburg, Indiana native ended up sixth overall following the two rounds.

Tony’s third run saw strange flames coming out of his Impala that spelled the end of his effort. His final qualifying run saw trouble again as he lost traction smoking his tires. When he kicked the tires loose it blew the burst panel out, automatically deploying the parachutes and ending his pass. When all was said and done, Pedregon ended up eighth overall going into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

In his first elimination pass, Tony Pedregon faced off against championship contender Robert Hight. The Indiana native crossed the stripe first and in doing so not only eliminated Hight from advancing in the elimination rounds but eliminated him from the championship handing the 2008 NHRA Funny Car Championship to his brother Cruz Pedregon who went on to take the win in the final round.

Unfortunately for Tony Pedregon, his day was cut short with a second round loss to Mike Neff.

Pedregon finished fifth in the final championship point standings after claiming four final wins in the 2008 season. His brother Cruz took the championship honors with Tim Wilkerson, Jack Beckman and Robert Hight also finishing in the top five.

Tony Pedregon Suffers First-Round Elimination Loss at Auto Club Raceway

POMONA, CA (February 9, 2008) – Tony Pedregon entered Pomona, California this weekend hoping for a little less dramatic start to the season than one year ago when the 2007 Champion lost an engine in elimination rounds sending him down the track in a ball of fire.

As the series hit the track of Auto Club Raceway for the Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals this past, the results were the complete opposite as persistent rains dampened the on-track activities from day one of qualifying all the way through Sunday’s elimination rounds.

Friday’s qualifying rounds were completely rained out however there was enough of a break in the rain on Saturday for the Funny Cars to get one round in.

Pedregon took to the track in his Quaker State Impala making a nice looking pass. His run, the only qualifying pass for the Quaker State driver of the weekend, put the Brownsburg, Indiana native sixth overall.

Rains continued to fall on Auto Club Raceway as the elimination rounds neared. The Funny Car division was able to get one round in before the rain once again postponed on-track activities

Pedregon faced off against Jim Head in the first round of eliminations for what appeared to be an easy win after Head lost traction early in his pass. However, the Quaker State driver was really loose and the car darted to the right crossing the center line. Pedregon’s run was disqualified and the two-time champion was done for the weekend.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will take a weekend off before returning to the track on February 20-22 for the Arizona NHRA Nationals at Firebird International Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona.