<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/Cruz_Pedregon_Headshot1.jpg" alt="Cruz_Pedregon_Headshot1" align="right"borders="0"/>
NORWALK, Ohio (March 7, 2007) – Cruz Pedregon has announced he will compete at the Nitro Jam™ season-opening Texas Nationals at San Antonio Raceway, March 23 – 25. Pedregon, a former NHRA Nitro Funny Car world champion, was a fan-favorite at this event in 2006.
“San Antonio Raceway is a good track and they always put on a good show for the fans,” stated Pedregon. “We set the track record last year with a 4.765 run and I am looking to improve on that this year. I also have a lot of family and fans in Texas so I am certainly looking forward to seeing everyone at this event.”
In 2006, Pedregon drove his Advance Auto Parts-sponsored Nitro Funny Car to No. 1 qualifier during the Amalie Oil Texas Nationals. He holds the track speed and elapsed time records at 321.12 mph, 4.765-seconds. After defeating Bob Gilbertson in round one, Pedregon lost to event-winner Gary Densham in the semifinals.
“Cruz was there in 2006 to help us welcome back the Nitro Funny Car class to IHRA competition,” IHRA President Aaron Polburn said. “He was a huge draw in the market and we are thrilled to see this former world champion returning to race with us again.”
During his rookie season in Funny Car in 1992, Pedregon won the NHRA world championship. With this accomplishment he became the only racer other than John Force to win the championship in the 90s. In 1997, Pedregon was also the first motorsports athlete to receive the “Premio De Oro,” the only national award for Hispanic athletes.
Born into a racing family, Pedregon’s father, Frank, raced Top Fuel dragsters in the 1960s. His brothers Tony and Frank also compete in the Nitro Funny Car ranks. In 1980, Cruz won his first official drag race at the age of 15, driving a 1953 Kenworth truck.
San Antonio Raceway is located off Interstate 10 (Exit 597), west of Seguin , Texas , 15 minutes from the I-410 beltway. For more information, please log onto IHRA.com - Homepage Of IHRA Motorsports - A Division Of Live Nation, Welcome to San Antonio Raceway or www.ticketmaster.com.
Media requests should be directed to Travis Reynolds at (419) 706-8631 , [email protected],
For additional information regarding Cruz Pedregon, please visit PedregonRacing.com.
About IHRA
Headquartered in Norwalk , Ohio , the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), a division of Live Nation, promotes professional, semi-professional and local level racing opportunities for drivers at all levels. The $19.5 million Nitro Jam™ Drag Racing Series is a 12-event North American professional drag racing circuit. In 2007, the series will be comprised of nine events in major cities throughout the United States and three in Canada . The Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Championship presented by Mr. Gasket consists of competition at national events and 40 events in six regional divisions, while IHRA’s Summit SuperSeries is conducted nearly every weekend at over 70 IHRA-sanctioned tracks. Providing a safe environment to develop future stars, IHRA offers the Junior Dragster Racing Series for youths ages 8-17. Stand-alone events include Live Nation’s entertainment-filled “Thunder Jam” shows and the street legal racing and lifestyle event series Kumho Street Warriorz presented by Hooters. More information can be found at IHRA.com - Homepage Of IHRA Motorsports - A Division Of Live Nation.
About Live Nation
Live Nation is the world’s leading live music company, annually connecting more than 67 million fans with their favorite performers at over 33,000 events. We are the largest producer of live concerts in the world, the second-largest venue management company and have a rapidly growing online presence. Live Nation creates superior experiences for artists and fans, regularly producing tours for the biggest superstars in the business, including The Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Madonna, U2 and Coldplay. Globally, we own, operate and/or have booking rights for more than 170 venues, including House of Blues-branded music venues and prestigious locations such as San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium, Nikon at Jones Beach in New York and London’s Hammersmith Apollo and Wembley Arena. Live Nation’s websites collectively are the second most popular entertainment event websites in the United States, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol “LYV.” For more information regarding concerts near you, Live Nation and its businesses, please visit our website at Live Nation | Find Concert Tickets, Tour Dates, Seating Charts & Venue Schedules with the World's Largest Concert Search Engine.
CRUZ PEDREGON RETURNS TO IHRA COMPETITION IN SAN ANTONIO
NORWALK, Ohio (March 7, 2007) – Cruz Pedregon has announced he will compete at the Nitro Jam™ season-opening Texas Nationals at San Antonio Raceway, March 23 – 25. Pedregon, a former NHRA Nitro Funny Car world champion, was a fan-favorite at this event in 2006.
“San Antonio Raceway is a good track and they always put on a good show for the fans,” stated Pedregon. “We set the track record last year with a 4.765 run and I am looking to improve on that this year. I also have a lot of family and fans in Texas so I am certainly looking forward to seeing everyone at this event.”
In 2006, Pedregon drove his Advance Auto Parts-sponsored Nitro Funny Car to No. 1 qualifier during the Amalie Oil Texas Nationals. He holds the track speed and elapsed time records at 321.12 mph, 4.765-seconds. After defeating Bob Gilbertson in round one, Pedregon lost to event-winner Gary Densham in the semifinals.
“Cruz was there in 2006 to help us welcome back the Nitro Funny Car class to IHRA competition,” IHRA President Aaron Polburn said. “He was a huge draw in the market and we are thrilled to see this former world champion returning to race with us again.”
During his rookie season in Funny Car in 1992, Pedregon won the NHRA world championship. With this accomplishment he became the only racer other than John Force to win the championship in the 90s. In 1997, Pedregon was also the first motorsports athlete to receive the “Premio De Oro,” the only national award for Hispanic athletes.
Born into a racing family, Pedregon’s father, Frank, raced Top Fuel dragsters in the 1960s. His brothers Tony and Frank also compete in the Nitro Funny Car ranks. In 1980, Cruz won his first official drag race at the age of 15, driving a 1953 Kenworth truck.
San Antonio Raceway is located off Interstate 10 (Exit 597), west of Seguin , Texas , 15 minutes from the I-410 beltway. For more information, please log onto IHRA.com - Homepage Of IHRA Motorsports - A Division Of Live Nation, Welcome to San Antonio Raceway or www.ticketmaster.com.
Media requests should be directed to Travis Reynolds at (419) 706-8631 , [email protected],
For additional information regarding Cruz Pedregon, please visit PedregonRacing.com.
About IHRA
Headquartered in Norwalk , Ohio , the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), a division of Live Nation, promotes professional, semi-professional and local level racing opportunities for drivers at all levels. The $19.5 million Nitro Jam™ Drag Racing Series is a 12-event North American professional drag racing circuit. In 2007, the series will be comprised of nine events in major cities throughout the United States and three in Canada . The Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Championship presented by Mr. Gasket consists of competition at national events and 40 events in six regional divisions, while IHRA’s Summit SuperSeries is conducted nearly every weekend at over 70 IHRA-sanctioned tracks. Providing a safe environment to develop future stars, IHRA offers the Junior Dragster Racing Series for youths ages 8-17. Stand-alone events include Live Nation’s entertainment-filled “Thunder Jam” shows and the street legal racing and lifestyle event series Kumho Street Warriorz presented by Hooters. More information can be found at IHRA.com - Homepage Of IHRA Motorsports - A Division Of Live Nation.
About Live Nation
Live Nation is the world’s leading live music company, annually connecting more than 67 million fans with their favorite performers at over 33,000 events. We are the largest producer of live concerts in the world, the second-largest venue management company and have a rapidly growing online presence. Live Nation creates superior experiences for artists and fans, regularly producing tours for the biggest superstars in the business, including The Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Madonna, U2 and Coldplay. Globally, we own, operate and/or have booking rights for more than 170 venues, including House of Blues-branded music venues and prestigious locations such as San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium, Nikon at Jones Beach in New York and London’s Hammersmith Apollo and Wembley Arena. Live Nation’s websites collectively are the second most popular entertainment event websites in the United States, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol “LYV.” For more information regarding concerts near you, Live Nation and its businesses, please visit our website at Live Nation | Find Concert Tickets, Tour Dates, Seating Charts & Venue Schedules with the World's Largest Concert Search Engine.
