NHRA® Team Report: NHRA Gatornationals – Gainesville, Florida: Pre-Race Report
After a busy off-season, Cruz Pedregon and team are looking forward to getting the 2023 NHRA racing season off to a solid start. Cruz, Crew Chief John (J.C.) Collins, and returning team members have been busy getting the Snap-on® "Makers and Fixers" Dodge® SRT® Hellcat® ready with the help of new crew members Tim Simmons, Seth Santee, Ryan Elliott as assistant crew chief, Ed “Tuna” Tyler as car chief, and Lee Beard as consultant. This is Cruz's 31st season to pilot a Nitro Funny Car, backed by primary sponsor Snap-on for more than 25 of those years.
"The addition of the new six-disc clutch paid off for us with a win at the end of last season. We’ll launch that higher horsepower, six-disc clutch combination in Gainesville the way we did in Pomona where we ran 3.84 four times in a row during qualifying, and we were #1 three out of the four sessions. We’re looking for that same great performance at sea level," says Cruz, who finished 6th in overall Funny Car standings last season. "We’re really pleased with the combination we’ll be running because it’s quick and consistent, exactly what we need to win rounds and races in what we know will be a competitive season ahead.”
A guest in the pit this weekend will be Snap-on Nitro Franchisee Evan Pitts. Evan made a major career pivot from professional ballet dancer prior to investing in his Snap-on franchise in 2021. He says the thing he most enjoys about owning a franchise is the relationships he’s built with his customers. Evan was just 8 years old when he first met Cruz while tagging along with his dad to the Gatornationals…and this weekend he’ll have his name on the side of Cruz’s car.
The “Makers & Fixers” logo and theme will once again serve as the main paint scheme for the Snap-on Funny Car, highlighting a call by the team’s sponsor, Snap-on, for the Makers and Fixers among us to share their stories at makersandfixers.com. Cruz's chosen names for the car bodies fans will see this season are Gato Malo, bad cat; Gato Loco, crazy cat; El Mero Mero, the big boss; and El Conquistador, the conqueror.
Follow Cruz and Snap-on on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
To see the latest Cruz news, like his Facebook page, where you can also check out his Vlog “Kickin’ It With The Cruzer.” Follow Cruz on Twitter and Instagram. Be sure to follow @MakersandFixers on Instagram and share your stories at makersandfixers.com.
