Rat
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From my out-of-print book. I own all rights.
Tony Pedregon got hired to drive a second car for John Force in 1996 and has cemented his name in the class ever since. He is 2nd on the all-time Funny Car win list with 43, but that is not what drives him to be successful. He has pure passion for the sport and having a successful program no matter the capability. In 2004, he stated his own team after winning a championship the year before, and by 2012 he has managed to win another championship, 16 wins, and improved his overall record to over 500 round wins and almost a 70% left first reaction time average. He has always been an expert at marketing agreements and keeping himself in the Funny Car as 2012 is a year that looks like he can finally return to championship contending, race winning status.
PK: In 2007 you won the championship in the countdown when under a regular points system you actually finished 35 points out and in 3rd. In 2009 you would of won the championship by 12 points under regular points when in the countdown you finished 144 points out and in 6th. There’s no denying that you are a 2-Time champion under any system. What are your overall feelings on the countdown and is it a good system for the NHRA?
TP: I think so, it could work either way and in the end I think the purpose of the countdown is to generate excitement. I’m a sports fanatic; I follow football and basketball, so we got a regular season and a playoff. I’m good with that, the pros and the cons of it.
PK: I am not a fan of good teams being told the best they can finish is 11th. Since, the NHRA resets the points at the start of the countdown to make the points race tighter, I feel that the NHRA should qualify everyone for the countdown who has run every countdown qualifying race. It would eliminate anyone getting locked out of a top ten and a top ten finish can still be a goal for everyone. Would you modify the system for teams that peak at the wrong time and get locked out of the all-important top ten when they may perform better than a locked in top ten finisher?
TP: I think they should have a wildcard or two, maybe having some other race within a race to get the last two spots. I don’t think it should be a popularity contest like they have that (Traxxas) shootout with the final spot, it doesn’t make sense, but we’re glad to have Traxxas that’s bringing that show back. I think instead of 12 cars you got a lot of good quality cars, so why wouldn’t you have a consolation and bring a few other cars in. I think they should and there still at a disadvantage, they got a lot more catching up to do, but I think with the corporate involvement that you have at this level you should allow some other teams to make it in.
PK: What does it take to be a successful driver in this class?
TP: You gotta be dedicated, you gotta have more mental toughness, maybe physical attributes. What we do is a short amount of time, we don’t go around on a track, we mentally have to be right at the fraction of a second when we leave the starting line; in the short amount of time you gotta pay attention to those things.
PK: What is your favorite race track?
TP: I like Vegas, I’m always gonna be partial because I was able to nail down my championship there, my first one and I made a pretty good move in ’07 when we were able to win that 2nd championship. I love Sonoma, I like racing up there, I probably like the area more than anything. I say Vegas still, number one.
PK: You are one of the best in the class for having a really great light at any time averaging almost 70% (Left First) your entire career. How do you stay so focused and what do you attribute to being the most important factor?
TP: Fear of losing. I conditioned myself at a very young age and I don’t like losing and whatever I can control I try and be good at. I live this stuff and I don’t know if you’re physically fit it’s gonna make it any better, but I try to stay healthy. I think this is a mental game and I think you gotta be sharp. I take that approach, I don’t like losing.
PK: Do you have any aspirations to go back to Top-Fuel?
TP: No, at this point I love watching them, but I see how those chassis flex, I want no part of them if I have my way. I like Funny Cars, I like the way they look, I like there wheelbase, there hard to drive, there not very pleasant to drive sometimes, I like that challenge.
PK: What about being a crew chief?
TP: I enjoy getting involved with the car to some degree; I think I’m stronger in some areas than other areas, not just in the seat, but as a team owner. I think that presents some challenges. It’s hard to say, it’s not outta the question, but I hope I can stay a team owner even when I’m not driving anymore.
PK: What is your private ride and does your career as a driver/rider influence any of your daily driving habits?
TP: No, thank goodness it doesn’t. It’s a Toyota Sequoia actually and I’m very family oriented, I got kids, so it’s practical. I got a hot rod that I’ve been working on for six years and I hope I finish it this summer, but that’s my toy, it’s got an LS7 (motor) and it’s 540 horsepower. Maybe when I finish it the people that I know that wanna hear that cool answer I’ll give them that one, but for now it’s the family car.
PK: What championship, win, and single run mean more to you than all the others?
TP: It was probably the final in Vegas of ’07 because all the other cars that were close in the countdown right behind me got beat in the first round. I kept telling myself I could go into this last race one, one and a half, two rounds ahead and by the time I got to the final, at that point I realized, not technically, but I could wound these guys here if I just win this one round. That final round, I think I raced Ashley (Force), it was a big one.
PK: Do you race the track or the opponent?
TP: Both. I factor in both for anybody that says track, mistake, for anybody that says opponent, mistake.
PK: Over the course of a weekend the goal is to make 8 passes down the strip. Outside of explosions and any major after run engine damage, what is the maximum expectancy of the parts you have to replace due to wear and what and when do you replace?
TP: Too often! They need to do something so we put less stress on the parts and we don’t go broke. Billet block, billet cranks, they have a very short lifespan. The rods, the pistons, some of the parts after we get x amount of runs, whether we want to or not we still have to take them out of service.
PK: What is the cost of one pass and what parts are needed?
TP: $7500 to $10,000. It’s an expensive sport.
PK: The price to race in the sport's top class keeps rising and has almost kept the independent team out of racing completely. What do you see for the reason the costs have skyrocketed and what would you do to put a cap on or decrease the costs making it friendlier to small budget teams?
TP: You gotta somehow contain the amount of power these cars make, whether you do it with fuel, blower overdrive, or compression. There’s a lot of ways that make sense to do it, but nobody’s really motivated to do that for some strange reason.
PK: Do you feel that the sport is on a good path for the future ahead?
TP: I’m a perfectionist and my reply is gonna be that there’s always room for improvement. Is it going where it needs to be? Well, as long as there’s growth, growth is good, but I think it could be better.
PK: What are your feelings on the sport’s decision to move to 1000 feet?
TP: Until there (NHRA) willing to do something to slow the cars down it seems to make sense. In terms of the marketability of the sport, I think there’s a way to maintain this level of safety and race some races in a quarter mile. Not here, (Englishtown) but there’s some places where we could go the quarter mile in. Some of the other teams will tell you that the cars are gonna blow, no, these cars blow up at 700 feet if you run it wrong. I’m a quarter mile guy where we can race a quarter mile, I gotta walk into the boardroom and I gotta sell a program and hey, it’s tough to sell a quarter mile let alone a thousand feet.
PK: What does it take to be a successful team owner in this class?
TP: You gotta be pretty well rounded. You gotta be educated, you gotta understand business, you have to understand racing; not both, but you have to combine the two. You have to be real creative and work like heck to stay here.
PK: You always have done a great job at finding sponsors and keeping yourself out here.
TP: I gotten real creative and it’s frustrating sometimes because I know there are so many different areas where I would like to be a little bit stronger, but I hustle. I been able to manage and maintain being here, but it could always be better.
PK: Can you provide an example of the financials and the amount of parts that are needed to compete at top level for a season?
TP: It’s well in the millions and I think that’s a moving target. You could make it work with a couple million, some guys make it work with a lot less, but in the end to compete with a team like Force and a team like Schumacher I wouldn’t say you need as much, but it wouldn’t hurt to get close. I think in the end a guy like me and a guy like Cruz could do more with a little bit less, could we do more with a lot less? We’ve done it, but it’s hard to do it consistently.
PK: Are you at the ability where you can operate as an effective two car team?
TP: Yeah, I mean it’s getting better, we’re not we’re we’d like to be, but we plan on getting there. We’re at the midway point of the pre countdown and we need to get it together.
PK: But you are exactly where you need to be for the countdown as you seem to be getting better every weekend and can peak at the right moment.
TP: Yeah. We need to make it, we need to continue it, we need to make it stick tomorrow.
PK: Can you provide an example of what a driver and a crew chief would roughly make in a season?
TP: I would say that depends on the season. A lot of it is based on a bonus, the car performs better, they get more. Some of them could make a couple hundred thousand, some of them could make even more than that if they have a great season. I’m not saying it’s what I pay these guys cause I just don’t have that type of program anymore.
PK: Do you kids have any aspirations to drive?
TP: If they do I’m gonna talk them out of it. I’m gonna put a doctor’s outfit on ‘em.
Tony Pedregon got hired to drive a second car for John Force in 1996 and has cemented his name in the class ever since. He is 2nd on the all-time Funny Car win list with 43, but that is not what drives him to be successful. He has pure passion for the sport and having a successful program no matter the capability. In 2004, he stated his own team after winning a championship the year before, and by 2012 he has managed to win another championship, 16 wins, and improved his overall record to over 500 round wins and almost a 70% left first reaction time average. He has always been an expert at marketing agreements and keeping himself in the Funny Car as 2012 is a year that looks like he can finally return to championship contending, race winning status.
PK: In 2007 you won the championship in the countdown when under a regular points system you actually finished 35 points out and in 3rd. In 2009 you would of won the championship by 12 points under regular points when in the countdown you finished 144 points out and in 6th. There’s no denying that you are a 2-Time champion under any system. What are your overall feelings on the countdown and is it a good system for the NHRA?
TP: I think so, it could work either way and in the end I think the purpose of the countdown is to generate excitement. I’m a sports fanatic; I follow football and basketball, so we got a regular season and a playoff. I’m good with that, the pros and the cons of it.
PK: I am not a fan of good teams being told the best they can finish is 11th. Since, the NHRA resets the points at the start of the countdown to make the points race tighter, I feel that the NHRA should qualify everyone for the countdown who has run every countdown qualifying race. It would eliminate anyone getting locked out of a top ten and a top ten finish can still be a goal for everyone. Would you modify the system for teams that peak at the wrong time and get locked out of the all-important top ten when they may perform better than a locked in top ten finisher?
TP: I think they should have a wildcard or two, maybe having some other race within a race to get the last two spots. I don’t think it should be a popularity contest like they have that (Traxxas) shootout with the final spot, it doesn’t make sense, but we’re glad to have Traxxas that’s bringing that show back. I think instead of 12 cars you got a lot of good quality cars, so why wouldn’t you have a consolation and bring a few other cars in. I think they should and there still at a disadvantage, they got a lot more catching up to do, but I think with the corporate involvement that you have at this level you should allow some other teams to make it in.
PK: What does it take to be a successful driver in this class?
TP: You gotta be dedicated, you gotta have more mental toughness, maybe physical attributes. What we do is a short amount of time, we don’t go around on a track, we mentally have to be right at the fraction of a second when we leave the starting line; in the short amount of time you gotta pay attention to those things.
PK: What is your favorite race track?
TP: I like Vegas, I’m always gonna be partial because I was able to nail down my championship there, my first one and I made a pretty good move in ’07 when we were able to win that 2nd championship. I love Sonoma, I like racing up there, I probably like the area more than anything. I say Vegas still, number one.
PK: You are one of the best in the class for having a really great light at any time averaging almost 70% (Left First) your entire career. How do you stay so focused and what do you attribute to being the most important factor?
TP: Fear of losing. I conditioned myself at a very young age and I don’t like losing and whatever I can control I try and be good at. I live this stuff and I don’t know if you’re physically fit it’s gonna make it any better, but I try to stay healthy. I think this is a mental game and I think you gotta be sharp. I take that approach, I don’t like losing.
PK: Do you have any aspirations to go back to Top-Fuel?
TP: No, at this point I love watching them, but I see how those chassis flex, I want no part of them if I have my way. I like Funny Cars, I like the way they look, I like there wheelbase, there hard to drive, there not very pleasant to drive sometimes, I like that challenge.
PK: What about being a crew chief?
TP: I enjoy getting involved with the car to some degree; I think I’m stronger in some areas than other areas, not just in the seat, but as a team owner. I think that presents some challenges. It’s hard to say, it’s not outta the question, but I hope I can stay a team owner even when I’m not driving anymore.
PK: What is your private ride and does your career as a driver/rider influence any of your daily driving habits?
TP: No, thank goodness it doesn’t. It’s a Toyota Sequoia actually and I’m very family oriented, I got kids, so it’s practical. I got a hot rod that I’ve been working on for six years and I hope I finish it this summer, but that’s my toy, it’s got an LS7 (motor) and it’s 540 horsepower. Maybe when I finish it the people that I know that wanna hear that cool answer I’ll give them that one, but for now it’s the family car.
PK: What championship, win, and single run mean more to you than all the others?
TP: It was probably the final in Vegas of ’07 because all the other cars that were close in the countdown right behind me got beat in the first round. I kept telling myself I could go into this last race one, one and a half, two rounds ahead and by the time I got to the final, at that point I realized, not technically, but I could wound these guys here if I just win this one round. That final round, I think I raced Ashley (Force), it was a big one.
PK: Do you race the track or the opponent?
TP: Both. I factor in both for anybody that says track, mistake, for anybody that says opponent, mistake.
PK: Over the course of a weekend the goal is to make 8 passes down the strip. Outside of explosions and any major after run engine damage, what is the maximum expectancy of the parts you have to replace due to wear and what and when do you replace?
TP: Too often! They need to do something so we put less stress on the parts and we don’t go broke. Billet block, billet cranks, they have a very short lifespan. The rods, the pistons, some of the parts after we get x amount of runs, whether we want to or not we still have to take them out of service.
PK: What is the cost of one pass and what parts are needed?
TP: $7500 to $10,000. It’s an expensive sport.
PK: The price to race in the sport's top class keeps rising and has almost kept the independent team out of racing completely. What do you see for the reason the costs have skyrocketed and what would you do to put a cap on or decrease the costs making it friendlier to small budget teams?
TP: You gotta somehow contain the amount of power these cars make, whether you do it with fuel, blower overdrive, or compression. There’s a lot of ways that make sense to do it, but nobody’s really motivated to do that for some strange reason.
PK: Do you feel that the sport is on a good path for the future ahead?
TP: I’m a perfectionist and my reply is gonna be that there’s always room for improvement. Is it going where it needs to be? Well, as long as there’s growth, growth is good, but I think it could be better.
PK: What are your feelings on the sport’s decision to move to 1000 feet?
TP: Until there (NHRA) willing to do something to slow the cars down it seems to make sense. In terms of the marketability of the sport, I think there’s a way to maintain this level of safety and race some races in a quarter mile. Not here, (Englishtown) but there’s some places where we could go the quarter mile in. Some of the other teams will tell you that the cars are gonna blow, no, these cars blow up at 700 feet if you run it wrong. I’m a quarter mile guy where we can race a quarter mile, I gotta walk into the boardroom and I gotta sell a program and hey, it’s tough to sell a quarter mile let alone a thousand feet.
PK: What does it take to be a successful team owner in this class?
TP: You gotta be pretty well rounded. You gotta be educated, you gotta understand business, you have to understand racing; not both, but you have to combine the two. You have to be real creative and work like heck to stay here.
PK: You always have done a great job at finding sponsors and keeping yourself out here.
TP: I gotten real creative and it’s frustrating sometimes because I know there are so many different areas where I would like to be a little bit stronger, but I hustle. I been able to manage and maintain being here, but it could always be better.
PK: Can you provide an example of the financials and the amount of parts that are needed to compete at top level for a season?
TP: It’s well in the millions and I think that’s a moving target. You could make it work with a couple million, some guys make it work with a lot less, but in the end to compete with a team like Force and a team like Schumacher I wouldn’t say you need as much, but it wouldn’t hurt to get close. I think in the end a guy like me and a guy like Cruz could do more with a little bit less, could we do more with a lot less? We’ve done it, but it’s hard to do it consistently.
PK: Are you at the ability where you can operate as an effective two car team?
TP: Yeah, I mean it’s getting better, we’re not we’re we’d like to be, but we plan on getting there. We’re at the midway point of the pre countdown and we need to get it together.
PK: But you are exactly where you need to be for the countdown as you seem to be getting better every weekend and can peak at the right moment.
TP: Yeah. We need to make it, we need to continue it, we need to make it stick tomorrow.
PK: Can you provide an example of what a driver and a crew chief would roughly make in a season?
TP: I would say that depends on the season. A lot of it is based on a bonus, the car performs better, they get more. Some of them could make a couple hundred thousand, some of them could make even more than that if they have a great season. I’m not saying it’s what I pay these guys cause I just don’t have that type of program anymore.
PK: Do you kids have any aspirations to drive?
TP: If they do I’m gonna talk them out of it. I’m gonna put a doctor’s outfit on ‘em.
