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BAYTOWN, Texas, March 25, 2008 - The NHRA POWERade Series has three of 24 races completed heading into this weekend's 21st annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park, so it's still early in the 2008 championship campaign, but early returns show a promising future for Team Chevy's Funny Car contingent.
After defending NHRA POWERade Funny Car champ Tony Pedregon drove past Gary Densham in an all-Chevy final round at the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., two weeks ago, the Funny Car points standings saw four drivers behind the wheel of a Chevy Impala SS Funny Car sitting in the top seven in drivers points. Brothers and teammates Cruz and Tony Pedregon lead the way for Team Chevy in third and fourth, respectively, followed by Gary Densham in the Racebricks Chevy Impala SS in fifth and Tim Wilkerson in the Levi, Ray, &Shoup Chevy Impala SS in seventh.
"If you look at the quality of teams that are in the top 15, you start wondering who's going to get bumped out (for the Countdown)," Tony Pedregon said. "When I think in those terms, I know the importance of every race and I know the importance of every qualifying position because it may come down to that.
"It used to be four or five years ago that there was one or two good cars, and now we're looking at world-class fields with 12-15 cars that have all of the resources and have all of the talent, so it's going to be a dogfight. For those reasons, I know how important every race is."
Driving the Q Horsepower Chevy Impala SS, Pedregon had a slow start to the 2008 campaign with a fiery crash in the season-opening Winternationals at Pomona and a first-round exit at the next race at Phoenix, but the two-time Funny Car champ rebounded strongly with his win and a No. 1 qualifier at Gainesville.
"Just to be able to get into the top 10 (after Gainesville) is a big accomplishment for us," Pedregon said, "but we know we have to continue this kind of performance. You can't win them all so the name of the game this year is going to be consistency. (The win at Gainesville) was the best medicine. I'm no longer in pain and I couldn't say that in Phoenix. It was a little painful and a little uncomfortable there, and besides that my confidence wasn't 100%. But winning a race is the way to dig yourself out of a hole."
Team Chevy drivers have also set the pace so far in Funny Car qualifying by claiming the first three No. 1 qualifiers of the season. Tim Wilkerson claimed his 11th and 12th career poles at Pomona and Phoenix to start the year, and Gainesville winner Pedregon was also No. 1 qualifier there.
"We need to keep focused," Wilkerson said. "We can't lose focus on what we're there for and that's first, to qualify, and second, go rounds on Sunday. Right now we've got a strong and consistent car and everything seems to be going in the right direction for us, so if it keeps up we should be in good shape."
21st annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals
GM RACING STATS AND FACTS
* Jeg Coughlin's most recent victory at the Gatornationals was his first of the young season and his 39th career Pro Stock win placing him fourth on the all-time list for career Pro Stock wins behind Pontiac driver Warren Johnson (96), Pro Stock legend Bob Glidden (85), and Pontiac driver Greg Anderson (52).
* Coughlin's Gatornationals win in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt was Chevrolet's 147th all-time victory in the NHRA Pro Stock division.
* Jason Line in the Summit Racing Pontiac GXP can qualify for his 100th consecutive national event at this weekend's NHRA Spring Nationals, second only to teammate Greg Anderson with a current streak of 119 among active Pro Stock drivers. Line has started his pro career with his current 99-race qualifying streak with no career DNQs.
* Pontiac's Mike Edwards needs to win just one round at Houston to earn his 200th career round win. Edwards, who will enter this event behind the wheel of a new Pontiac GXP, most recently won this event in 2006 and has three career wins at Houston Raceway Park to his credit.
* Led by Coughlin, Chevrolet won its 16th Manufacturers Cup in 2007, the most of any manufacturer in the history of the sport.
* By winning the 2007 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock title, Coughlin joined Bob Glidden, Warren Johnson, Lee Shepherd, Greg Anderson, and Darrell Alderman as the only Pro Stock drivers in the history of the sport to win three or more championships.
* Anderson's most recent win at the season-opener at Pomona was his 50th career win behind the wheel of a Pontiac and his 52nd overall. Of Pontiac's 181 all-time wins in NHRA Pro Stock competition, Anderson has the most Pontiac wins with 50, Warren Johnson is next on the list with 42 wins in a Pontiac and Jim Yates is third with 25.
* Warren Johnson made an impressive debut at Gainesville in his new GM Performance Parts Pontiac GXP by recording his 137th career No. 1 qualifier, the most of any professional driver in NHRA history and his first No. 1 qualifier since Brainerd 2005.
* Anderson's 52nd career win at Pomona ties him with former Top Fuel great Joe Amato for fifth all time for career wins.
* Coughlin leads the way for Team Chevy at Houston Raceway Park with back-to-back wins in 1997-98 in the discontinued fall race and a win at the 2000 Spring Nationals. ACDelco Chevy Cobalt driver Kurt Johnson has wins in 1999 and 2003.
* Warren Johnson leads all Pro Stock drivers in career wins at Houston Raceway Park with six. The Professor won the fall race here in 2000 to go with five wins in the Spring Nationals (2005, 2001, 1998, 1994, 1990). Other Pontiac drivers with Houston wins include Mike Edwards with three (2006, 2002, 1996), Greg Anderson with a win in 2004 and defending event champion Jason Line in 2007.
* The Houston Raceway Park Pro Stock track record of 6.649 seconds is held by Jeg Coughlin in a Chevrolet at last year's O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals, and Greg Anderson drove his Pontiac to a track-record speed of 208.59 also at last year's event.
* After three of 24 races, seven drivers in GM-branded cars occupy a spot in the top 10 of the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock standings. Defending Pro Stock champ Jeg Coughlin is in first place with 287 points, Jason Line (Pontiac GXP) is second with 241 points, Greg Anderson (Pontiac GXP) is third with 229 points, Mike Edwards (Pontiac GXP) is fifth with 179 points, Warren Johnson (Pontiac GXP) is seventh with 169 points, Kurt Johnson (Chevy Cobalt) is eighth with 168 points, and Justin Humphreys (Pontiac GXP) is in ninth with 137 points.
* Defending NHRA POWERade Funny Car champ Tony Pedregon in the Q Horsepower Chevy Impala SS leads Team Chevy in Funny Car wins at Houston with four, one in the discontinued fall race in 2000 and three in the Spring Nationals (2003, 1998, 1997). Pedregon's brother Cruz has two wins, one in the 1998 fall race and one in the 1992 Spring Nationals, and he was also the runner-up here last year to Ron Capps. Tim Wilkerson has a win in 2004 and Del Worsham was a Houston winner in 2001.
* Team Chevy drivers have set the pace so far in Funny Car qualifying by claiming the first three No. 1 qualifiers of the season. Tim Wilkerson earned his 11th and 12th career poles at Pomona and Phoenix to start the season, and Gainesville winner Tony Pedregon was also No. 1 qualifier there.
* After three of 24 races, four Chevy drivers occupy a spot in the top 10 of the NHRA POWERade Funny Car standings. Cruz Pedregon in his Advance Auto Chevy Impala SS is third in points with 202, his brother Tony is fourth with 182 points, Gary Densham in the Racebricks Chevy Impala SS is fifth with 175 points, and Tim Wilkerson in the Levi, Ray &Shoup Chevy Impala SS is seventh with 152 points. Robert Hight is the points leader in a Ford with 222 points.
Thirty minutes of qualifying coverage of the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals will be telecast on ESPN2 on Saturday, March 29, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern followed by another one hour of highlights at 10:00 p.m. NHRA Race Day will kick off eliminator coverage on Sunday, March 30, starting at 11 a.m. Eastern on ESPN2, and final eliminations will be televised beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern.
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 266,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 35 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at General Motors | Corporate Website | GM.
Pedregons Lead Team Chevy into NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston
Chevy Impala Drivers Hold Down 4 of Top 7 Spots in Funny Car Standings
BAYTOWN, Texas, March 25, 2008 - The NHRA POWERade Series has three of 24 races completed heading into this weekend's 21st annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park, so it's still early in the 2008 championship campaign, but early returns show a promising future for Team Chevy's Funny Car contingent.
After defending NHRA POWERade Funny Car champ Tony Pedregon drove past Gary Densham in an all-Chevy final round at the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., two weeks ago, the Funny Car points standings saw four drivers behind the wheel of a Chevy Impala SS Funny Car sitting in the top seven in drivers points. Brothers and teammates Cruz and Tony Pedregon lead the way for Team Chevy in third and fourth, respectively, followed by Gary Densham in the Racebricks Chevy Impala SS in fifth and Tim Wilkerson in the Levi, Ray, &Shoup Chevy Impala SS in seventh.
"If you look at the quality of teams that are in the top 15, you start wondering who's going to get bumped out (for the Countdown)," Tony Pedregon said. "When I think in those terms, I know the importance of every race and I know the importance of every qualifying position because it may come down to that.
"It used to be four or five years ago that there was one or two good cars, and now we're looking at world-class fields with 12-15 cars that have all of the resources and have all of the talent, so it's going to be a dogfight. For those reasons, I know how important every race is."
Driving the Q Horsepower Chevy Impala SS, Pedregon had a slow start to the 2008 campaign with a fiery crash in the season-opening Winternationals at Pomona and a first-round exit at the next race at Phoenix, but the two-time Funny Car champ rebounded strongly with his win and a No. 1 qualifier at Gainesville.
"Just to be able to get into the top 10 (after Gainesville) is a big accomplishment for us," Pedregon said, "but we know we have to continue this kind of performance. You can't win them all so the name of the game this year is going to be consistency. (The win at Gainesville) was the best medicine. I'm no longer in pain and I couldn't say that in Phoenix. It was a little painful and a little uncomfortable there, and besides that my confidence wasn't 100%. But winning a race is the way to dig yourself out of a hole."
Team Chevy drivers have also set the pace so far in Funny Car qualifying by claiming the first three No. 1 qualifiers of the season. Tim Wilkerson claimed his 11th and 12th career poles at Pomona and Phoenix to start the year, and Gainesville winner Pedregon was also No. 1 qualifier there.
"We need to keep focused," Wilkerson said. "We can't lose focus on what we're there for and that's first, to qualify, and second, go rounds on Sunday. Right now we've got a strong and consistent car and everything seems to be going in the right direction for us, so if it keeps up we should be in good shape."
21st annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals
GM RACING STATS AND FACTS
* Jeg Coughlin's most recent victory at the Gatornationals was his first of the young season and his 39th career Pro Stock win placing him fourth on the all-time list for career Pro Stock wins behind Pontiac driver Warren Johnson (96), Pro Stock legend Bob Glidden (85), and Pontiac driver Greg Anderson (52).
* Coughlin's Gatornationals win in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt was Chevrolet's 147th all-time victory in the NHRA Pro Stock division.
* Jason Line in the Summit Racing Pontiac GXP can qualify for his 100th consecutive national event at this weekend's NHRA Spring Nationals, second only to teammate Greg Anderson with a current streak of 119 among active Pro Stock drivers. Line has started his pro career with his current 99-race qualifying streak with no career DNQs.
* Pontiac's Mike Edwards needs to win just one round at Houston to earn his 200th career round win. Edwards, who will enter this event behind the wheel of a new Pontiac GXP, most recently won this event in 2006 and has three career wins at Houston Raceway Park to his credit.
* Led by Coughlin, Chevrolet won its 16th Manufacturers Cup in 2007, the most of any manufacturer in the history of the sport.
* By winning the 2007 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock title, Coughlin joined Bob Glidden, Warren Johnson, Lee Shepherd, Greg Anderson, and Darrell Alderman as the only Pro Stock drivers in the history of the sport to win three or more championships.
* Anderson's most recent win at the season-opener at Pomona was his 50th career win behind the wheel of a Pontiac and his 52nd overall. Of Pontiac's 181 all-time wins in NHRA Pro Stock competition, Anderson has the most Pontiac wins with 50, Warren Johnson is next on the list with 42 wins in a Pontiac and Jim Yates is third with 25.
* Warren Johnson made an impressive debut at Gainesville in his new GM Performance Parts Pontiac GXP by recording his 137th career No. 1 qualifier, the most of any professional driver in NHRA history and his first No. 1 qualifier since Brainerd 2005.
* Anderson's 52nd career win at Pomona ties him with former Top Fuel great Joe Amato for fifth all time for career wins.
* Coughlin leads the way for Team Chevy at Houston Raceway Park with back-to-back wins in 1997-98 in the discontinued fall race and a win at the 2000 Spring Nationals. ACDelco Chevy Cobalt driver Kurt Johnson has wins in 1999 and 2003.
* Warren Johnson leads all Pro Stock drivers in career wins at Houston Raceway Park with six. The Professor won the fall race here in 2000 to go with five wins in the Spring Nationals (2005, 2001, 1998, 1994, 1990). Other Pontiac drivers with Houston wins include Mike Edwards with three (2006, 2002, 1996), Greg Anderson with a win in 2004 and defending event champion Jason Line in 2007.
* The Houston Raceway Park Pro Stock track record of 6.649 seconds is held by Jeg Coughlin in a Chevrolet at last year's O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals, and Greg Anderson drove his Pontiac to a track-record speed of 208.59 also at last year's event.
* After three of 24 races, seven drivers in GM-branded cars occupy a spot in the top 10 of the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock standings. Defending Pro Stock champ Jeg Coughlin is in first place with 287 points, Jason Line (Pontiac GXP) is second with 241 points, Greg Anderson (Pontiac GXP) is third with 229 points, Mike Edwards (Pontiac GXP) is fifth with 179 points, Warren Johnson (Pontiac GXP) is seventh with 169 points, Kurt Johnson (Chevy Cobalt) is eighth with 168 points, and Justin Humphreys (Pontiac GXP) is in ninth with 137 points.
* Defending NHRA POWERade Funny Car champ Tony Pedregon in the Q Horsepower Chevy Impala SS leads Team Chevy in Funny Car wins at Houston with four, one in the discontinued fall race in 2000 and three in the Spring Nationals (2003, 1998, 1997). Pedregon's brother Cruz has two wins, one in the 1998 fall race and one in the 1992 Spring Nationals, and he was also the runner-up here last year to Ron Capps. Tim Wilkerson has a win in 2004 and Del Worsham was a Houston winner in 2001.
* Team Chevy drivers have set the pace so far in Funny Car qualifying by claiming the first three No. 1 qualifiers of the season. Tim Wilkerson earned his 11th and 12th career poles at Pomona and Phoenix to start the season, and Gainesville winner Tony Pedregon was also No. 1 qualifier there.
* After three of 24 races, four Chevy drivers occupy a spot in the top 10 of the NHRA POWERade Funny Car standings. Cruz Pedregon in his Advance Auto Chevy Impala SS is third in points with 202, his brother Tony is fourth with 182 points, Gary Densham in the Racebricks Chevy Impala SS is fifth with 175 points, and Tim Wilkerson in the Levi, Ray &Shoup Chevy Impala SS is seventh with 152 points. Robert Hight is the points leader in a Ford with 222 points.
Thirty minutes of qualifying coverage of the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals will be telecast on ESPN2 on Saturday, March 29, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern followed by another one hour of highlights at 10:00 p.m. NHRA Race Day will kick off eliminator coverage on Sunday, March 30, starting at 11 a.m. Eastern on ESPN2, and final eliminations will be televised beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern.
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 266,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 35 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at General Motors | Corporate Website | GM.
