Pedregon stays in title hunt with second-round finish
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Sept. 28) -- Cruz Pedregon remains one of the chief
players in this year's POWERade championship chase after advancing to the
elite eight in Sunday's 21st annual Mid-South Nationals at Memphis
Motorsports Park. Pedregon scored a huge upset over second-ranked racer
Jerry Toliver before bowing to Robert Hight by .006 seconds in a
razor-close, quarterfinal match-up.
After crushing Toliver with a huge 4.131-second pass at 297.94 mph that
delivered a fairly easy .031-second victory for the Advance Auto Parts
Toyota Solara team, Pedregon drew Hight in Round 2. Hight was one of only
two racers that had run quicker than Pedregon in the opening session,
having recorded a 4.125.
This time the two drivers posted nearly identical 4.22-second runs, with
Hight inching ahead to take the stripe by a fender.
"It was a very tight race and certainly could have gone either way,"
Pedregon said. "I think both teams were probably asking themselves what
happened that round because it's obvious we both pulled back a little too
much. Still, this was a good day. Any time you go rounds out here you've
accomplished something.
"When I got back to the pits Rahn (Tobler, crew chief) came right up and
said, 'Hey, that one's on me.' He told me he got something in his head
and just pulled back more than he should have. That's why I love the guy.
He's a straight shooter."
The ultimate difference came at the launch when Hight left in .047
seconds to Pedregon's .059-second start.
"I had a good light; he had a better light," said Pedregon, the 1992
world champion. "I've been very pleased with my reaction times all year
but no matter what, you're not always going to be the guy that leaves
first.
"We'll be fine. There are still three races left to go and it's anyone's
championship at this point. We're only halfway through the playoffs. The
Countdown to 1 makes the point race seem bigger but it's the same as it's
been all year. This team is one of the best in the world and I'll be just
as proud of them if we finish 10th as if we win the championship. The
effort has been superb all season."
Pedregon remains within one race of points leader Tim Wilkerson and is
just two rounds behind second place. The POWERade Drag Racing Series
takes a weekend off before moving to Virginia Motorsports Park Oct. 10-12
for the Virginia NHRA Nationals.
-credit: pr
