One on one moment
New path, same speed.

"I've set sail for the next journey."

Story and photos © 2004 by Dwight Drum
Web work by Gary Larsen

Tony Pedregon's new path is still straight down the track, but his position has changed from employee to boss, from driver to owner/driver. The 2003 NHRA POWERade Funny car champion accumulated the most points in a Ford Mustang powered by John Force Racing. Pedregon will join his brother Cruz in a family two car team sponsored by Quaker State for the 2004 season. His decision was probably more difficult than winning in the competitive NHRA Funny Car class as his conclusion meant leaving the well-funded Force camp for a new venture with his family. Pedregon had roots in both teams, but in the end the family roots reached deepest.

You won't have to reach far to know Pedregon's thoughts about his new path.

Dwight asked Tony Pedregon:

"It really is the ultimate goal for any driver, any track professional. It was a long hard fight, but I think well deserved for the team that did it. I've set sail for the next journey. It's nice to be back out here to the track. The biggest one for us was to build and assemble this team with of course, new personnel and new equipment. It literally started from scratch. I think that was a big accomplishment for us. We're going to try to get acclimated to the conditions and try to get situated with the new people and new places. We're going to work on the performance of the car."

"A little bit of both. I'm probably a little more conservative in a lot of ways. For me it works. My opinion would be the smarter approach. The reason for that is because of these cars. I never want to take the approach that I know exactly what I'm doing. I pay a lot of attention. I try to observe. I've learned the basics, the ins and outs, but probably more than anything, I've got a good company backing up this racing program. I think I've hired the personnel I believe are capable of doing the job. I think in this sport chemistry is important and I think that's something we are going to achieve as a team.

"I lack no motivation and I find myself being very particular and meticulous about both sides and everything that takes place with the racecar and the business side. I think the company involved sure makes it easier and they are very pleasant to work with. I think it's a new venture for them as well. In all the years in the history of Quaker State and everything they've been involved with all forms of motorsports, this is really their first venture into NHRA drag racing as a major sponsor. It's equally exciting for them and again, I think we're a young team that will compete with most of the teams out here. We're young, myself, the personnel, the crew chief and that creates a lot of excitement. It's a new look, a new team, and it's growth in the sport. I think that's important to NHRA."

"No. I don't feel like that. I feel like I'm at home now. I also understand what lies ahead. We're going to be competing against teams that have a lot more experience, and a few teams that have more funding. I believe we can be competitive. I think it's going to take a little bit of time. I'm sure I'm going to have to be patient. At the same time the drive inside of me doesn't want to settle for anything but continuing what I have been doing, which is winning races. I just hope we can do it in a shorter period of time, but I understand the reality of it. The competition is good. I think my expectations are modest. Now anyway! Maybe that will change. I'm a competitor, just like everyone else. My expectations are very high."

"I think a lot of people probably wondered why I would walk away from a team like John Force Racing. I'm sure in a lot of people's opinion and even in my opinion is the greatest team in drag racing. I think that most people have a better understanding of it now. It was strictly business."

"John probably knows better than anyone else about business decisions. I saw him today and he has that same big old smile, that sneaky smile, he always has. I look forward to racing him and competing against all the other Funny Car drivers. I think overall for the fans, I think they have a very exciting season ahead. It's hard to top what happened last year, but for some reason I think the competition level is going to be a lot higher than last year.