Tim Wilkerson
Tim Wilkerson's 2008 Levi, Ray, & Shoup Chevrolet Impala body.
Nationality	American
Born	(1960-12-29) December 29, 1960 (age 51) Springfield, Illinois
2012 National Hot Rod Association
Debut season	1996
Current team	Levi, Ray, & Shoup/Wilkerson Racing
Car no.	FC347
Wins	15 (14 FC, 1 TAFC)
Fastest laps	4.723 seconds in Pomona, CA - February 10, 2007 330.47 mph in Pomona, CA - November 12, 2006
Best finish	2nd in 2008
Previous series
1990 - 1995	NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car
Championship titles
1994, 1995	NHRA Division III Alcohol Funny Car

Tim Wilkerson (born December 29, 1960 in Springfield, Illinois) is a NHRA drag racer. He graduated from Southeast High School in Springfield, IL and earned an Associates in Science of Civil Engineering from Lincoln Land Community College. He is married to Krista and has three children, Daniel (2007 NHRA Division 3 Top Alcohol Funny Car Champion), Kevin, and Rachel. He owns Wilkerson's Service Center and Capitol City Machine Shop in Springfield IL.

Early career[link]

Alcohol Funny Car. Tim Wilkerson raced an alcohol funny car from 1990-1995. He won back to back NHRA Division 3 Top Alcohol Funny Car Championships in 1994 and 1995.

Nitro Funny Car[link]

He began his national Nitro Funny Car career in 1996. He was the first funny car rookie to run over 300mph and the first funny car rookie in the 4's. He went to his first Nitro Funny Car final at the US Nationals in 1997. He finished 7th in points in 1998. Tim Wilkerson won his first race in Joliet, IL in 1999. On September 7, 2003 he won the famed US Nationals. He also won in Reading, Pennsylvania on October 5, 2003. In 2004 he won two races one in Houston, TX and one in Sonoma, CA. In 2006 he ran his career best speed of 330.47mph. He ran his career best elapsed time of 4.723 in 2007 and he finished 15th in the season points.

In 2008 he won 6 races: Las Vegas, NV, Madison, IL, Englishtown, NJ, Denver, CO, Dallas, TX, and Memphis TN. He led the NHRA Nitro Funny Car points standings until the 15th event late in the season.^[1] He led the Countdown to the Championship and started at the top of the season-ending championship.^[1] He went to the final points event second in points and lost the championship to Cruz Pedregon.^[1]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2011)

John Harold Force
Nationality	American
Born	(1949-05-04) May 4, 1949 (age 63) Bell Gardens, California
Related to	Ashley Force Hood (Daughter) Brittany Force (Daughter) Courtney Force (Daughter) Laurie Force (Wife) Adria Hight (Daughter) Robert Hight (Son-in-Law)
Funny Car
Years active	1978 - Present
Teams	John Force Racing
Starts	548
Wins	133
Best finish	1st (15 times) in 1990-1991 1993-2002 2004 2006 2010
Championship titles
1990 1991 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2004 2006 2010	15 NHRA Championships

John Harold Force (born May 4, 1949 in Bell Gardens, California) is an NHRA drag racer, a 15-time Funny Car champion driver, and a 17-time champion car owner. Force owns and drives for John Force Racing. He is one of the most dominant drag racers in the sport with 133 career victories. He graduated from Bell Gardens High School and briefly attended Cerritos Junior College to play football. He is the father of drag racers Ashley Force Hood, Brittany Force, and Courtney Force. His oldest daughter Adria Hight is the CFO of John Force Racing [JFR].

Current drivers racing under him are son-in-law Robert Hight and daughter Courtney. Mike Neff, who was once the crew chief for rival driver Gary Scelzi, raced in a 4th Funny Car for Team Force from October 26, 2007, following the death of Eric Medlen, until the end of the 2009 season. However, in 2010, after a '09 season in which John did not win a single race, Force parked his 4th car, and named Neff as his new crew chief instead. This decision resulted in Force winning his 15th NHRA Championship.

1978-2004[link]

This section requires expansion.

Early in his career, Force drove a Corvette, a Monza and then in the 1980s switched to an Oldsmobile Cutlass through the end of the 1993 season. He drove a Chevrolet for 1994, quickly changing to a Pontiac in 1995 and 1996. Since 1997, Force has been a Ford driver and team owner.

John's points finishes were 23rd, 8th, 26th, 16th, 20th, 4th, 13th, and 5th from 1978-1985. John then had Castrol Motor Oil jump on as his main sponsor, and was even more successful. From 1986-1995, he finished 4th, 4th, 6th, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 1st, and 1st. He then had fellow driver and arch rival Cruz Pedregon's younger brother, Tony, come aboard to drive John's 2nd car. From 1996-2000, John finished 1st all 5 years. In 2001, John had longtime friend and fellow drag racer Gary Densham drive a third car. In that same year, John once again finished as the champion, which he followed up with an astronomical 10th straight world title in 2002. In 2003, for the 1st time since 1992, John didn't win the title. It was not all lost however, because teammate Tony Pedregon won his 1st world title. At the end of the season, Tony Pedregon went on to join brother Cruz in their own racing organization, and Gary Densham went on to race independently. John found quick and personal talent in 2 young-guns. Eric Medlen, son of long-time JFR crewmember John Medlen, came on to race. John's other driver, Robert Hight, was his son-in-law and crewmember. Both had a lot of success in their season, but John topped both in 2004 with a 13th world title.

Since 2000, Force has been sponsored by BP's Castrol brand, continuing the relationship between Force and Castrol that began in 1986. After winning his fourth Funny Car title in 1994, Force earned the nickname of "Brute Force" from drivers, and even announcers such as Steve Evans. This nickname hearkens back to his early days on the track, when he drove his own unsponsored car, named "Brute Force". Force had a cameo in a 2004 episode of King of the Hill ("Dale Be Not Proud"), in which Dale Gribble donates a kidney to Force, after which it appears he does not need it.

2005[link]

In 2005, Force won 5 events, but only finished third in the championship standings, 32 points behind champion Gary Scelzi, and 24 points behind Ron Capps, both of Don Schumacher Racing [DSR].

2006[link]

In 2006, John Force won his 14th NHRA World Funny Car Championship, defeating Ron Capps in the quarter-finals of the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals which mathematically eliminated Ron Capps and teammate Robert Hight from the championship. Force went on to win the event, his third of the season and 122nd of his career.

2007[link]

John Force Racing shop

2007 was a very tough, tragic season for the Force team, beginning early in the year with the death of team driver Eric Medlen, followed later by Force's own crash in Ennis, Texas at the 2007 O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals. Force started the year poorly, suffering a DNQ ending a 20+ year consecutive qualifying streak. He rebounded, winning the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee, then proceeded on to three more final rounds, winning another race in Sonoma, California, putting him fourth in points and allowing him to make the first cut in NHRA's new point system, the Countdown to the Championship aka the "Countdown to Eight". He stumbled again in the next two races but, again, rebounded until his crash.

On September 23, 2007, Force was injured in a crash at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Fall Nationals in Ennis, Texas as he crossed the finish line against Kenny Bernstein. Bernstein's Funny Car drifted into Force's lane, clipping the final timing cone and a foam block which shot into Force's lane. Initially, it was thought that the block ruptured Force's left rear tire, causing it to come apart, violently shaking the chassis until it broke apart. However, it was determined by NHRA after thorough review, that the block went behind Force's tire and was not the cause of the wreck.^[1] Injuries sustained were a broken ankle, abrasion of his right knee, a dislocated left wrist, and badly mangled fingers and toes. Phil Burkart Jr. was added as Force's replacement for the remainder of the 2007 season, starting at Las Vegas.

2008[link]

2008 was not a very good season for Force, finishing out of the top five for the first time since early in his career. He ultimately finished 7th . However, after the death of driver Scott Kalitta, he was instrumental in the development of some of the safety precautions that were implemented throughout the rest of the season, and also, along with retired 6 time world champion Kenny Bernstein [4 Funny Car titles, 2 Top Fuel titles], and seven-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher, with backing from NHRA's Track Safety Committee, assisted in developing a sensor that monitors the engines of Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars. Should the engine backfire at any time during a race, the fuel pump is automatically shut down, and the parachutes are deployed. The idea was to either minimize or eliminate the circumstances that led to Kalitta's death. This safety device became mandatory, and was put into place at the start of the 2009 season. Also made an optional setting for the Funny Car division, was a brake handle that, instead of needing to be pulled back, toward the driver, was set up to be pushed away from the driver. This came about because when the 2008 season began, Force's right arm was still in a cast, due to broken fingers, and he needed a different way of using the brakes on the car, rather than the traditional handbrake that needed to be brought back toward the driver; also, in the 2007 accident in Texas, Force had lost some grip in his right hand, and had some problems putting enough pressure on the handbrake to unlock it from position to apply the brakes. This led to the development of the forward application handbrake, which has given several drivers in the Funny Car class quicker access to the brakes. Though Force only finished seventh in the points in 2008, he became influential within the NHRA for innovations in driver safety.

2009[link]

2009 once again saw Force finish outside of the top five. John finished 9th, daughter Ashley finished 2nd, and Mike Neff placing 10th. However, he would win his 16th overall championship as a car owner, with teammate Robert Hight's championship, placing Force as the winningest car owner in NHRA history.

2010[link]

The start of the 2010 season saw Force celebrate 25 years with the same sponsor, as well as 34 years in the NHRA. On February 14, Force won the season opener at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in the 50th Winternationals in California defeating Ron Capps. After 13 events, Force has 4 wins, and lead the Funny Car points standings with 933, 58 ahead of teammate Robert Hight.

Going into the Auto Club of Southern California Finals in Pomona, CA on November 14, 2010, Force needed some help to win the championship. He started the day 38 points behind 28-year-old Matt Hagan, who ran for team rival Don Shumacher and his team. In order to capture the championship he needed to finish two rounds ahead of Hagan. With Bob Tasca III taking Hagan out in the first round, Force won his first round over Gary Densham and second round win over Bob Bode, securing the championship. He then went on to victory beating Melanie Troxel in the semi-finals and in the final, defeated Jeff Arend. John Force now has the distinction of being the oldest NHRA champion in history at the age of 61. Long time crew chief Austin Coil resigned from John Force Racing on Nov. 16, 2010.

2011[link]

As of February 7, 2011, JFR has already flip-flopped cars between John, Robert, Ashley, and Mike. Ashley Force Hood announced that she was expecting her 1st child, and would sit out the 2011 Full Throttle Drag Racing Season. John Force would drive Force Hood's new Ford Mustang with Dean Antonelli and Ron Douglas tuning, sponsored by Castrol Motor Oil. Robert Hight will remain in the Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang. Mike Neff, after co-crew chiefing John Force's car with Austin Coil, will drive Force's car from John's 2010 championship season. Neff's Ford Mustang will be sponsored by Castrol Oil. As of February 7, 2011, JFR started testing for the 2011 season. Out of the 11 testers so far, Force is 1st, Hight was 5th, and Neff was 6th. As of July 31, Force is 7th in the points standings, while teammate Mike Neff is leading, and Robert Hight is in second.

2012[link]

2012 saw John welcome a fourth driver to his stable, former Top Alcohol Dragster champion, and daughter Courtney, who is in the running for the Auto Club Rookie of the Year Award, she will be driving the Traxxas Ford Mustang in her rookie season, and she has done something that only sister Ashley has done, beat her father in the first meeting between the two, taking John out of the Arizona Nationals in Phoenix in just the first round.

Achievements and awards[link]

Championships[link]

  1990 NHRA Funny Car Champion 
  1991 NHRA Funny Car Champion 
  1993 NHRA Funny Car Champion 
  1994 NHRA Funny Car Champion 
  1995 NHRA Funny Car Champion 
  1996 NHRA Funny Car Champion 
  1997 NHRA Funny Car Champion 
  1998 NHRA Funny Car Champion 
  1999 NHRA Funny Car Champion 
  2000 NHRA Funny Car Champion 
  2001 NHRA Funny Car Champion 
  2002 NHRA Funny Car Champion 
  2003 NHRA Champion Owner (Tony Pedregon, Funny Car) 
  2004 NHRA Funny Car Champion 
  2006 NHRA Funny Car Champion 
  2009 NHRA Champion Owner (Robert Hight, Funny Car) 
  2010 NHRA Funny Car Champion 

Achievements[link]

• Selected as DRIVER of the YEAR for all of American motor racing in 1996 by a national panel of motorsports journalists, the first drag racer ever so honored.
• 134 wins Wallys in 217 final rounds
• First Funny Car drag racer to achieve 1,000 career elimination round wins (1,000th win: first round, 2008 NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Int'l Raceway in St. Louis, Missouri), where he defeated Ron Capps for the 1,000th round win.
• 15-time NHRA champion driver, and 17-time champion owner
• Ranked #2 on the NHRA Top 50 Drivers, 1951–2000, behind Don Garlits
• With daughter Ashley, first father/daughter pair to compete against each other, during the first round of the NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta in 2007, which Ashley won.
• Only driver to have won more than ten championships in his division, beating the record once held by retired NHRA Pro Stock Champion Bob Glidden, who had 10 championships.
• Has won almost at every current track with the only one exception of (Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, which began hosting events in 2007)
• Most event #1 qualifications in NHRA history, with 139 (as of July 30, 2011)

Driving Force[link]

John is featured on A&E's reality show Driving Force with his wife (Laurie) and three of his daughters (Ashley, Courtney, and Brittany).

See also[link]

• Ford Racing

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Interview with John Force
• The Truth about Force's crash and heat-treated funny car chassis
• Thinking Back To An Eye-Opening Day With John Force
• Pro file on NHRA.com
• Driving Force website
• Driving Force profile
• John Force on IMDb

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Tagged since March 2010. It includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Tagged since March 2010. It relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Tagged since March 2010. The notability of this article's subject is in question. If notability cannot be established, it may be listed for deletion or removed. Tagged since March 2010.

Jack Beckman (Born June 28, 1966 at San Fernando, California) is a professional drag racer who currently drives a NHRA Fuel Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing. He is known in the drag racing community as "Fast Jack".

Beckman is also an instructor for Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing school, (the official driving instruction school of the National Hot Rod Association). Over a period of 11 years, Beckman has instructed over 7,000 different students.

The early years[link]

Beckman became a fan of drag racing at a very early age. "In 1973 my uncle John began to take my brother (Ted) and me to Orange County International Raceway, Ontario, Irwindale and Bakersfield", recalls Beckman. "I made my first run (a 15.06 second elapsed time) at Lubbock Dragway in Texas while I was serving in the military in 1986."^{[citation needed]}

In 1988 Beckman won his first race driving a 1968 El Camino (which was also the same car he drove for his driver license test when he was 16) and moved up to the Super Comp division in 1991. His dragster, known as "The Blackbird" was built by California Chassis Engineering and was the same dragster Beckman drove to a Lucas Oil World Championship in the Super Comp class in 2003. "The Blackbird Super Comp dragster has been with me since 1995, I've made more than 1500 runs in it and it feels like a second skin", states Beckman who continues to run his dragster at local bracket races when time permits.^{[citation needed]}

• In 2003 won Super Comp world championship in Lucas Oil Series and Division 7 Super Comp championship
• Leads 14-time champion John Force in head-to-head round wins: 8-5

In May 2004, following his Super Comp championship season in 2003, Beckman was diagnosed with cancer (high grade level 3B Lymphoma), which we now know has a survival rate of 46-60 percent. "I had what they call high grade level 3B lymphoma, and it was pretty pervasive throughout my body. One doctor told me the survival rate for that type of cancer is about 80% and another one said it’s about 50 to 65%. I liked the first doctor better."^{[citation needed]}

Beckman had his eighth and final chemotherapy treatment on October 25, 2004, after which he was informed by doctors that they had been successful and his cancer was in remission.^{[citation needed]} He then began a new type of treatment, "G-Force Therapy".^{[citation needed]} In April, 2005 Beckman debuted as a professional drag racer in the NHRA in the sports elite category, Top Fuel Eliminator. Driving a Top Fuel Dragster for car owner Dexter Tuttle, Beckman qualified in his first event and beat fellow rookie dragster driver, Ben Marshall earning his first professional round victory.^{[citation needed]}

As of March 2010, Beckman has nine career NHRA National Event Championships- including seven as a pro (all in Funny Car) and two as a sportsman driver (1998 and 2003 NHRA Winternationals in Super Comp). He has competed in 18 final rounds in NHRA National Event Competition.^{[citation needed]}

Records[link]

• No. 3 in 2008 Funny Car point standings, with three victories - Phoenix, Reading, Concord - in seven final rounds
• In his 72 national events in Top Fuel and Funny Car, he has won seven times in 14 final rounds (all in Funny Car), and has a career round win-loss record of 80-60
• Is the 2007 U.S. Smokeless Showdown winner ($100,000 bonus event held at U.S. Nationals)
• Set national elapsed-time record of 4.662 seconds and national speed record of 333.66 mph at final 2006 event in Pomona, Calif. The ET record has since been eclipsed. Beckman still holds the speed record
• Career-best FC elapsed time: 4.662 seconds (Pomona 2 '06)
• Career-best FC speed: 333.66 mph (Pomona 2 '06)
• Career-best TF elapsed time: 4.563 seconds (TF, Brainerd 2005)
• Career-best TF speed: 324.28 mph (TF, Brainerd 2005)

Personal life[link]

This article is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this article to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (October 2011)

• Residence: North Hills, Calif.
• Hometown: Granada Hills, Calif.
• Date of birth: June 28, 1966
• Married, Jenna (wedding date 11/7/06), son Jason Russell (3/8/07)
• Former instructor and current consultant at Frank Hawley's NHRA Championship Drag Racing School; former Sergeant in U.S. Air Force (1984–88); cancer survivor; licensed in 11 different NHRA categories
• Was told in early 2005 that his cancer is in remission and currently spends much time supporting cancer-related charities and causes.

References[link]

• Competitionplus.com article
• NHRA.com
• Don Schumacher Racing Media

External links[link]

• Jack Beckman website

Medal record
Men’s Athletics
Competitor for the  United States
Olympic Games
Bronze	1992 Barcelona	800 metres
Pan American Games
Gold	1987 Indianapolis	800 metres
Gold	1999 Winnipeg	800 metres

John ("Johnny") Lee Gray, Jr. (born June 19, 1960 in Los Angeles, California) was an American 800 m runner of the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1985 he set the US record of 1:42.60 at a meet in Koblenz. That time puts Gray as the #11 performer of all time. He came seventh in the 1984 Summer Olympics, fifth in 1988, and won the bronze medal at the Barcelona Olympics of 1992. In 1993 Gray was one of the favourites to win a gold medal at the World Championships in Stuttgart as he had won the A-race at the prestigious meeting in Zurich. However, he failed to qualify for the final in Stuttgart. He also set a world 600 m best in 1986 at 1:12.81.

In 1992 and 1993 Gray came close to breaking the world indoor record over 800 m several times. He holds the US indoor record at 1:45.00 (Sindelfingen 1992).

Having led the Olympic 800 m race at the 1992 Summer Olympics with a blazing first lap at better than world record pace, Gray was passed twice during the final lap to claim the bronze medal. A reporter later asked him what he would have done differently if he could run the race a second time, and it is rumored that he responded, "I would have taken it out harder." Runners refer to such an attitude as "taking it to the Gray zone" in his honor. This tactic also resulted in some devastating failures as in the 1987 and 1993 World Championships when he jogged to the finish of quarterfinal races, depleted and defeated. He walked to the finish of the 1980 Olympic Trials.^[1]

Inducted into the USA National Track and Field Hall of Fame Dec. 2008.^[2] Also member of Santa Monica College Hall of Fame, Melrose Games in NYC Hall of Fame, Mt. Sac Relays Hall of Fame,^[3] and obtained the key to the city for Santa Monica, Inglewood, Walnut, Agoura Hills and New York.

Family life[link]

Wife

• Judy Kathryn Terrell (b. December 21, 1961)

Sons

• Johnny Lee Gray, III (b. July 21, 1983)(Who is currently playing professional basketball overseas, and a graduate of University of Pacific)
• Jared Kyle Gray (b. September 2, 1985)
• Jaylon Kameron Gray (b. December 19, 1997)

Grandson

• Caleb Vincent Gray (b. July 13, 2008) (Born to Johnny Gray III and April Graham)

References[link]

External links[link]

• IAAF profile for Johnny Gray
• sports-reference
• USA Track and Field

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (December 2008)

Tony Pedregon
Tony Pedregons Dragster at John Force Racing
Nationality	American
Born	(1965-03-08)March 8, 1965 Torrance, California
Related to	Cruz Pedregon (brother) Frank Pedregon (father)
Funny Car
Years active	1993 - Present
Wins	43
Fastest laps	4.659 seconds (quarter mile)
Best finish	1st in 2003, 2007
Awards
1996	Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award

Tony Pedregon (born March 8, 1965) is a 2-time NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Funny Car Champion from Torrance, California. He is also the youngest of the Pedregon brothers. His brother Cruz Pedregon is the 1992 NHRA Full Throttle Series Funny Car Champion.

Career[link]

Early Days[link]

In 1993 Pedregon qualified for his first NHRA event driving a Top Fuel Dragster.^[1] In 1995 He ran a limited Funny Car Schedule for car owner Larry Minor.

John Force Racing Days[link]

In 1996 Pedregon made his Debut at John Force Racing driving a funny car. In his first season with the team he made 7 final round appearances, winning his first career event at Atlanta and finishing 2nd overall in season points under car owner John Force. He was also named the inaugural winner of the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award. In 1997 Tony beat brother Cruz in the first ever funny car final between brothers. He was also the number one qualifier in 3 events and made it to 5 finals. In 1998 He won 2 events in 2 Finals. In 1999 Pedregon Was the No. 1 qualifier at four events and posted the quickest time in history when he clocked a 4.779 second run at Gainesville Raceway Runner-up in the Funny Car bonus race at Indianapolis . In 2000 Pedregon went to 6 Finals Collecting 2 wins.^[2]

In 2001 Pedregon won at Englishtown after qualifying 1st a career 1st. He also won back to back races for the first time in his career. In 2002 he won 6 times in 8 final rounds and finished 2nd in points for the 4th time in his career. He also won 3 consecutive races for the first time in his career. In 2003 Pedregon Finally won the Championship becoming the first driver to win besides John Force since 1992 when brother Cruz won. He also won 8 events that season putting him 4th on the all time career win list. Pedregon decided at the end of the season to go join brother Cruz and form Pedregon Racing.^[3]

Pedregon Racing[link]

In his first season as a team owner, finished No. 8 in the final Championship standings, his ninth consecutive season finishing in the top 10. Pedregon recorded his Career-best E.T. is the seventh quickest Funny Car pass in NHRA history and Recorded two of the 10 fastest Funny Car speeds in NHRA history (331.28, Chicago 1; 329.83, Atlanta). His career won-lost record in elimination rounds of 319-189 is 13th-best among all active pro drivers with 50 or more decisions. Was the No. 1 qualifier three times (Las Vegas 1, Atlanta, Chicago 1); Qualified for all 23 events, upping his national event qualifying streak to 87 consecutive races dating back to Bristol 2001, fifth best among all active pro driver. Tony Pedregon joins a short list of only 4 NHRA Professional drag racers to have ever been nominated for the prestigious ESPY Best Driver Award. Joining Pedregon are Tony Schumacher, John Force, Greg Anderson and Melanie Troxel. No drag racer has ever won the ESPY Best Driver Award.^[4]

In 2005 Pedregon Set career best for time when he and his brother (Cruz) each ran 4.680s at Chicago 2 He finished the season with two wins and a runner-up finish at the final five events. He qualified for all 23 events, increasing his streak of qualifying at national events to 110. He also earned three No. 1 qualifiers and had the low E.T. at three events. In 2006 Pedregon won 3 events and finished top five in the final points standings. In 2007 Pedregon won his second NHRA Funny Car title winning 4 events along the way. In 2008 Tony Won 4 events qualified 1st in 2 events and finished 5th in the final points. In 2009 Pedregon won 3 events and finished 6th in the final points.^[5]

On Oct 29, 1998, Tony Perdregon, sponsored by Castrol Syntec and Action Performance Racing, unvailled a racing car, featuring slain Tejano Superstar Selena ^[6]

Personal life[link]

Pedregon resides in Indianapolis, Indiana with his wife Andrea. He has four children two daughters Cecily and Arielle, and two sons Desidario and Benecio. He is also the son of Drag Racing Legend Flamin' Frank Pedregon.^[7]

References[link]