2008: Earned his second career NHRA Full Throttle Series world championship title (1992) when his brother Tony Pedregon defeated the only other driver left in contention at the year’s final race; Mounted an incredible charge in the playoffs, winning three of four final-round appearances, including the final three events of the season; Won $100,000 NHRA Showdown in Indianapolis.
2007: Had a better than .500 record with 18 wins and 16 losses; Earned No. 1 qualifier at Houston, his first No. 1 since Houston 2007.
2006: Earned his first win in six years, dating back to Englishtown 2000; Qualified for 21 of 23 events; Advanced to three final rounds, most since the 2004 season.
2005: Earned a pair of No. 1 qualifiers (Englishtown and Chicago 2); Set the low E.T. at two events (Englishtown and Chicago 2); Set career bests for both time and speed; Won at least two rounds at five consecutive events and six of the first eight events to open the 2005 season; Won $25,000 bonus for having closest margin of victory in Motel 6 Who Got the Light award.
2004: Earned first No. 1 qualifying position (Columbus) since 1998; Was the runner-up at consecutive events twice (Denver & Seattle; Indianapolis & Dallas); Established career-best performance numbers; Qualified No. 11 in the quickest Funny Car field in NHRA history (Pomona 2).
2003: Highest finish in the Funny Car standings since 1998; was the runner-up at Denver and Reading; established career-best time and speed.
2002: After taking a year off from racing, Pedregon assembled a team that qualified for 18 national events; Advanced to the semifinals at Indianapolis.
2001: Served as color analyst for ESPN’s drag racing coverage.
2000: Raced part-time as an owner/driver, collecting one win (Englishtown).
1999: Raced part-time as an owner/driver in the Funny Car category.
1998: Earned the No. 1 qualifying spot a career-best 12 times; Won NHRA all-star race; Set national elapsed-time record three times; Runner-up in Funny Car bonus race.
1997: The first motorsports athlete to received the “Premio De Oro,” the only national award for Hispanic athletes.
1996: Competing in a limited amount of races, Pedregon won one race en route to a third-place finish in the NHRA championship point standings; Finished in the top three for the fifth consecutive season.
1995: Won at Indianapolis for the third time in four years (1992, 1994, 1995); Recorded first career four-second run, a 4.991 at Dallas; Broke the 300-mph mark for the first time with a 300.90-mph pass at Indianapolis.
1994: Was the only Funny Car driver to defeat John Force in a final round the entire season; Qualified in the top half at 15 of the 18 national events.
1992: Won the NHRA Funny Car championship — the only Funny Car driver other than John Force to win a title in the 1990s.
1991: Raced part-time in Top Fuel competition.
1990: Moved to Alcohol Funny Car competition.
1987: Started his NHRA career in Alcohol Dragster.
Pedregon's first drag race came in 1980 in a diesel truck. He won $1,000 and a 6-foot trophy for winning his first race, in a 1953 Kenworth. He raced go-karts and was track champion in 1986 at Ventura (Calif.) Raceway. Raced karts with P.J. and Page Jones, sons of racing great Parnelli Jones.
Cruz drove one of the family-owned Peterbilt trucks for a block as a 9-year-old after convincing his father that he could drive. Pedregon, propped up on pillows, was stopped by a Los Angeles policeman, and he and his father each received $100 citations.
