This was an unfamiliar position for Tony Pedregon.

Pedregon, who has won two Funny Car world championships, in 2003 and 2007, found himself having to make some tough business and racing decisions because of his tight budget this season.

“It has been a tough year,” Pedregron admitted. “Any time you have a limited budget it restricts you in other areas. I’ve made some business decisions to cut costs so I get through the year with what I have to work with. It doesn’t allow me to run the car as hard as it needs to be sometimes.”

Despite financial constraints, Pedregon is 10th in the point chase with 733. Jeff Arend, who races out of the Kalitta Motorsports stable, has 700 points, followed by Cruz Pedregon, Tony’s brother, at 652 points.

This was an unfamiliar position for Tony Pedregon.

Pedregon, who has won two Funny Car world championships, in 2003 and 2007, found himself having to make some tough business and racing decisions because of his tight budget this season.

“It has been a tough year,” Pedregron admitted. “Any time you have a limited budget it restricts you in other areas. I’ve made some business decisions to cut costs so I get through the year with what I have to work with. It doesn’t allow me to run the car as hard as it needs to be sometimes.”

Despite financial constraints, Pedregon is 10th in the point chase with 733. Jeff Arend, who races out of the Kalitta Motorsports stable, has 700 points, followed by Cruz Pedregon, Tony’s brother, at 652 points.

The Countdown to the 10 regular season concludes at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Aug. 12-15 at Brainerd, Minn. The Countdown to 1 playoffs begin at the U.S. Nationals Sept. 1-6 in Indianapolis.

“It has been a little bit of challenge, but I’ve managed to get this far as tough as things have been,” Tony said. “I have continued support from a lot of companies. Quaker State is still here. I just do not have as much to work with as some of the other teams, but that is just part of it. The financial aspect is just one part of it. On the track, I was as high as fifth in the points and we were trying to stay in the Countdown and we’re going to work real hard to do that. We’re only two rounds ahead of the Kalitta car, so I’m not real comfortable with where I’m at right now. We just need to have a solid race and if I do that, I think we have a good chance of staying in (the Countdown).”  

Tony had a season-best runner-up performance at the SummitRacing.com NHRA nationals at Las Vegas in April, which vaulted him to fifth in the points. Tony has been reeling of late losing in the first round in consecutive events at Norwalk, Seattle, Sonoma and Denver.

“Coming into the season, I felt making the Countdown was definitely going to be a challenge,” said Tony, who finished sixth in the standings a year ago. “I’m ahead of teams that have quite a bit more depth and funding than I do. I knew this was going to be a challenge only because I had to look at my business plan. I fully expected to be going through what I’m going through now.”

Actually this season, Tony has become a traveling salesman from event to event to get funding to keep his race program running.

“I almost want to say it is humbling, but I was humbled before,” Tony said. “It’s another reminder that our survival really depends on how creative we can get. I think I was up for the challenge and I’m still am and I’m not through it yet because we still have some work to do. My complete focus is not on next year because we still have some work to do and we still have to  deliver for the companies were involved with. My goal is to stay involved with these companies and still get a good partner here who is willing to leverage the program and activate the program. Without that, we’re limited on delivering what these companies are after and that is the ROI, the return on their investment. I’ve been very fortunate to look in other areas to be able to continue to this point.”

One of those areas was Pedregron bringing on the American Drag Racing League as one of his sponsors.

“My introduction to Kenny (Nowling, who is the president and CEO of the ADRL), was through a mutual friend,” Pedregron said. “Of course I was familiar with the series and even on the NHRA side, I love Pro Mod. I’ve felt like those cars (Pro Mods) are a cousin to the Funny Car and that they are more of a relative to a Funny Car than the Pro Stock cars are. I’m very familiar with the ADRL and a mutual friend introduced Kenny and I. It just started with a simple conversation and Kenny asked if I felt there was going to be any conflict (to sponsor Tony’s car). Obviously, he’s smart enough and saw the opportunity to promote his venue. Initially, I thought there may be a conflict, but the more I thought about it there really isn’t. The NHRA and the ADRL are two separate business models and I felt one would compliment the other and it wasn’t just the NHRA complimenting the ADRL. I felt there would also be some benefits that the ADRL would help leverage our sport as well. In the end, I sell programs and I sell space
on a car and ultimately I thought this could only help both of us.”

Pedregron is donning ADRL stickers on his Funny Car, and he isn’t ruling out driving on the ADRL circuit one day.

“I wouldn't say never to anything,” Pedregon said. “I’m a racer and I love short wheel-based cars. My favorite cars when I was younger were absolutely fuel altereds. The Funny Car was the closest thing to that. These Pro Mod cars, I think my only request would probably be some down force.”

Pedregon’s going to see the ADRL drivers in action this weekend when he travels to watch the ADRL’s Hardee’s Gateway Drags III at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill. The ADRL event at Gateway is on tap for Friday and Saturday.

“My first experience at an ADRL event will be this weekend,” Pedregon said. “I’m going to attend on Friday and I plan on watching all the qualifying and I’m real excited about this experience. My goal for the first time in a long time is to just go to an event and sit in the stands and take it all in.”

Pedregon, who lost in the first round in Denver, returned to action last Saturday at the 33rd annual NAPA Night Under Fire at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

“I did a match race at Norwalk, but I did not make any test runs like I was hoping to do,” Pedregon said. “The two runs I made in the evening, we tried a slightly different setup. We tried one combination and it just didn’t work. We went back to another combination for the second run, and the car ran a 4.23-second run at 295 mph. It was very conservative. We didn’t get a lot of imformation, but that data is going to be very valuable going into Brainerd. I learned my car right now, although I have not changed the basic setup, will not respond to what I did with it last year. My car is a little heavier and we have different clutch parts. I do not think it is any single thing, I think it is combination of a couple of things. We’re really having to take a different approach. I do not plan on sitting any runs out (at Brainerd). I fully intend on trying to be smart. My goal is to qualify in the top half for the first time in a long time, and then I will be in a good position for Sunday.”

Pedregon admitted making the Countdown to 1 playoffs this season would be especially gratifying.

“I would rank that as a big accomplishment in my career, considering the cirmcustances,” Pedregon said. “I would say I have had to work harder for less this year than I ever have, and that’s OK. Because when I put things in perspective, the reality is if this is what it has taken to get through the year making the Countdown, there will be a lot of teams that had more than I had to work with that did not make it."