T-PED UNVEILS PALMS SCHEME FOR VEGAS
Sun, 2008-04-06 03:15
Punctuating a relationship that dates back five years, two-time
POWERade Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon has unveiled a Palms Hotel
and Casino design on his Q Horsepower Chevrolet Impala SS for the
upcoming ninth annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas.
The car will make its official debut Thursday night at the Palms Hotel and Casino during the Champions Meet & Greet party, which runs from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the facility, located at 4321 West Flamingo Road. More than 30 drivers will be on hand for the free event, where special gaming chips honoring Pedregon, Tony Schumacher, and Jeg Coughlin Jr.'s 2007 POWERade titles will be released for the first time.
"We're
thrilled with our association with Tony and Cruz Pedregon and to have a
special-edition car for the Palms is very cool," said Jim Baker,
sponsor liaison for the world-renowned property. "It's actually a bit
of a surprise for Joe Maloof, so let's keep it a secret. He handles all
the sponsorship deals and we thought he'd get a kick out of this car.
His brother George has already seen it and he thought it was awesome.
"Joe thinks the world of Tony and his brother Cruz. The bang for the buck they've given us is exceptional and, as Joe often says, Tony is our kind of people. He's salt-of-the-earth, and that's an admirable trait these days."
A 37-time national event winner, Pedregon won his second world title in 2007 with the Palms logo prominently displayed on his 8,000-horsepower racecar. Second only to former boss John Force in number of Funny Car victories on the all-time list, Pedregon became the first driver in 11 years other than Force to win the world title when he bagged his first championship in 2003. Punctuating a relationship that dates back five years, two-time POWERade Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon has unveiled a Palms Hotel and Casino design on his Q Horsepower Chevrolet Impala SS for the upcoming ninth annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas.
The car will make its official debut Thursday night at the Palms Hotel and Casino during the Champions Meet & Greet party, which runs from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the facility, located at 4321 West Flamingo Road. More than 30 drivers will be on hand for the free event, where special gaming chips honoring Pedregon, Tony Schumacher, and Jeg Coughlin Jr.'s 2007 POWERade titles will be released for the first time.
"We're thrilled with our association with Tony and Cruz Pedregon and to have a special-edition car for the Palms is very cool," said Jim Baker, sponsor liaison for the world-renowned property. "It's actually a bit of a surprise for Joe Maloof, so let's keep it a secret. He handles all the sponsorship deals and we thought he'd get a kick out of this car. His brother George has already seen it and he thought it was awesome.
"Joe thinks the world of Tony and his brother Cruz. The bang for the buck they've given us is exceptional and, as Joe often says, Tony is our kind of people. He's salt-of-the-earth, and that's an admirable trait these days."
A 37-time national event winner, Pedregon won his second world title in 2007 with the Palms logo prominently displayed on his 8,000-horsepower racecar. Second only to former boss John Force in number of Funny Car victories on the all-time list, Pedregon became the first driver in 11 years other than Force to win the world title when he bagged his first championship in 2003.
After that momentous season, Pedregon fulfilled another lifelong dream by leaving Force and forming his own Funny Car team. It was in those early days when he forged a bond with Joe, Gavin, and George Maloof, the celebrated owners of the Palms and the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association.
"Our team has evolved from the earliest stages with the Maloof family right by our side," Pedregon said. "They've done so much for us and the car is something I wanted to do for them as a way of expressing our thanks. They're great partners, and more importantly, they're lifelong friends.
"This prerace event and the chip unveiling are proof of their commitment to the sport of NHRA Drag Racing. People come to Las Vegas to be entertained and they certainly will be if they stop by the Palms for our party or for any of the other experiences at the hotel. Everyone knows the best nightclubs and restaurants are in the Palms, and the fact they support drag racing makes it the place to go for NHRA fans."
The Champion Chips were made in $5 and $25 increments for each of the three reigning champions. Fans will have the chance to have the drivers personally autograph the chips during Thursday night's party.
"The response to these chips has been enormous," Baker said. "People actually collect these things and the fact were making limited runs of the NHRA champion chips make them a very sought-after item. We'll have them there Thursday night so we encourage anyone who wants to get some show up early.
"We're going to make this an annual event, both the champion's chips and the pre-race party. Every spring and fall, we want the Palms to be race central for all the fans and drivers. We're even putting together special room rates for the fall event that will become standard for NHRA fans in the future."
The car will make its official debut Thursday night at the Palms Hotel and Casino during the Champions Meet & Greet party, which runs from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the facility, located at 4321 West Flamingo Road. More than 30 drivers will be on hand for the free event, where special gaming chips honoring Pedregon, Tony Schumacher, and Jeg Coughlin Jr.'s 2007 POWERade titles will be released for the first time.
"We're
thrilled with our association with Tony and Cruz Pedregon and to have a
special-edition car for the Palms is very cool," said Jim Baker,
sponsor liaison for the world-renowned property. "It's actually a bit
of a surprise for Joe Maloof, so let's keep it a secret. He handles all
the sponsorship deals and we thought he'd get a kick out of this car.
His brother George has already seen it and he thought it was awesome."Joe thinks the world of Tony and his brother Cruz. The bang for the buck they've given us is exceptional and, as Joe often says, Tony is our kind of people. He's salt-of-the-earth, and that's an admirable trait these days."
A 37-time national event winner, Pedregon won his second world title in 2007 with the Palms logo prominently displayed on his 8,000-horsepower racecar. Second only to former boss John Force in number of Funny Car victories on the all-time list, Pedregon became the first driver in 11 years other than Force to win the world title when he bagged his first championship in 2003. Punctuating a relationship that dates back five years, two-time POWERade Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon has unveiled a Palms Hotel and Casino design on his Q Horsepower Chevrolet Impala SS for the upcoming ninth annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas.
The car will make its official debut Thursday night at the Palms Hotel and Casino during the Champions Meet & Greet party, which runs from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the facility, located at 4321 West Flamingo Road. More than 30 drivers will be on hand for the free event, where special gaming chips honoring Pedregon, Tony Schumacher, and Jeg Coughlin Jr.'s 2007 POWERade titles will be released for the first time.
"We're thrilled with our association with Tony and Cruz Pedregon and to have a special-edition car for the Palms is very cool," said Jim Baker, sponsor liaison for the world-renowned property. "It's actually a bit of a surprise for Joe Maloof, so let's keep it a secret. He handles all the sponsorship deals and we thought he'd get a kick out of this car. His brother George has already seen it and he thought it was awesome."Joe thinks the world of Tony and his brother Cruz. The bang for the buck they've given us is exceptional and, as Joe often says, Tony is our kind of people. He's salt-of-the-earth, and that's an admirable trait these days."
A 37-time national event winner, Pedregon won his second world title in 2007 with the Palms logo prominently displayed on his 8,000-horsepower racecar. Second only to former boss John Force in number of Funny Car victories on the all-time list, Pedregon became the first driver in 11 years other than Force to win the world title when he bagged his first championship in 2003.
After that momentous season, Pedregon fulfilled another lifelong dream by leaving Force and forming his own Funny Car team. It was in those early days when he forged a bond with Joe, Gavin, and George Maloof, the celebrated owners of the Palms and the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association.
"Our team has evolved from the earliest stages with the Maloof family right by our side," Pedregon said. "They've done so much for us and the car is something I wanted to do for them as a way of expressing our thanks. They're great partners, and more importantly, they're lifelong friends.
"This prerace event and the chip unveiling are proof of their commitment to the sport of NHRA Drag Racing. People come to Las Vegas to be entertained and they certainly will be if they stop by the Palms for our party or for any of the other experiences at the hotel. Everyone knows the best nightclubs and restaurants are in the Palms, and the fact they support drag racing makes it the place to go for NHRA fans."
The Champion Chips were made in $5 and $25 increments for each of the three reigning champions. Fans will have the chance to have the drivers personally autograph the chips during Thursday night's party.
"The response to these chips has been enormous," Baker said. "People actually collect these things and the fact were making limited runs of the NHRA champion chips make them a very sought-after item. We'll have them there Thursday night so we encourage anyone who wants to get some show up early.
"We're going to make this an annual event, both the champion's chips and the pre-race party. Every spring and fall, we want the Palms to be race central for all the fans and drivers. We're even putting together special room rates for the fall event that will become standard for NHRA fans in the future."
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