SONOMA, Calif. — Two-time Funny Car world champion Cruz Pedregon has spent more than three decades competing in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and will look for his first Sonoma Raceway victory in nearly 30 years at this weekend’s 38th annual DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
Pedregon, a Southern California native, pilots the 12,000-horsepower Snap-on Tools Dodge Hellcat SRT and the Funny Car veteran has many memories from the Northern California facility, including his two wins in 1996 and 1998.
“Sonoma is a home race for us, even though we’re from SoCal, we get great fan support up there and we’re definitely up for a win in front of the home crowd,” Pedregon said. “Like they say in real estate: location, location, location. I feel like Sonoma and all of Northern California has a great racing history going way back of not only racers but a lot of great race fans throughout that area. I’m in the twilight of my career, so it would mean a lot to punch it in again for a win.”
As part of NHRA’s 75th anniversary season, Pedregon was added to the Top 75 Driver List, joining other active NHRA greats including Tony Schumacher, Ron Capps and Greg Anderson. Also added to the list was his brother, two-time Funny Car world champion and Fox lead analyst Tony Pedregon. The prestigious list recognizes drivers for their accomplishments on and off the track, as well as their impact on the NHRA throughout their careers.
“I’ve never really reflected much on my career, but being a part of the Top 75 Driver List definitely brought that to light and was really a great honor to be among that group without a doubt,” Pedregon said.
Pedregon is looking to this weekend’s event to rejuvenate his 2026 season as the series heads into the second half of the season.
If Pedregon wants to earn the win at the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals presented by PowerEdge, he’ll need to get by all the big hitters in the Funny Car class.
Three-time champ Ron Capps currently leads the points after picking up three wins so far in 2026, including most recently in Norwalk. Others to watch will be former champs Matt Hagan, J.R. Todd and Jack Beckman, as well as Funny Car newcomer Jordan Vandergriff and reigning champ Austin Prock, who won last year in Sonoma.
“Our plan is to reap the rewards from all the hard work we’ve put in so far this season,” Pedregon said. “All the runs that could have and should have been good runs. We feel we can show what we really have the second half (of the season).”
