Thursday, April 28, 2005 | 9:28 a.m.
Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at [email protected] or (702) 259-4089.
Cruz Pedregon had the chance last weekend to experience racing from a different perspective.
Pedregon, the 1992 NHRA Funny Car champion who is fourth in points this season, took advantage of an off-weekend and sat in the grandstands at Ventura (Calif.) Raceway Saturday evening. There, he watched Damion Gardner drive Pedregon's Advance Auto Parts Midget to a fifth-place finish in the USAC Western States Midget Series event.
It was the first time Pedregon watched someone else pilot his Midget car since he debuted (and drove) it in January at the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Okla.
"It was a great experience," Pedregon said. "When Damion won the first heat race, it was an adrenaline rush. You would have thought that we had just won the Knoxville Nationals after that heat. It was awesome to watch my car from in the stands.
"I was really pushing that car mentally up there. I would raise my fist every time Damion made a pass. I must have looked like I was 12 years old, but I had a great time. I took a lot of pride in how the car looked and performed on the track and felt like I was a part of everything that was going on out there."
Pedregon said he would campaign Gardner in the Midget car in additional races this season.
Pedregon will be back in the cockpit of his Advance Auto Parts Funny Car when the 2005 NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series resumes this weekend with the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway.
IN WITH THE NEW: NHRA Pro Stock driver Kurt Johnson will debut the new Chevy Cobalt body style this weekend at Bristol -- despite having only about four days to get the car ready.
"We've had to do everything from wiring it up, installing the computer system and cutting the hood for the hood scoop, to making sure the driver's seat and seat belts fit properly," Johnson said of the Cobalt, which will replace the Chevy Cavalier. "We also transferred quite a few components from the old car, including the shocks, tires and wheels.
"Unfortunately, with the combination of our only recently receiving the car, which was by design, and the way the schedule has been over the last few weeks, we will only have about four days to get it ready in time for Bristol. We've taken all the wiring out of our old car, so we have no choice but to finish it."
Johnson said he is looking forward to getting the Cobalt onto the racetrack.
"Our new ACDelco Cobalt looks fast sitting still, and we think it will be pretty sporty on the track," he said. "Mentally, it's exciting -- you just can't beat that new-car smell. But seriously, it's always good to have new tubing under you. The extra stiffness in a brand-new chassis tends to respond better to changes.
"I've also looked at the wind-tunnel data and it's better than our previous car, which also helps. Even though our old car was pretty good, this new one shows a lot of promise."
Pro Stock rookie Erica Enders also will debut the Cobalt this weekend, but third-year driver Dave Connolly will go back to the Cavalier this weekend after a test session earlier this week with the Cobalt was rained out.
AMATO, GLIDDEN HONORED: NHRA legends Joe Amato and Bob Glidden will be inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame tonight during a ceremony at Talladega Superspeedway.
Amato and Glidden will join the 2005 class of inductees that includes Darrell Waltrip (NASCAR), Chip Hanauer (Unlimited Hydroplane) and Nigel Mansell (Formula One and CART).
Amato retired with five NHRA Top Fuel world championships and 52 national-event victories. Glidden earned 10 NHRA Pro Stock championships and 85 national-event victories during his driving career.
AT THE STRIP: Rain forced the postponement of Saturday night's third points race of the Jerry's Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The event will be completed in conjunction with the fourth race of the season, on May 7. ...
Mackenzie Phillips of Cedar City, Utah, won the Thunder division and Colton Valandingham of Kingman, Ariz., won the Lightning Division in Meadow Gold NHRA Junior Dragster Series competition last weekend at The Strip. ...
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