"We were the highest finishing GM team. We finished fifth in the points, We won more races than any other GM car," Pedregon said, citing his three victories. Tommy Johnson Jr., who was sixth in the standings last year, won two races and is the recipient of the inaugural Impala SS.

 

(Cruz Pedregon, Tony's brother and teammate, and Phil Burkart each scored a victory with the Monte Carlo in 2006. However, the John Force Racing  Mustangs accounted for eight triumphs. Ron Capps led the Dodge contingent with five wins, and teammates Scelzi and Whit Bazemore added one apiece.)

Top-five Funny Car finisher Tony Pedregon registered his disappointment at not receiving one of the first Chevy Impala SS bodies, because he "felt like we had earned" the right. But he indicated he's a GM team player and nevertheless is excited about the aerodynamically improved shell.

 

"We were the highest finishing GM team. We finished fifth in the points, We won more races than any other GM car," Pedregon said, citing his three victories. Tommy Johnson Jr., who was sixth in the standings last year, won two races and is the recipient of the inaugural Impala SS.

 

(Cruz Pedregon, Tony's brother and teammate, and Phil Burkart each scored a victory with the Monte Carlo in 2006. However, the John Force Racing  Mustangs accounted for eight triumphs. Ron Capps led the Dodge contingent with five wins, and teammates Scelzi and Whit Bazemore added one apiece.)

 

Pedregon, who opted to remain in Indiana until next weekend's National Time Trials at Chandler, Arizona, was pragmatic about the distribution of the new body.

 

"We realize there's history with Prudhomme, and they got the first two bodies," he said. "We were told that we were going to get the third body, but it hasn't shown up yet. And they tell us that we're another month away.

 

"So from a marketing standpoint, that doesn't make a lot of sense. But we are on their program and we do support what they do," Pedregon said. "And it is a big improvement to what we have been running.

 

"You look at  some of the other manufacturers -- what Dodge has done, what Ford has done, and the Monte Carlo for the last two years has had a slight disadvantage, maybe a slight handicap. It is just not aerodynamically as good. There's not as much downforce. There's probably a little more drag. We're excited about the new body."

 

Just the same, he said, "It looks like we're definitely going to have to hit those first two races with what we've got. And we'll make it work. We won some races last year with it."