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.