PEDREGON'S TOYOTA TALK
Mon, 2007-06-04 12:51
Tony Pedregon doesn’t have a major
factory program, but that hasn’t stopped him and his brother Cruz from shopping
around for one. A recent announcement that Toyota will supply their teams with
support vehicles has raised many questions considering they are perceived as a
Chevrolet factory operation.
Sometimes looks can be deceiving.
“We really don’t have much of a program with Chevrolet to begin with,” Pedregon said. “It seems like they invest most of their money into their Pro Stock program. They did provide us with an Impala body because over the years we have done a lot for them.
Tony Pedregon doesn’t have a major
factory program, but that hasn’t stopped him and his brother Cruz from shopping
around for one. A recent announcement that Toyota will supply their teams with
support vehicles has raised many questions considering they are perceived as a
Chevrolet factory operation.
Sometimes looks can be deceiving.
“We really don’t have much of a program with Chevrolet to begin with,” Pedregon said. “It seems like they invest most of their money into their Pro Stock program. They did provide us with an Impala body because over the years we have done a lot for them.
“Cruz and I are one of the few teams that have major sponsorship like Schumacher, Force and even Prudhomme. When it comes to the cars, there isn’t really that much of a program there for us.”
Pedregon pulls no punches. He’s gunning for Toyota backing and regardless of how low the bottom floor is, he’ll work his way to the top if given the opportunity.
“Our hopes are that we can help lure Toyota into this sport,” Pedregon said. “I know they are looking at it and see a lot of value in it. More than that, they see a lot of their customers at the races. They have a really good product and their numbers speak for themselves. They invest an awful lot and have plants in San Antonio and Indianapolis. Toyota employs a lot of people here in Kansas.”
Rumors suggest the brothers possess a Toyota body. Pedregon says that is not true. At this point, Pedregon said, he is happy running the Impala shell.
“The Toyota body that is running now is exclusive to Alan Johnson,” Pedregon said. “We are hoping that we can work with them to build a body. Right now it is just support vehicle help only. Every little bit helps a team like us. That’s really the extent of it at this point.
“The Impala body is no doubt more aerodynamic than what we had been working with prior. It has worked out well,” he said. “With not having as good of a body as Schumacher and Force, we beat their teams on a lot of occasions.”
Pedregon said that earning his niche with Toyota will come down to being more creative than the next team owner. “Cruz and I are just trying to get creative and work with the companies that are willing to do it with us,” Pedregon said. “We have to look at other avenues to bring in that support.”
Sometimes looks can be deceiving.
“We really don’t have much of a program with Chevrolet to begin with,” Pedregon said. “It seems like they invest most of their money into their Pro Stock program. They did provide us with an Impala body because over the years we have done a lot for them.
Tony Pedregon doesn’t have a major
factory program, but that hasn’t stopped him and his brother Cruz from shopping
around for one. A recent announcement that Toyota will supply their teams with
support vehicles has raised many questions considering they are perceived as a
Chevrolet factory operation.Sometimes looks can be deceiving.
“We really don’t have much of a program with Chevrolet to begin with,” Pedregon said. “It seems like they invest most of their money into their Pro Stock program. They did provide us with an Impala body because over the years we have done a lot for them.
“Cruz and I are one of the few teams that have major sponsorship like Schumacher, Force and even Prudhomme. When it comes to the cars, there isn’t really that much of a program there for us.”
Pedregon pulls no punches. He’s gunning for Toyota backing and regardless of how low the bottom floor is, he’ll work his way to the top if given the opportunity.
“Our hopes are that we can help lure Toyota into this sport,” Pedregon said. “I know they are looking at it and see a lot of value in it. More than that, they see a lot of their customers at the races. They have a really good product and their numbers speak for themselves. They invest an awful lot and have plants in San Antonio and Indianapolis. Toyota employs a lot of people here in Kansas.”
Rumors suggest the brothers possess a Toyota body. Pedregon says that is not true. At this point, Pedregon said, he is happy running the Impala shell.
“The Toyota body that is running now is exclusive to Alan Johnson,” Pedregon said. “We are hoping that we can work with them to build a body. Right now it is just support vehicle help only. Every little bit helps a team like us. That’s really the extent of it at this point.
“The Impala body is no doubt more aerodynamic than what we had been working with prior. It has worked out well,” he said. “With not having as good of a body as Schumacher and Force, we beat their teams on a lot of occasions.”
Pedregon said that earning his niche with Toyota will come down to being more creative than the next team owner. “Cruz and I are just trying to get creative and work with the companies that are willing to do it with us,” Pedregon said. “We have to look at other avenues to bring in that support.”
Categories:
