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By David G. Firestone

When “Flaming” Frank Pedregon passed away in 1981, he had no idea his sons would become some of the most respected drivers in Funny Car. Fast forward to 2016, and one son Tony has 43 event wins, third on the all time win list, and two championships, and the other Cruz has 33, and two championships, including the only Funny Car championship not won by John Force. The Pedregons have gone down as one the greatest families in the history of drag racing.

The first brother to have real success in Funny Car was Cruz. He started racing in 1987 in a top alcohol dragster, moved to top alcohol funny car, then to top fuel in 1991, and in 1992 won the Funny Car championship. The biggest rivalry in drag racing in the 1990’s was John Force vs. Cruz Pedregon.

Cruz retired in 2001, and served as a color commentator for ESPN’s NHRA telecasts. In 2002, he returned to the track as an owner/driver, driving the Advance Auto Parts Pontiac Firebird. After switching to Chevy with some success, he started driving a Toyota in 2008. That was the same year that the race distance was shortened to 1000 feet. Cruz would win the last three races of the season, and won his second NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car Championship. In 2011, Cruz picked up Snap On Tools as a sponsor, which he still carries today.

I had the chance to interview Cruz about his racing uniform.

DGF-From a driver’s perspective, how would you like your suit to fit?

Cruz-Well let me put it to you this way, I’m a proponent of comfort, and suits are not meant to look good walking around. Suits are meant to be comfortable while you are in the car, assuming the position so to speak. I’m a believer in having a looser fitting suit, while you are in the car. I’m a fan of loose fitting clothes in general, I wear my pants loose, everything loose, you know what I mean? A lot of people get caught up in how it looks walking around, but that’s not the goal. The goal is to have it comfortable in the tight confines of a race car, where there is little to no movement. There is probably less movement in a funny car than any other kind of race car. We’re not asked to “saw the wheel” as they say, we have a very limited space. Every inch is taken up, and there is very little space to fit the driver.

DGF-How do you rotate suits, helmets, shoes, gloves, etc over a race weekend?

Cruz-Well, the environment we drive in, we get clutch dust, which comes out of the clutch bell housing, and it causes a dark smoke that comes out of the bell housing, and in turn, gets on our suits so it looks like we were in a chimney. On a day when the car is really thundering down the track, we’re going to get a lot of clutch dust. Generally, I’ll wear my backup suit for qualifying, and my primary suit on race day. Sometimes I’ll wear the same suit for the event, it depends on the comfort of it. Both suits are usually identical, but if they’re not, I’ll favor one of the other

As far as helmets, I’ll go with the paint scheme, or whatever I feel is right. I have half a dozen helmets that I carry with me, different designs, whatever the scheme calls for, whatever I feel like. Let’s say we’re in a part of the country, where there are some Raider fans or anti-Raider fans, in Denver, I’ll bust out my Raiders silver and black helmet, at those events. Bell does a great job with my helmets, they are all identical. I’ll switch them, and can’t tell I’m wearing a different helmet.

As far as accessories, as they need to be cleaned, I’ll riffle through them. When it comes to my gloves and fire boots, I’ll wear them for two races, and then get them dry cleaned. If we are in a three race stretch, I’ll go to my spares.

DGF-You mentioned your Raiders helmet. As we know, the NFL is very protective of their trademarks. Have you had to deal with issues from the NFL?

Cruz-No I haven’t, and I’m very aware of that. Dealing with sponsors through the years, they are protective of that. I was with McDonald’s for seven years, and there is probably no corporation that protects the arch like that company does. I’m aware of it, and thankfully so. I’m a Raiders fan, and I know some of the Raiders, I know some of the people in the organization. So I do have a connection with them. I visit them every year.

You know, it all started with Joe Gibbs, the three time Super Bowl winning coach. I forget the exact program, but we had different helmets from the NFL. We had all authentic stickers and everything. My teammate Corey Mac [McClenathan] had a Vikings helmet. So I chose to stick with the Raiders, I never had anything else painted. My painter painted, and they provided me with the helmet stickers, and the center stripe, in a thick guage plastic vinyl. This was back in the mid-90’s. Ever since then, I’ve felt like I had a connection with the Raiders. I’m still friends with Joe Gibbs to this day. Those are my colors, and if they tell me not to have it, it’ll still be silver and black.

DGF-Some drivers black out parts of their helmet visor to cut down on distraction, which Jack Beckman referred to as “the Clydesdale effect.” I have noticed that you prefer to have your whole visor clear, have you tried the Clydesdale effect?

Cruz-I did, but honestly, to me, if your susceptible to that, you probably have something else going on. Part of your God given ability to focus, to me should be, even if something is in your vision, your focus should be the thing you are focused on, not things on the outside. I did try that at one time, and all it did was verify that I’m really screwed up.

DGF-When the HANS device first became mandatory, how hard was it adjusting to it?

Cruz-It was awkward at first. Then I remember thinking put it on and take it off out of the car. The design of them, especially the latest greatest one, called an “R3,” Simpson makes it, and it straps to your body. The original HANS was the one that they stuck on your neck, and the straps of your shoulder harness went over it, so when you took your harness off, it came off too. The one I like, and I’ve been using for years has its own independent straps, and I can get out of the car. It still straps to the harness, and tethers to your helmet. I forgot it one time, and I felt completely naked. I got out of the car, and I thought “I’m missing something.” It took six months, but now it’s a part of the uniform.

DGF-You used to wear a helmet that had respirators in them, why did you make the change to standard helmets?

Cruz-The change was made for me, due to the lack of availability of that helmet. The respirator concept is one that I would like to pursue in the future. For my application for the Nitro Funny Cars, that environment requires a respirator system of some sort in there. I just haven’t gotten around to talking and working with Bell. That was something that Impact did for us back in the day. It had no fire restraint qualities to it whatsoever. It was like a paint mask, which was good for the fumes, that the Nitro puts out, but it never had any safety qualities to it. When I switched from Impact to Bell, I never pursued it. Maybe the firefighting industry has something that could work. It’s probably the last thing I would need to feel `100% safe. The fire danger is an element we have in our type of racing, more than any other auto sport.

DGF-You also race dirt track, what is the difference in SFI ratings for a Funny Car and a dirt track firesuit?

Cruz-From my understanding, there’s quite a bit. My Funny Car suit is 5 layer. My dirt track is of the 2 layer variety. Less is more, it’s so much more comfortable. It’s like putting on a pair of sweats. When I went dirt track racing, thin suit, no respirator, different type of car, different dangers.

DGF-Do you keep any memorabilia from your career?

Cruz-I have quite a bit of boxes, one day I’ll get around to building a room. I have literally pallets of it, stored away, some of it is in the office, some of it is in the shop. The main thing for me is helmets. I’ve always had a thing for helmets, and I’ve sold more than I want to admit through the years. I’ve sold 20-25 helmets, and I have just as many or more, 20-25, and that number grows every year. I’ve never been one to have a single design, like F1 guys, if it’s their country or whatever. It’s kind of a cool idea, but I’ve always felt like, either something that matches the car, or something that represents something important to me.

DGF-What is the strangest thing you have every autographed, or been asked to autograph?

Cruz-Everytime I think of one, it gets outdone at the next event I go to. I signed a bowling pin once. Another time, a guy took his aritifical leg off, leaned on the trailer, handed it to me to sign.

While Cruz is still a full-time owner driver, he is also a dirt track racer in his spare time. He’s also a huge boxing fan, and lists Muhammad Ali as one of his idols. He also has his own brand of habanero hot sauce, Cruz Pedregon’s El Cucuy Hot Sauce. He is a die hard Oakland Raiders fan, and uses Raiders imagery in his uniforms and cars. At an age where many drivers hang their helmets on the mantle, Cruz is still tearing up the NHRA, and shows no signs of stopping soon.

Next week, some medical memorabilia.

By David G. Firestone

In 1990, a NASCAR movie was released that took the world by storm. It used real life racing footage, had great prop cars, and a well-known actor in the lead. That move was…Dorf Goes Auto Racing. Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of it. Most people haven’t.

Written by, and starring comedian and actor Tim Conway, the Dorf series featured Conway as Duessel Dorf. Duessel Dorf was a rehash of the character Mr… Tudball, in the Mrs.. Wiggins skits from The Carol Burnett Show. Mr. Tudball runs an office, and wants to run it smoothly. Mrs.. Wiggins is his secretary, and constantly screws up. This was successful because of the chemistry that Burnett and Conway had. For the Dorf movies, Conway took Mr.. Oddball, added a hairpiece, and decided that the best way to rejuvenate the character is to make him shorter, so most of the scenes he is in, he is standing in a hole, with shoes on his knees.

Dorf Goes Auto Racing starts out with Door racing and winning the Formula 1 Championship, using questionable methods. When asked about his championship, he states that he has won the “Romanian 50, the Bulgarian 20, Liechtenstein 10, and the Minsk 2.”When the reporter states that “The Yanks say that until you’ve won with the stock car, you ain’t won yet.”When Dorf asks who said that, the reporter states “Dale Earnhardt, Kyle Petty, Richard Petty, Mark Martin.” So Dorf decides to race in NASCAR.

He gets signed by Col. Ovid Bolus, a cheap owner, who flies Dorf from Europe to California on a biplane. He meets Bolus’ assistant, Dipstick Taylor, a talkative nerd, who is slow to understand things, and they arrive at a hotel, where Dorf holds a press conference, attended by three people.

The scene cuts to Sonoma Raceway, then known as Sears Point Raceway. Dorf introduces his pit crew, Dipstick, Tony Chboike, who spends the entire movie eating a sandwich, Timber Jim, who is 7 feet tall, Willie Davis who incessantly plays a flute he carved by hand, Boom Boom, a hot blonde woman, who contributes nothing and who is ignored by the crew, and Pops Morgan and old man who is slow. This is followed by a sequence where Pops gets stuck on the track while cars fly by.

Dorf is next asked about his car, and a vintage Monte Carlo with steam pouring out of the engine is moved across the screen behind him. The announcer then sarcastically remarks “The pieces are in place, top driver, cream of the crop pit crew, a lousy car, and a greedy owner.” This is followed by interviews with Harry Gant, Ken Schrader, Geoff Bodine, and Michael Waltrip, who is working on his wrecked #30 Country Time Pontiac, while blaming Dorf.

As the announcer is talking, he is given a piece of paper, and he announces that with 30 minutes left to go before the race, Budweiser and Junior Johnson will supply Dorf with a car. The next scene is a series of qualifying events including Rusty Wallace, Harry Gant, and Sterling Marlin, Dorf being forced to qualify for his NASCAR license, and the Budweiser hauler driving to the track. Dorf somehow gets his license, and the car is given over to his incompetent pit crew. Dorf qualifies well. Another series of Interviews follows, including Richard Petty, Rusty Wallace, and Darrell Waltrip, all of whom blast his abilities.

The scene shifts to a hotel where Sears Point is holding a banquet, and Dorf is a guest of honor. The keynote speaker discusses changing a spark plug, and makes it sound even more boring than it is in real life.

The next day, the race is held, the vice president of NASCAR states that because of Dorf, they are going to review their licensing process. Unocal’s representative states that he ran Dorf out of the office, but reluctantly admits that he has to provide fuel to Dorf’s team. Ned Jarrett even takes a shot at Dorf. Hoyt Axton made a cameo, singing the National Anthem, Willie plays along, while Dorf struggles to remove his helmet.

Getting Dorf into the seat is a struggle, and the crew fights over the steering wheel. Dorf fires the engine, but it sounds terrible. The steering wheel comes off. Dipstick radios Dorf stating “Dorf, come in.” Dorf pulls into pit lane, only to be told, I wanted to talk to you on the radio. Upon returning to pit lane a second time, Dorf finds his crew literally doing nothing. Dorf asks for water, Tony holds a stick that is too short for Dorf to reach. He leaves, telling Tony to “find a longer stick, I’ll be back.” Dorf comes back in a third time, and Tony spills the water in Dorf’s lap. Glad he didn’t order the hot soup, Dorf drives off.

A 4th pit stop occurs, with Dorf complaining he’s low on fuel, the tires are low, and the glove box door fell off. The classic Benny Hill jack gag, where the jack is under car, and lifts the driver as opposed to the car takes place, and all the air is let out of the tire. Dipstick climbs in the car, and Dorf is forced to make a pit stop, wheel the announcer quips that the crew is “the Keystone Cops of auto racing.” The car is refueled, using a 1950’s gas pump.

Dorf then somehow drives out of the track entirely, through a fast food restaurant, and is given directions back to the track from some cops. Boom Boom begins sunbathing, and slowly removes her jumpsuit. Dorf wrecks the two leaders, and the rest are distracted by Boom Boom, now down to her bikini top, leaving Dorf the leader. The flagman was going to throw the yellow, but Boom Boom, now only wearing a bikini distracts him, and he throws the checkered flag instead.

As Dorf celebrates in victory lane, an angry mob comes for Dorf. Dorf then grabs one of the mooring lines of the Goodyear blimp, and flies away, the end,

I will give this movie credit, for a direct to video release, they got cameos from some top NASCAR talent. Cameos included Harry Gant, Ken Schrader, Geoff Bodine, Michael Waltrip, Richard Petty, Rusty Wallace, Darrell Waltrip,and Ned Jarrett.

Also, the on-track announcing is really good, something that in movies and TV shows isn’t always the case. The Brady 500 has some of the worst racing announcing I have ever seen. In this movie, the announcer, Bruce Flanders did a great job. Flanders is a real announcer, and he made it work.

Sadly, Flanders’ announcing is one of the only things that did work. Much of the racing footage was shot during the 1989 Banquet Frozen Foods 300, and it looks good. However, aside from that, the movie is a flop. As much as I like Tim Conway, and as much as I like Dorf, the movie falls flat. Tim Conway must not understand that much about NASCAR, because most of the movie relies on willfull suspension of disbeleif, which at some points in this movie, is almost impossible. The chemestry he had with Carol Burnett isn’t present with any of the other actors. The cameos actually work well because the actors are clearly annoyed with the whole premise, and a couple are clearly doing it for some extra cash.

The humor doesn’t work on several levels. You have to be a NASCAR fan to get many of the jokes, so it doesn’t work for non-racing fans. Many of the in-jokes don’t work, since they are so over the top, they are just not good. Dorf as a character doesn’t fit in NASCAR, and the premise is so bad, it borders on absurdity. I’m going to give this movie an F. It didn’t work then, and it doesn’t work now.

Next week, I will start the month of February with some medical memorabilia.