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Cruz Pedregon Excited for First NHRA 4-Wide Playoff at Carolina Nationals
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Highlights
- Cruz Pedregon won first race in Reading, boosting championship hopes.
- Pedregon ranks sixth, 65 points behind leader, with five races left.
- NHRA’s first four-wide race format debuts at Carolina Nationals.
- Top four Funny Car drivers separated by only 35 points.
- Qualifying Friday-Saturday; eliminations Sunday at zMAX Dragway.
- Event includes Nitro Alley entertainment, fan activities, and track walk.
Cruz Pedregon arrives at the NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway with momentum from Reading, re-entering the Funny Car title fight as the playoffs debut four-wide eliminations.
His Reading victory ends a long drought and moves him to sixth, 65 points behind the leader, with five events remaining.
Only 35 points cover the top four in Funny Car.
The margins remain tight: Austin Prock, Jack Beckman, Ron Capps, and Paul Lee are split by 35 points. Four-wide racing amplifies volatility, testing execution across Pedregon’s 12,000hp Snap-on Dodge Hellcat.
Reading also provided validation. Pedregon’s 40th career Funny Car win converted strong qualifying pace into race-day consistency, a weakness that repeatedly blunted this team’s ceiling earlier in the year.
Pedregon ends a winless streak with his 40th Funny Car victory in Reading.
Pedregon cites prior four-wide proficiency and a favorable venue. “Charlotte’s been one of my favorite tracks,” he says. “We’re right in the mix, and that’s where we want to be.”
The competitive brief is simple: maintain repeatable downtrack performance. With Reading’s speed finally aligning with execution, the target is incremental gains rather than wholesale changes at Charlotte.
Qualifying runs on Friday and Saturday set the lanes for Sunday eliminations, with live coverage scheduled on FS1. Lane choice and staging discipline become magnified in the four-car format.
NHRA’s first-ever four-wide playoff race debuts in Charlotte.
Last year’s winners were Antron Brown, Austin Prock, Dallas Glenn, and Matt Smith across the pro categories.
This event is round two of the six-race Countdown and round 16 of 20 overall.
Behind the leading quartet, threats include Matt Hagan, J.R. Todd, Daniel Wilkerson, rookie Spencer Hyde, and Alexis DeJoria. Pedregon’s sixth-place platform remains within striking range if execution holds.
Top Fuel shifts after Reading, with Doug Kalitta edging ahead of regular-season champion Tony Stewart and Shawn Langdon. Brittany Force, Justin Ashley, Clay Millican, and titleholder Antron Brown stay prominent.
In Pro Stock, Dallas Glenn targets a home-track hat-trick, opposed by Greg Anderson and Erica Enders. Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader Matt Smith pursues a third straight zMAX triumph.
Support comes from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and Congruity NHRA Pro Mod.
Fans get pre-race ceremonies, driver introductions, Nitro Alley meet-and-greets, the SealMaster Track Walk, and a winner’s circle celebration.
Away from the lanes, preparation and protective gear remain fundamentals, as teams chase marginal gains without compromising reliability or safety in the championship run-in.
With five races left, execution under four-wide pressure may shape the NHRA world title picture. Pedregon’s immediate task is clear: convert momentum into repeatable Sunday performance.
Visual Summary
Nicholas Rivera delivers NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car news, including eliminator-round results and reaction-time stats. He brings track-side interviews, contender profiles, and championship-point breakdowns straight from drag-racing’s biggest national events.
