Cruz Pedregon Racing Signs Terrance ‘Rip’ Reynolds & Chris ‘Warrior’ Kullberg for 2026 NHRA Season

Cruz Pedregon Racing adds veterans Terrance “Rip” Reynolds and Chris “Warrior” Kullberg to its 2026 Nitro Funny Car program, targeting improved performance in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

Both have extensive NHRA pedigrees and previous stints with the team, bringing leadership credibility, familiarity with systems, and a working culture aligned to Cruz Pedregon’s expectations.

Their return signals intent to consolidate previous gains, sharpen execution, and compete more aggressively across qualifying and eliminations in a field that punishes inconsistency.

Reynolds and Kullberg are expected to contribute technical guidance and strategic oversight, adding structure to day-to-day operations, decision-making cadence, and discipline around development priorities.

Pedregon stresses their winning mindset, communication skills, and ability to stabilize processes, anticipating improvements in repeatability, responsiveness to conditions, and clarity of roles within the crew structure.

On the Snap-on Dodge Hellcat Nitro Funny Car, the duo will set targets, refine tune-up workflows and data use, and strengthen crew coordination to maintain performance on variable tracks.

Beyond the racetrack, the expanded leadership aims to lift preparation cycles, parts management, and quality control, reducing unforced errors that compromise qualifying positions and Sunday lane choice.

Competitively, the goal is steady round wins and points accumulation, prioritizing sustainable pace over boom-or-bust runs to secure regular late-round appearances and a realistic top-five push.

Clear role definitions between crew leadership and advisors should strengthen the feedback loop between Pedregon and the engineering group, enabling faster iteration and better correlation between testing and race day.

Offseason priorities likely include launch consistency, clutch window control, and aerodynamic balance, while reliability remains essential to protect qualifying runs and preserve tactical flexibility on Sundays.

With experienced hires and a defined direction, Cruz Pedregon Racing signals intent to contend. Early-season execution will reveal whether improved foundations translate into sustained results.

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Nicholas Rivera

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.