Fans Respond to U.S. Nationals Race (Via Email)

Note: Only positive comments will be approved, negative comments will be reviewed by TPR staff and passed on to Tony if appropriate.

To Tony,

I am a fan of racing. Always have and probably always will. I’ve taken the last few weeks to figure out for myself as to how I (as a fan) take the situation you and your brother were in. I’m not one to jump into instant conclusion about something such as this and I found that my feeling was consistent.

I’m not your biggest fan, and I’m not John Force’s biggest fan. I am a fan of NHRA, and it’s competition. It’s thrilling and to those who can make a living at it, they are truly the lucky ones.

It takes talent to drive your Funny Cars, in as much a Professional Distance runner prepares for competition, is how you do the same in preparing for each round. I get it and appreciate it.

For me to rehash what went down, is irrelevant. I simply want to commend you for standing up. You knew instictively what was wrong and stood up for it. My father taught me from a young age, “The definiton of Honor- is a keen difference in right and wrong.” I saw you exemplify that lesson when you stood up.

I’m not making you a martyr, but I am proud of the example you set. That is what I wish the viewers, especially the young kids got from it. Because you stand for things, your life and career will be fruitful. You will be able to sleep soundly, knowing you are a man of your word.

You need to stand a little taller, knowing that there are those who saw what happened, saw how you stood for something and will know what kind of man, boss, father and friend you are.

If I could sponsor you I would. I’d like to cut you a check for a few Million dollars, and have my name on your car. I can’t do that now. However, my feeling is that your sponsors feel the same way. When they signed on, they placed hope in your talent, your character and your word. All of which you have proved in the eyes of true racing fans and by proxy your sponsors.

I’ll be at Pomona, and hope to see you there.

Stay focused and my best to you and your family.

Jason Rivas
Bakersfield, CA.

My husband and I have been following drag racing for so many years because we love it. Watched todays races at Indy. Thank you Tony for expressing your opinion regarding certain race teams tactics on points, winning etc.

We began to wonder why so much focus on John Force, his team, their winning, their strengths. Was this TV show now NHRA today with John Force and family? Were they the only ones racing? Or the only ones who mattered? Oh please, enough already!

Tony you took a stance and are to be admired for that as it is so true!

You are a fine competitor, a sportsman with integrity. You’re a winner!

I thank someone for taking the time to read this.

Sincerely,

Eva Bradley

Mr. Pedregon,

I just wanted to take a moment to say hello and let you know my thoughts on what took place between you and Mr. Force this weekend. First off, I have always been a John Force fan and admire what he has accomplished in his career. This weekend really put a damper on my opinion of him and raised my respect and admiration for you. I have followed you and Cruz for several years. I grew up in S. California and am quite a drag racing nut.

You proved something to me this weekend about yourself and I wanted to thank you. You have class and integrity and the comments you made really made it apparent that those qualities are not artificial. Before the race, between John and Robert, I told my friend that the race would be thrown and it would not be able to be proven. I think I am right to say that is what happened, prove able or not. I really think it was a screwing for business purposes and unfortunately your team was screwed. I really am pulling for you to kick his buttocks in the points chase, even with his overwhelming number of cars now in the chase. I wish you the best of luck in the overall win.

I have a John Force Jacket I bought in Topeka this year with John and Ashley™ signature on it, Interested in a trade for one with you and Cruz? I really hope to meet you in Dallas on Sept. 26^th, 2009. Please continue to upkeep the honesty, integrity and true sportsmanship you did this weekend. You are nothing but TRUE CLASS!

A new Pedregon Racing follower,

Mark McCool

Tony- thank you!!

After waching the U.S.Nationals on tv I would like to thank you for taking the stand you did with John Force! It was very obvious that he manipulated the out come of that race, and the count down to one. Maybe not illegal(but in any other sport would be supended) but very unethical. John gave N.H.R.A. and drag racing a black eye! His attuide is that he is above approach. I am 66 years old, have loved and enjoyed drag racing for50 years. I have been a Snake fan for years, also a Tim Wilkerson fan(I was grew up 40 miles north of Springfield Il. relocated to Sacramento Ca 1987), after this weekend I will be a fan of Your’s and Cruz. you two gentalmen are a credit to our sport.

Thank you for letting me vent!
Robert Fleming.

Tony, THANK YOU for calling out John on his loss to team mate Robert. As a long time fan I want to see honest racing, not the obvious crap he pulled. So thank you for sticking up for REAL drag racing.
Sincerely,

David Bell

I just want to throw my support behind the Pedregon brothers over what they said at the US Nationals yesterday.It is clear,even from a spectators view that John Force and crew manipulate the outcome.and in the confrontation , Tony kept his cool while John completely lost it.

Thanks Tony and Cruz for keeping it real.

Charlie Mack

Tony,

Just wanted to say thanks for saying what everyone knows, but won’t say. By your calm demeanor and Force going off like that, proves your comments and makes him look the fool.

It was clear you had no beef with Ashley’s win and the issue was John’s taking the obvious dive for Hight. I’ll pass on Hight’s subsequent dive for Ashley, so she’d have a shot at the final round, but why stop at one? Like he said, “He did what the sponsors pay him to do.” He never said he didn’t cheat and no one asked him flat out. Maybe the NHRA
should?

Sad that NHRA looked at only the tune ups. Dunn nailed it; lane choice and reaction times for both was the proof. Driving out of the groove in the first 6′ was entertaining too.

A sad day for the sport, but you have a few new supporters. Fight the good fight, the truth usually wins out, just takes too long.

Jere E. VanDomelen

My respect for Pedregon brothers has always been high. More so now.

Respect for John Force is in the toilet.

Hearing Mike Dunn’s comments about John losing the race to Robert, using the word “stink”, seems clear Mike feels the same way.

Bob Whalen

cc John Force via comment left at his web site

I am not a Pedregon fan or a Force fan,I am a drag racing fan.I want Tony and Cruz to know that they have ALL of my respect for the way they race. I am not here to bash John Force, but I am here to throw my support to Tony and Cruz for taking a stand. It is their willingness to take a stand, for the good of the sport, that may one day bring honesty and integrity back to the sport.

I have been involved in drag racing since the mid-sixties,so I am not some star-struck kid tuning in to his first drag race. It is the hypocrisy of statements like, “It’s all about winning Indy”, and then throwing it away because it’s actually all about business. To quote Force, it’s actually all about the ‘bottom line’.

I appreciate the integrity of the Pedregon brothers.

Thank you.

Dennis Doubleday

First off i would like to say that i have been watching this sport for the past 5 years, and also have been to Norwalk twice and love every minute of it. I have owned a couple of slightly modified street/strip cars and when i get to the line I focus on whats going on then and there, and I envy the drivers in all NHRA fuel and pro categories, because I would love nothing more to have that as my career and not just a hobby. But i can’t I’m just the little guy looking up, I know the driver’s have a huge responsibility. However, what had happened at the U.S. nationals was pretty ridiculous. For the NHRA to turn the cheek on something that was so obvious is beyond me. Under no way shape or form should Robert have won that race, it was clear as day that, that race was thrown. A .2 reaction time is ridicules, as I said earlier i also race granted i don’t drive a 8,000 hp fuel car my reaction times are not that bad and i am 25. Honestly to me I feel Robert should be removed from the countdown and John kicked out due to his actions. I really wish my opinion mattered hopefully it will at least show that someone noticed the actions that had happened and something should be done.

Thank you
Andy Ebling

I will write nhra and let them know that what I saw was a severe drop in proffessionalism I have come to expect to see in the racing. If I want to see that level of competiveness, I will watch wrestling.

If I had my way, both of those Force cars would be removed from the count down.

My best to Tony.

Bob Whalen

i wasn’t a pedregon racing fan until this years us nationals. thank your husband for standing up to john force. its about time someone had the brass!!!!

dave

My name is Adam Flores, a big fan of the Pedregon brothers would love to see Tony be the funny car champ at the end of the year , and lay all this to rest.
that way there will be no question on who is the best funny car driver is.

And Cruz will help Tony do just that by taking out force teams,and others along the way

GOOD LUCK TONY & CRUZ

IM FROM DALLAS TX , I WILL SEE YOU AT THE TEXAS MOTORPLEX

ADAM

Tony
I was so upset at the way they let John Force cheat for the Indy race. Something should be done about the way John is doing everything he can to keep Robert in the points. This is a disgrace to racing and it makes me want to not look at racing if it is almost fixed from the start that John Force would smoke the tires. It is a bunch of shit if you ask me. I am always going to be a faithfull fan of you and Cruz. Best of luck in the next race and as always I say a prayer for you and your family in every race. Hey you had me crying when you got hurt that race.
I look forward to seeing you in Richmond. Hey my friends and I will bring the bologna (smile). I have not seen a race in Richmond for the past few years due to me having three back surgeries but I am not going to let it stop me this year. Your kids are really growing. Before you know it they will all be grown. Well good luck to you and I am going to see you with your trophy in Pamona !!!!!

Gail Hawkins-Carey

I agree with what I heard you say (on TV) and what I saw on TV when John Force ran his employee in the semis. In my opinion, John Force and John Force Racing is a cancer in the NHRA Funny Car field. Your brother and you, are the top shelf racers of the sport.

–

Mark Harrison

I have been a big Cruz fan since his days with Mcdonalds and also of Tony when he was back with John Force Racing. ( I loved the footage of when Cruz used to race diesel trucks) I have to take my hat off to Tony for standing up to John. His ability to articulate his feeling’s to John and to see John just totally lose it was actually amusing. You know that John was lying through his teeth on what he did to alter the outcome of his race with Robert.

The thing that really upset me and my wife is when John used religion. How could he say God knew what he was doing? I was waiting to see a lightning bolt zap him. Well I have totally lost all respect for John Force and will never, ever visit his pits or cheer for one of his Fords.

I wish the best of luck to Tony in his quest for the World Title and am sad that I cannot make the races in Dallas due to moving to a new job and not able to take that weekend off.

GOOO PEDREGON RACING!!!!!

Andy Colunga

To everyone at Pedregon Racing,

As a fan of NHRA, I have had a very difficult time with multi car teams. A few years back we saw DSR loading up in all classes. When I first went to Baylands Raceway in the horse and buggy days, drivers raced drivers. Granted everything has progressed over the last 50 years, but we now have mega teams racing mega teams. There is no place for a family race team anymore. Look at Joe Hartley this year. Busting ass to make all 23 races. And all on the family dime. Then on the other side we have egomaniacs like John Force. I won’t take anything away from his contribution to the sport. But he is also detracting
from the sport. All the press he gets on ESPN, as well as DSR cars. And then there are the one and two car teams. And does ESPN care about them? Not hardly. Does NHRA care about the little guys? Not hardly. We as consumers can send a very loud message to NHRA and ESPN for that matter. We can stay home and watch on TV.

I understand that two cars help one another out. Swapping information back and forth. The Pedregon brothers showed us what class was in Brainard. Racing head to head, racing balls out. This is what we want to see, this is what we pay to see. Not some egotistical SOB making a right turn at the green light. If Castrol and Auto Club of California need to win that bad, they don’t need my business.

So Quaker State, and Advance Auto here I come.

Tony and Cruz showed true class in Indy, while John Force showed no class.

Thank you Tony and Cruz.

Ed King

Mr. Pedregon,

Good for you! Speaking up for what is the right thing has always been
my moto. As far as what Force did at the top end of the track, he
should have been disqualified. I would like to commend you and Cruz
for stepping up to the plate and speaking out.

There are usually three things that motivate some people. Greed, Power
and Ego. And lastly Fear. Fear being the factor that either I am not
greedy enough, not powerful enough, or my ego is bruised.

When the next race comes up, I hope that you end up on the top of the ladder.

JT Hart
Monterey Bay, California

Hey Tony,

Just wanted to say that I’am so very glad that you confronted john force because we all knew what was going to happen and some one had to say something about it to him and the only reason he got so pissed off was because he knew it was the truth. I have to applaud you and cruz for the honest racing that you two do when you face another and that is the way it should be. john force is treated above the rest of the drivers in the sport because of who he is and he should be treated like everyone else I have no respect for some one that cheats like him and gets away with I hope that you and cruz can kick their ass the rest of the season and keep the championship in your family where it belongs. that’s all and good luck the rest of the season and in the future.

thanks gary tyler

I been a member of NHRA since 1991 I watch all events in TV and go to 2 or 3 national events in my area a year. I must tell you that in the last 3 to 4 years I been turn down for the way that John force fix his races and is it is getting just worse every year. To the point that is so obvious and ridicules that this year I did not wanted to go to a race and watch some events in TV.

Now for John force everything is about making Ashley win no matter what,” screw the Fans”

I think that there are a lot of fans that feel like me and I do not understand why NHRA lets john force get away with all that bull crap, cheating and lying is so OBVIOUS. I feel very much for the Fans that travel and expend all the money they can afford to go to the races to see john force play this kind of game, it is unbelievable!

Yesterday I did cancel my Vegas trip for this fall race.

I hope all the funny car teams boycott john force racing until he plays a far game and I hope NHRA stands up and do their JOB

Sincerely,

Javier Saldivar
San Antonio Texas

Hello Pedregon Brothers,

I just want the Pedregon brothers no that I seen what happen on TV. with john all I can say is you go TONY. I’m the lady that you met at snap-on plant in Elizabethton after you raced in Bristol. Tony I was surprised that you knew I didn’t come over see you guys at Bristol when you seen me at snap-on that was one of the thing you said to me was I didn’t see you at Bristol. I told you that was because I knew you were coming to the plant on Mon. I wish that I could be at the race this weekend just didn’t have the money for tickets. I would love to be there just one day. I will be in front of the TV. Sayings lets go Tony. I have your shirt on today. You both take care and be SAFE!

I’ll see you next yr. in Bristol.

Lora Duke
Snapon-Elizabethton,TN.