Tony Pedregon didn’t repeat as champion, but he did the next best thing by clinching the 2008 title for his brother Cruz Pedregon (with his Round 1 win over Robert Hight), bringing a dramatic conclusion to the second year of the Countdown to the Championship in Funny Car.

Cruz won three straight races and 12 straight rounds to cap an impressive 16-3 run through the NHRA Playoffs to win his first championship since 1992, when he went on a five-race winning streak in the McDonald’s Olds to drive around John Force.

For more on Cruz and the rest of the action at the season-ending Auto Club NHRA Finals, including Eddie Krawiec’s run to the title in Pro Stock Motorcycle go to countdown.nhra.com