How 'bout that Tony Pedregon

Above: Tony Pedregon, seen here holding the series
championship trophy in 2007, showed his mettle this weekend.

This could have been a tough weekend for veteran Funny Car driver Tony Pedregon.
But there's a reason he's a two-time NHRA champion.
He showed why, winning the Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, Minn. just days after dropping a bombshell on the NHRA circuit, announcing Friday that he and long-time crew chief Dickie Venables had parted ways.
It sure didn't look like it Sunday after he marched to four round wins, including beating second-place Ron Capps in the finals with a 4.149-second pass.
"I've had a long and successful career," Pedregon told NHRA.com. "I've been very fortunate to be able to drive for guys like Larry Minor and John Force. I've learned a lot from them, and I really felt that I'd been through everything, and I really didn't anticipate this happening on such a short notice. Thursday I knew the reality and I didn't really feel like I was in a panic. I'm very optimistic and I really believed that I had a good foundation to work with. I addressed my team when I showed up, and I told them that I really need them.
"I had all the information in front of me, and it was just a matter of putting the right people in the right places. There was a little bit of uncertainty, the fear of losing and wanting to win. I started to put things in perspective and I thought there is no need to panic. The first goal was to get here, put things in place, and I wanted to qualify. Once we qualified, I thought, well maybe we can go a round or two."
Pedregon will bring a 28-point lead into next weekend's event in Reading, Pa.
Other winners Sunday were Morgan Lucas in Top Fuel and Greg Anderson in Pro Stock.