With Las Vegas as the scene of Cruz Pedregon’s epic 2016 Funny Car wheelie, one of drag racing’s all-time memorable moments, the team will be bringing the Snap-on “Makers and Fixers” Dodge SRT Hellcat to the Nevada Nationals with renewed energy from recent late-season solid runs.
“We plan to build off the ‘88s we had in Dallas and finish the season strong here in Vegas and at the final race in Pomona…both are tracks we’ve won in the last two years,” Cruz says. “We took home the commemorative 1000th NHRA Event Wally from Vegas in 2021 and have a history of doing well here.”
This will be the final run this season for the pink paint scheme on Cruz’s El Mero Mero Funny Car body. It’s in honor of the team’s primary sponsor Snap-on, and its franchisees for their work that has resulted in more than $1 million in donations to support the PinkFund.org and KellyShiresFoundation.org and the organizations’ important work to cover non-medical expenses of patients undergoing breast cancer treatment. The pink design features the Snap-on Socket to Breast Cancer logo along with the Pink Fund and Kelly Shires Foundation logos.
Before the race, Cruz rode along on Snap-on Nitro Franchisee Jeff Dages’ route. Jeff was an auto technician for 30 years before taking on his Snap-on franchise. He’s busy motorcycle racing when he’s not working or setting up his camper here at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
This story was originally published on October 25, 2023. 
