5.3 The Late Bloomers - Cruz Pedregon and Leah Pruett Talk 2023

On this episode of the NHRA Insider Podcast, Cruz Pedregon and Leah Pruett join host Brian Lohnes to talk about strong late-season 2022 performances and the hopeful prospects for 2023 with renewed vigor and established teams. 

Cruz Pedregon took a leap at the end of 2022, swapping to a six-disc clutch program and bringing on Lee Beard to assist John Collins, his crew chief. This resulted in the most dominating win of his long career at the NHRA Finals in Pomona. Pedregon talks about being at the Chili Bowl with his midget race cars, his outlook for 2023, what the prospects are for the Raiders signing Tom Brady, and his testing plans for the winter. 

Leah Pruett's team was barely assembled before the 2022 season. They matured and won Denver and then had a strong car for the last stretch of the season. The win lights didn't come on, but the performance was certainly ramped up. Leah talks about the late Ken Block, transitioning to the role of driver and not a "do-all" person on a team, and how their stable crew will help them succeed in 2023. 

That and more on this episode of the NHRA Insider!