Cruz Pedregon hires Bill Schultz as team consultant

Seeking to build on his success in the 2002 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Advance Auto Parts Funny Car team owner and driver Cruz Pedregon has announced that Bill Schultz will be a full-time team consultant to crew chief Ted Fasching. Schultz brings with him more than 30 years of racing experience and an extensive and successful track record. One of Schultz's greatest accomplishments is winning national events with almost every driver he has worked for, including many of drag racing's legends - Kenny Bernstein, John Force, Shirley Muldowney, and Don Garlits.

"Bill brings big-time experience and veteran leadership that will be a great asset to our team," said Pedregon. "We have had flashes of very positive performance this year, and Bill will be a great addition to the Advance Auto Parts crew. There is still a lot of racing to be done in 2002, and I feel confident Bill will provide that extra ingredient to put us in the winner's circle."

Said Schultz, "Anyone who has raced as much as I have cherishes the ability to work with a champion like Cruz Pedregon and the Advance Auto Parts race team. It is a great opportunity to work with Cruz because he has a program that is aggressive and at the top level of competition. I've had a lot of success in my career, and I am still in drag racing because I love it. I plan to build on the strong foundation Cruz has created with the Advance Auto Parts team and see how my experience can move the team to a higher level of performance."

Schultz is not a stranger to success; he has won national events in the last four decades in Top Gas, Top Fuel, and Funny Car. Since his start in 1957, he has won more than 100 events, and the expertise and knowledge he has gained throughout the years have made him a great asset to many teams.