Funny Car racer Frank Pedregon will return to the quarter-mile with his own entry after partnering with Tempe, Ariz.-based Blue Media beginning with the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Blue Media has designed, printed and installed multiple looks for Frank Pedregon Racing Funny Cars, including the Big Daddy Don Garlits tribute car from 2005, the Toyo Tires car that reached the finals at the 2005 Indy and Reading races, last year's pink HellFire car that ran in Las Vegas and, of course, the Von Dutch car which debuted at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in February. Each unique design generated a lot of interest from the fans and press.
"We are extremely excited to run our colors on Frank Pedregon's Funny Car in Las Vegas," said Andy Salcido of Blue Media. "This is an incredible opportunity for Blue Media Motorsports Graphics, a division of Blue Media, to showcase our skills to the world of NHRA. We have been working with Frank Pedregon Racing for the past two years, wrapping their cars in various schemes throughout the 2005 and 2006 schedule."
Vehicle wraps are relatively new to the drag racing industry. Many race fans may notice their favorite drivers or teams run special "one off" graphics schemes in other forms of racing, but this technology has not been fully utilized in the NHRA.
Vehicle wraps are printed onto an adhesive-backed vinyl using large format digital ink jet printers. The graphics produced range from solid colors to photographic type of images. The vinyl is then "wrapped" onto the body. This technology is widely used in the commercial sector and would include public transit buses, widely seen on the streets, to the small and large business owners. Many companies have seen the value of this new form on non-traditional advertising.
"There are many advantages to producing and installing these graphics for race teams, including the ability to change their look to accommodate different sponsors at specific tracks or markets," said Salcido. "The cost is also a major factor --- traditional paint jobs would cost up to 10 times more for an airbrush artist to even come close to what we can print. A vinyl wrap also weighs as much as 20 percent less than a paint job."
"We are looking forward to developing a long term relationship with Frank Pedregon Racing now and in the future. We hope to keep racing fans interested in seeing what Frank's cars look like throughout next year’s campaign," added Salcido.
