NHRA Funny Car driver Cruz Pedregon trades seats for a day with NASCAR counterpart Joey Logano - MotorSportsTalk

Two-time NHRA Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon and NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Joey Logano spent an afternoon in each other’s respective worlds — and cars — on Wednesday.

Both drivers are sponsored by Snap-On Tools and took part in a “seat swap” at both zMAX Dragway and Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Logano got behind the wheel of Pedregon’s 10,000 horsepower car, fired it up and literally felt the earth move when he revved the engine.

But Logano did not try to take Pedregon’s ride for a full spin, considering it can hit 330 mph in just over four seconds.

The two drivers did go head-to-head, though, in a Ford Cobra Jet Mustang, making several individual passes to see who was the fastest and quickest.

“So they toned it down about 9,000 horsepower for me,” Logano joked to The Charlotte Observer. “It still feels incredibly fast. The first time I rode with Cruz and I was in the passenger seat, the thing launched and I didn’t know what to do.

“I got that feel like you get on a roller coaster that you’re going way too fast. I felt like that. My hands were flaying everywhere. I yelled and I screamed.”

Logano, who won this year’s season-opening Daytona 500, is a drag racing fan and enjoyed the chance to swap rides with Pedregon.

“It was a pretty awesome experience for sure,” Logano said in a media release. “I’ve been to several NHRA drag races and had the chance to stand on the starting line and feel the power those cars have.

“So to get a chance to take a couple of passes in the Cobra Jet was intense. I can only imagine what it’s like to sit behind the wheel of a race-ready Funny Car or Top Fuel Dragster. Those of us who compete in a form of motorsports always wonder what it’s like to drive another type of car. Hopefully, Cruz got that experience today. I know I did for sure.”

After going down the straight line, the pair moved across the street to CMS, where this time it was Logano’s turn to teach Pedregon the intricacies and nuances of driving a stock car.

After Logano took Pedregon for a few spins around CMS, Pedregon then climbed behind the wheel of Logano’s Team Penske Ford Fusion and did three solo laps himself.

“There’s nothing I love more than drag racing,” Pedregon said in a media release. “But I got my start racing a truck, and I really like any professional opportunity that allows me to get behind a wheel and put my racing expertise to the test.

“Joey’s got the skills and intuition that far exceed his years, and I had a lot of fun turning left for a day.”

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Vicki Golden has earned a career worthy of a thousand stories and 805 Beer tells at least one of them, as “Inverted Perspective” premiered March 30 on the company’s website and YouTube channel.

Golden did more to break the glass ceiling in SuperMotocross than she ever thought possible. She knows this because riders have never felt the need to explain any of her accomplishments with the disclaimer, “for a girl”.

At this point in Golden’s career, she’s been the first woman to finish top 10 in AMA Arenacross Lites, the first woman to qualify in the Fast 40 in Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the first woman to compete in freestyle Moto X competition, earning a bronze medal by doing so.

Her love for moto came from childhood while she watched her dad and brother ride. By seven she was on her bike and making waves throughout Southern California.

Golden, 30, is still madly in love with the sport and has no plans on moving away but her career is already one to talk about. 805 Beer’s film series wanted to do exactly that.

“I’m taken aback by it all,” Golden told NBC Sports about the documentary. “It’s just crazy to see your story, it’s one thing to live your life and battle everything that comes about but it’s another to just sit there and talk about it.”

805 approached Golden about the feature by asking, “Do you even realize that what you do, and your story is special?”

Golden took the question as a blank canvas to map out the highs and lows of her career and life.

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The title “Inverted Perspective” came from a brainstorming session with Dominick Russo and it highlights Golden’s outlook on the sport of SuperMotocross and her life in general.

“My whole life, my whole career was thinking differently and looking at things that shouldn’t be done and aren’t there, while being able to make a place for myself, where no one thought there should be a place,” Golden said. “It’s inspiring someone to think in different ways. It sums up my life.”

*Vicki Golden is not “fast for a girl”; she’s just fast. – 805 Beer*

While Golden is no stranger to the spotlight, this was the first time she’s been fully involved with the storytelling and creation of a feature about herself.

“It’s not like a full new experience,” Golden said. “Obviously, you get your standard questions about your upbringing and accomplishments, but I’ve never really put into perspective things that happened in my past with my dad and putting that to light. Also, certain other things that maybe got overlooked in previous interviews or films. I wanted to touch on these and Dom wanted to create a story. It’s just cool to see it come to light, it’s a nearly impossible thing to tell somebody’s life story in 40 minutes.”

Golden’s father was left paralyzed after an ATV accident, robbing him the opportunity to ride again. This happened a few months before the father-daughter duo was set to compete in the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Nationals when Vicki was 12. While she might have been unable to grasp the severity at the time, it’s something she carries with her. Golden continues to ride in his honor.

Years later, an accident in 2018 nearly sidelined the then 25-year-old Vicki when a freestyle accident almost resulted in the amputation of her lower leg.

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Golden 805 Beer — *Vicki Golden has ridden a variety of disciplines in SuperMotocross, which gives her a unique perspective. – 805 Beer*

“Inverted Perspective” highlights her father’s diligence in helping Vicki continue with her career and the kindness and strength he carried while fighting his own battle.

“My dad was the entire reason that I started riding in the first place,” Golden said. “So, to honor his memory and to honor what we went through and how hard he pushed to keep our dream alive and keep everything going – in that sense then, it was really special to be able to honor him and talk about him.”

The 40-minute feature was filmed entirely in black and white, a stark contrast from the oversaturated world of motocross where the brighter the suit the easier it is for fans to find their rider and follow him in the race. By filming in monochrome Russo and Golden had the chance to focus on the race and track from a different perspective.

“It was cool to be able to film it differently,” Golden said. “It created a challenge in the sense of what was going to be more visually impactful for the film.

“I couldn’t be here without the companies that back me but at the same time, it’s not like the logos or colors disappeared, it’s just different lights shed on different spots. It’s just a cool way to do it and to take color away and still be impactful. When you think of black and white, you think of old school, the OG way of doing things.”

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