Cruz Pedregon, happy to get his first win in more than two years, was as thrilled for crew chief Rahn Tobler, left, to get his first Funny Car win.

Funny Car driver Cruz Pedregon climbed out through the roof hatch of his Advance Auto Parts Toyota Solara, threw his arms in the air, and unleashed a big toothy smile that no one could see. But he didn't care. Unlike his first 23 national event victories, this one wasn't for him. It was for his crew chief, Rahn Tobler, and the gang of hardworking kids filling out his race team.

Believe it or not, the man who emerged victorious from the third annual Virginia NHRA Nationals is vastly different from the sometimes spoiled brat who zoomed to success early in his career and won the 1992 NHRA world title. He's still opinionated on many fronts and always says what's on his mind without too much thought about the potential fallout, but Cruz Pedregon 2.0 is a different version of the man … seriously.

"When I started, it all came pretty easy to me," Pedregon said. "It seemed that whatever I wanted to do, I could make it happen. I was cocky, sure, but I justified it in my mind with the success we were having on the racetrack. We won the championship [in 1992] by beating John Force down the stretch, and I thought it would never end."

It's hard to fault Pedregon too much for being so self-assured. After all, it was just his first full season as a Professional, and he was immediately a force on the tour, winning six races and fashioning a 43-12 race-day record. And he was still in his 20s, that decade in a man's life when he has to begin accepting responsibility for his actions while still getting away with a few youthful indiscretions.

"We won five races at the end of the year, took the points lead, and just pounded it out," Pedregon said of his 1992 campaign. "It was pretty heady stuff for a young guy. I grew up in the sport with my dad racing, and I'd always imagined what it would be like for me. Then I get there, and right away my dreams were becoming reality. It was hard not to feel good about myself."

Pedregon's run remained strong for the next several years as he continued to rack up wins and top-three finishes in the points standings year after year.

Then, as is often the case with anyone who spends a long time trying to make a career of driving race cars, the bottom fell out. Sponsors that were once lining up at his door had strayed to other teams or left the sport entirely. By 2001, his career had come to a stop, and for the first time in a long time, he was on the sidelines. He was down to one supporter, his wife, Sharon.

"It humbled me," Pedregon said. "That year off forced me to reevaluate everything in my life. I think you reach a point where you just don't think that will happen to you. But it did, and it was a big blow."

The once proud Pedregon had lost most of his swagger, and he knew he needed to reboot his personal PC.

"We decided to start over and become team owners so we could control our own destiny," Pedregon said. "That, to me, is when I really changed. I grew as a person because I had to become the one in charge. I needed to get sponsors, I needed to hire a crew, I needed to build a shop; suddenly the buck was going to stop at my desk, so I had to learn how to be that person.

Pedregon is enjoying his finest season in years. His Advance Auto Parts Solara is on a roll, as evidenced by his U.S. Smokeless Showdown win.

"I'm not going to lie, it was very tough. Those first few seasons proved to be some of the hardest years of my life. We went four full seasons without a win. I looked back at the 22 races I had won in the past and realized I hadn't enjoyed them near enough. I vowed to never let that happen again."

Going through crew chiefs at a fairly quick pace while he looked for someone he could really get along with, Pedregon did manage to break his long winless spell in the spring of 2006 in Las Vegas. "A very satisfying moment," he remembers.

But it wasn't until September 2007 that he finally had someone in his corner who was the perfect balance to his demand for excellence: championship-winning crew chief Rahn Tobler.

"With his pedigree, Rahn could have any job out there," Pedregon said. "But I told him I didn't just want him as a crew chief, I wanted him as a partner. I told him that together we could do big things. We're both kind of in the same boat in that we won championships in the past and we wanted to get back to the top of the mountain.

"I told him I'd do my part; that he could always count on my driving. I told him we'd do the best we could to hire the right people and get him the right parts. I think we've delivered all the way around.

"To me, we've already won big time this year, even if we don't win it all. We're going for broke, don’t get me wrong. I mean, we're 69 points out with nothing to lose and we're going after the title, but when I look at Rahn and this team we've built together, I'm very proud. The guy had never tuned a Funny Car until 13 months ago, and right now he's going toe to toe with crew chiefs who have been tuning Funny Cars for 20 years. Just think about how he's going to be next year, or in 2010!

"I'm so appreciative of everything now. That win in Richmond, to be able to share that with Rahn and the crew was awesome. It was Rahn's first Funny Car win. For a lot of the crew guys it was their first win, period. We were able to enjoy it together, and it was special.

"It's not about me anymore; it's about us. I've learned the difference."