NHRA Funny Car star Tony Pedregon has gone a full year and 23 races without a first-round loss.

This week, he returns to Bandimere Speedway in Denver, where the streak began in 2002 with a runner-up finish in the Mile High Nationals in his Ford Mustang.

Since then, Pedregon has won 10 times in 22 races, including six this year. He has gone to the finals in half the races contested since he last raced at Bandimere and has started 11 of them from the No. 1 qualifying position.

"It all really started at Denver,'' Pedregon said. "That's the first time we ran this car. It's a different chassis (McKinney Corporation) than we had run before -- the first car I've had that was built specifically for me -- and it just seemed to fit with the rest of the package.''

After racing the last seven years in the shadow of the hot rod sport's most prolific winner, boss and teammate John Force, Pedregon has become the man to beat for the Funny Car championship.

While 12-time champion Force has stumbled this season, still looking for his first win, Pedregon is halfway to matching brother Cruz Pedregon's 1992 championship, with 11 races remaining in 2003.

The four-time runner-up lost last year's title to Force by 78 points.

"I think we learned some things last year,'' he said. "I know I did as a driver. We had finished second to John before, but every other time, it wasn't even close.

"We were second my first year and I think John was 600 points ahead of us. But last year we actually raced for the championship and I think that gave us a lot of confidence and enabled us to carry a lot of momentum into this season.''

Nevertheless, Pedregon isn't quite ready to claim the title with races in Denver, Seattle and Sonoma coming up.

"I think what happens on the western swing will go a long way toward deciding who's really going to be in contention,'' Pedregon said. "There are an awful lot of good teams out there and we know none of them are conceding the championship.

"We'll just stick to our game plan: qualify first, then take whatever the racetrack gives you, no more and no less.''