Getting no respect

Tony Pedregon talks to the media after winning the Funny Car championship last season.

For Tony Pedregon its all about respect, and so far defending Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon doesn't appear to be getting any.
The veteran pilot, despite last season's championship, was tabbed to finish no higher that fourth in one pre-season poll.
While Pedregon doesn't exactly agree with that, he believes he can just prove the so-called experts wrong again.
"What does a guy have to do to get some respect," joked Pedregon, who is competing at the Winternationals this weekend. "Well, no one counted much on the Giants winning the Super Bowl. I think it's trivial. Everyone has an opinion. I think, for the most part, people tend to look at the talent and the man power of the super teams. Look, (John) Force has about nine rigs in his pit area and four funny cars, and (Don) Schumacher has four, and we're essentially a one car team.
"It's no different in other sports. There's teams like the Yankees, these guys just have more money and can spend more. I think people have a tendency to look at that. If you ask me, I put us at the top of the list. I think we can win more races than we won last year. We're going to have to fight more for it, but I think we can be better."