When Tony Pedregon wheeled his Castrol Syntec Mustang to the finish line ahead of Whit Bazemore's Matco Tools "Iron Eagle" in the final round of the AC Delco Nationals at The Strip in Las Vegas on Sunday, it was the final chapter in one of the most dramatic, bitter, hard-fought, and unpredictable Funny Car title sagas in NHRA history.

And it ended inside a swirling riptide of possible change surrounding the futures of Pedregon and his team owner since 1996, John Force.

This past weekend, as the championship chase was nearing the point of decision, Pedregon and Force were battered with a barrage of questions as to whether or not Pedregon would be leaving at the end of the season, reportedly to head the second half of a two-car team being assembled by his older brother, Cruz Pedregon. The questions kept coming and the answers kept returning with nothing in the way of confirmation or denial offered to settle the issue.

"Tony hasn't said what his plans are yet," stated Force. "A lot of people are already convinced he's leaving and it could happen but he hasn't told me yes or no and until he does, it's still only speculation."

"I'm not ready to make an announcement," Pedregon said minutes after winning the final round against Bazemore, a victory that mathematically clinched Pedregon's first NHRA POWERade title. "I'm going to enjoy what my team and I have done after a long battle with a great team over there with Whit and Lee Beard and those Matco Tools guys. I'm going to take some time and I hope to make my decision in the next week or so, but what it is I can't say right now."

For Force, it is an unfamiliar situation. He has rarely found himself in the position of having to replace key personnel and has been fortunate to have the lowest percentage of employee turnover in the professional classes. But at the end of 2003, should Pedregon leave, Force may be looking at replacing two drivers, since Gary Densham has already announced his exit from John Force Racing at the end of the year.

	T. Pedregon

"I have a plan no matter what happens," said Force, who for the first time in 10 years will not be entering a season as a reigning champion. "I'd love Tony to stay. I've always said he's a part of this family and you don't like having a member of your family join someone else's. But I understand his reasons for wanting to have his own deal and I'll wish him luck if he does move on."

Cruz Pedregon has scheduled an announcement at this year's SEMA Show, the massive automotive aftermarket expo in Las Vegas next week, and has admitted that having a team with not only Tony, but oldest brother Frank as well has been a long-time goal for him. "I know there's a lot of rumors and gossip going around about Tony coming over here and all I can say is that I've wanted to race with my brothers since we were kids. But I'm waiting until the Tuesday of the SEMA Show to announce the plan for my second car and I can say it's very, very exciting."

It's an issue that's a major source of interest in the drag racing community, so much so that Tony Pedregon's spectacular performance this weekend, in which he beat the only remaining driver with even an outside shot at catching him for the championship, has had to compete with the widespread curiosity which his future racing plans have generated. And what will ultimately happen is anyone's guess at this point.

Bill Stephens covers the NHRA for ESPN and ESPN.com.