The most important drag race of the year, the 72nd NHRA U.S. Nationals contested outside Indianapolis, Indiana, is coming up for Zizzo Racing and Top Fuel racer TJ Zizzo. A win at “The Big Go,” as it is known in drag racing circles, solidifies every driver’s resume. For Zizzo Racing, the chance to stand in the winner’s circle on Labor Day Monday is a dream scenario. Piloting the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster in front of tens of thousands of fans in the stands and hundreds of thousands of fans watching on the FOX network makes all the hard work in the shop worth it for Zizzo Racing. This season is the 75th anniversary of the NHRA and Zizzo Racing has been a part of the series for nearly five decades.
“NHRA drag racing has been a part of Zizzo Racing and my family for longer than I have been alive,” said TJ Zizzo, a second generation drag racer. “Indy is a magical event and to be a part of the 75th anniversary season at the U.S. Nationals will be awesome. We have run well at this race, and we are looking forward to building on our momentum from the Chicago race earlier this season. This Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster will be ready to make some noise for sure.”
Earlier this season, Zizzo Racing participated in the Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 Nationals outside of Zizzo’s hometown of Chicago. The Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster qualified No. 10 in a stacked Top Fuel field at Route 66 Raceway. In Sunday’s opening round, Zizzo squared off against four-time Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown in one of the most competitive matchups of the first round. Brown narrowly drove around him for the win at the finish line but for Zizzo, the weekend represented far more than just on-track performance. Racing in front of family, friends, sponsors and hometown fans made the Route 66 event a solid start for the Chicago-based driver. The U.S. Nationals will feature the largest field of competitors, 21 Top Fuel teams, vying for one of 16 qualifying positions.
“This is the biggest field of Top Fuel dragsters we have ever faced in qualifying in recent history,” said Zizzo. “Everyone wants to qualify and race for the U.S. Nationals Diamond Wally trophy. The 75th anniversary design is so cool I would love to be able to say Zizzo Racing won one of those trophies. It would be an awesome accomplishment. I know everyone on the Zizzo Racing team will be focused on that goal.”
Over the offseason, Crew Chief Mike Kern and the Zizzo Racing team spent over 2,000 hours working on every facet of the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster and the race program. Over the past two seasons, Zizzo and the Zizzo Racing team have turned heads scoring No. 1 qualifiers and posting excellent elapsed times. Their career highlight was a runner-up finish during the 2020 season that was delayed due to rain and completed at the historic U.S. Nationals.
“We have been steadily improving the past few years even though we haven’t won a race,” said Zizzo. “Thanks to the late Don Schumacher, we upgraded across the board in 2022 and the rest is history. You must have a passion to compete out here and you also need to take risks, in a good way. The U.S. Nationals coming up is an opportunity to really go for it and try and make some history.”
Throughout Zizzo’s career, drag racing has been a vehicle for him to celebrate the joy of competition and determination. He is recognized as one of the most popular drivers when he is at the racetrack drawing crowds to autograph sessions, on-stage appearances and even at the ropes in his pits. When Zizzo puts on his Rust-Oleum uniform shirt or firesuit, he knows he is representing all his sponsors to potentially brand-new consumers and fans. The fact that Rust-Oleum is a major part of his life off the track makes this a seamless transition for the professional auto body business owner.
“It is cool be to be a part of the Rust-Oleum family on and off the track,” said Zizzo. “Our body shop uses all sorts of Rust-Oleum products every day and our customers can see our Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster when they come to the body shop because it is also our race shop. The dragster is a great conversation starter, and we could not be more proud to have a company like Rust-Oleum on the side as well as all our other marketing partners.”
Qualifying for the NHRA U.S. Nationals will begin on Friday, September 15, with one session of the Top Fuel and Funny Car categories at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, fans will be treated to two more qualifying sessions at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The final day of qualifying on Sunday will offer two final opportunities to make the field with runs at 12 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. The quickest 16 race cars, dragsters and motorcycles will race for the famed Diamond Wally trophy beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Monday. The race will be broadcast nationally on FOX.
The post Zizzo Racing Focused on Success at U.S. Nationals first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
