CHICAGO – For decades Zizzo Racing has competed on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series racing the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster across the country at select national events. The part-time team with a full-time team attitude is led by team owner Tony Zizzo, driver TJ Zizzo and crew chief Mike Kern with an assist in recent years from legendary crew chief Rahn Tobler. Prior to the historic Gatornationals Tobler will be inducted into the Don Garlits Drag Racing Hall of Fame and TJ Zizzo along with his entire team could not be more excited for Tobler who has been instrumental in the impressive progression of their Chicago based Top Fuel team.

“I love Rahn for so many reasons and I am so excited for him to receive this amazing honor,” said Zizzo. “He has been a great help to this Rust-Oleum team on and off the track for decades. His attitude is amazing and his knowledge, attention to detail and giving spirit fits in perfectly with our organization. He has no ego and I am so thankful he has been part of our team working with Mike and the rest of our Rust-Oleum crew. We have known he was a Hall of Famer for years.” Continue reading →

ST. LOUIS – The driver of the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster, TJ Zizzo, isn’t in the 2025 Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown, but that didn’t stop him from collecting bonus points in three out of the four qualifying sessions at the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals this weekend. Zizzo Racing has a strong reputation as a part-time team that requires the full-time teams to take them seriously every time they show up to a national event. That was evident at World Wide Technology Raceway, located just outside of St. Louis.

“I know I have the best team out here,” said Zizzo. “I am not talking about part-time or full-time. I have the best team. They have great attitudes and give me an amazing race car. The fact that we don’t race all the races and we come out and get qualifying bonus points and start in the top half. It is just amazing for our main sponsor, Rust-Oleum, but also sponsors like Goop who are supporting us this weekend.”

This event was the third and final race of the season for Zizzo Racing. Their most recent event was the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals a month ago. Straight off the trailer, Zizzo made a 3.724 second, 336.23 mph pass that shot him straight to No. 3 qualifier, earning him one bonus point. Over the course of qualifying, Zizzo earned three more bonus points from being the third quickest dragster in the third qualifying session and second quickest in the final qualifying session. By the time qualifying ended, Zizzo was sitting in the No. 8 qualifying position in the top half of the field. Continue reading →

CHICAGO – TJ Zizzo, driver of the Zizzo Racing Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster, will be looking to wrap up his 2025 season with a strong finish at the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals outside of St. Louis, Missouri, this weekend. This will be Zizzo’s third race of the season piloting the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster against the toughest professional drag racers in the country. The veteran driver will be looking to build on his 2024 No. 1 qualifier performance and chase down his first career national event win.

“St. Louis is a special track for our team. We’ve had success here before and we would love to get our very first race win here, when we’re only a few hours away from home,” said Zizzo. “It’s not as close as Joliet, Illinois, but we love coming here. The fans are so passionate and supportive, and many of them having been coming and cheering us on for years.”

This season, Zizzo Racing has shown that while they are considered a part-time team, they bring full-time professionalism and competition to the track. At the Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals Zizzo Racing posted the third quickest time in qualifying at the biggest race of the season. They were upset in the first round when a parts failure derailed the winning efforts against Jasmine Salinas. This weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway, Zizzo will be playing the role of spoiler during the third race of the NHRA Countdown playoff series. Continue reading →

INDIANAPOLIS – The Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster team owned by Anthony “Tony” Zizzo and piloted by his son TJ Zizzo relishes every opportunity to compete at the highest level of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. There is no race bigger or more prestigious than the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals and Zizzo was in the mix today when final eliminations got underway.

The team that competes at only a handful NHRA national events annually has become a feared opponent when they roll into the pits. Last year Zizzo and the Rust-Oleum team turned heads grabbing the No. 3 qualifier spot and they duplicated that effort this weekend rolling off the trailer on Friday and running 3.695 seconds at 333.08 mph to earn two qualifying bonus points and the No. 3 spot again after the first day of qualifying. This run was also a new personal best elapsed time for the team. Over the next two days they held their own against sixteen other tough competitors and came into race day with confidence and momentum after running the quickest qualifying pass of the final qualifying session.

“I am so proud of all these guys on the Rust-Oleum team,” said Zizzo. “It was impressive to come off the trailer and run a 3.69 second pass in the first round of qualifying. We do so much work just to get to the races and I am thrilled to see those results play out on this stage. The NHRA U.S. Nationals is the biggest race of the season, and every team wants to be a part of it. We are running numbers that have impressed a lot of people.” Continue reading →

CHICAGO – For TJ Zizzo and his Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster, the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, August 27-September 1, is more than just another race. It’s the biggest stage in drag racing, and the Zizzo Racing team is aiming to make “The Big Go” their breakthrough moment.

“We are very fortunate to have the support of Rust-Oleum and they want us to race the U.S. Nationals,” said Zizzo. “This will be our 94th NHRA national event and while we don’t race a ton, every race matters. Our crew guys are in the shop all the time getting ready to win races. There is pressure for the U.S. Nationals because it is the biggest race of the year, and you will have a full field of Top Fuel dragsters that can win the race.”

This year’s U.S. Nationals marks Zizzo’s second Top Fuel appearance of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. The team last competed in May at their hometown event, the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals outside of Chicago. That race served as both a debut for the 2025 campaign and a valuable warmup for Indy, where Zizzo and his Chicago-based crew are eager to make history. Continue reading →

CHICAGO – TJ Zizzo and the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster team were eager to get their 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season started at their hometown event, the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals this weekend. Last year Zizzo powered the Zizzo Racing 12,000-horsepower land rocket to the No. 1 qualifier. This weekend at Route 66 Raceway the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster was consistently quicker throughout qualifying and the team was eager for their first round match up with reigning Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown.

“First round, I get Antron Brown, one of the best leavers in town,” said Zizzo. “You have to be at the top of your game. You have to be aggressive. In qualifying, we tried to get the best ET by finessing the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster, but on elimination day, it’s fair game and I have to be aggressive off the starting line too. If I have to cheat the system by rolling into the staging beams, I’m going to cheat the system. And that’s what I did to get off the starting line first.”

Zizzo was first off the starting line but his race car overpowered the track and the Chicagoan was forced to watch Brown pull away for the first round win. Following the race Zizzo and crew chief Mike Kern talked about what contributed to the uncharacteristic unsuccessful run. Continue reading →

Legendary hand cleaner teams up with Top Fuel standout TJ Zizzo to power through the 2025 NHRA Championship season

St. Louis, MO — Goop Hand Cleaner, the trusted name in hardworking cleaning products since 1949, is proud to announce its partnership with Zizzo Racing for the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

Zizzo Racing, led by veteran driver TJ Zizzo, competes in a select number of high-profile Top Fuel events each season–bringing intense focus and top-tier performance to every run. The partnership kicks off this weekend at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Chicago as Goop’s iconic branding will be prominently featured on Zizzo’s Top Fuel dragster, race suit and throughout the team’s pit area.

“Zizzo racing is everything Goop stands for: grit, performance and pride in a job done right,” said Logan Howell, President of Goop. “This partnership is a natural fit. Our products are made for the kind of people who live and breathe horsepower, elbow grease and hard work–just like TJ and his team. We’re thrilled to be on board this season and can’t wait to support them from the Nationals this weekend to the Midwest Nationals this September in our hometown.”

Beyond the logos, the Zizzo Racing crew will be using Goop’s hand cleaner and degreasing products in the pit area and sharing throughout the season how they’re putting Goop to the test as they tear down and rebuild their engines between races. Continue reading →

CHICAGO – After impressive showings at the first three races of the 2025 Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series season, the standout duo of J.R. Gray and Mike Stavrinos have no plans of slowing down as the category heads to Route 66 Raceway this weekend.

The Congruity NHRA Pro Mod class is part of the 25th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals, with this event marking the fourth of 10 races during the 2025 campaign. This weekend’s event is powered by Flying H Drag Strip in Odessa, Mo., and for Gray, he simply wants to keep rolling.

He impressed in Charlotte, winning the four-wide race and qualifying No. 1 as well. After Stavrinos swept the double-race weekend in Phoenix, Gray took care of business at zMAX Dragway in his Al-Anabi Performance Camaro, and the Pro Mod standout is eager to keep the momentum – and the perfect season for AAP – going in Chicago. Continue reading →

ST. LOUIS – The Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster team and Zizzo Racing once again turned heads and impressed the field by scoring their second No. 1 qualifier of the season and racing to the quarterfinals at the NHRA Midwest Nationals today at World Wide Technology Raceway. TJ Zizzo was confident coming into race day knowing how well his Rust-Oleum team, comprised completely of volunteer crew personnel, had worked throughout the event.

“I am a proud driver, but I am not a cocky driver,” said Zizzo. “Coming into race day in the No. 1 spot was a huge accomplishment for our team. We’re all out here because we want to be, not because we’re paid to be. But even though we were No. 1, we knew each round would be a battle. We made it to the quarterfinals today, and I am still so proud of my guys.”

In the first round Zizzo was looking for his first win over veteran driver Billy Torrence. In their two previous meetings Torrence took the win but today Zizzo had a significant performance advantage. Zizzo was first off the line with a .070 second reaction time and the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster never trailed in the race. His winning elapsed time of 3.718 seconds was just a tick off his No. 1 qualifying effort of 3.714 seconds.

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ST. LOUIS – For the second time this year, and the second time of his career, Top Fuel driver TJ Zizzo has qualified in the No. 1 spot heading into race day. The fan favorite driver, who competes in a limited number of events each season, earned his second No. 1 at the race he considers to be his secondary home event, the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. Zizzo posted his quickest run of 3.714 seconds at 327.66 mph during the second and final round of qualifying on Saturday, after Friday’s qualifying was completely rained out.

“It’s spectacular,” said Zizzo, driver of the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster. “Our all-volunteer team, we compete out here because we love the sport of NHRA drag racing. We’ve come out here and qualified No. 1 twice now. First doing it at our home track of Chicago and now here. I know nobody is going to believe me, but we should have been No. 1 qualifier at the U.S. Nationals, too. We had a blower belt come off and we were far ahead of Brittany Force before that happened. We switched blower belts, went to a different manufacturer, and here we are No. 1 qualifier again.” Continue reading →