ZIZZO TAKES TOUGH U.S. NATIONALS WEEKEND IN STRIDE

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – TJ Zizzo and the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster team rolled into the Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals looking to continue to develop the performance of their new race car. Racing on the biggest stage Zizzo came out of the trailer with a strong run Friday night posting a 3.726 second pass at 330.07 mph, his career quickest and fastest efforts. The pass put Zizzo and Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster in the No. 6 position. When qualifying concluded Zizzo moved into race day as the No. 7 qualifier and a serious contender for victory.

“This weekend is so tough and grueling,” said Zizzo, a second-generation racer. “I have to thank my dad Tony for making this all happen. He is the one who owns the team and let’s us compete out here. We have raced at three races this season and we are working towards getting quicker and more consistent. This team is really good and we have a lot of smart people over here.”

In the first round Zizzo faced veteran driver Clay Millican in a clash of two of the most likeable and competitive racers. It was a battle between Zizzo the Chicago semifinalist and Millican the Chicago winner.  When the Christmas Tree flashed Millican took off and Zizzo was right with him and as they accelerated down track Millican began to pull ahead. Zizzo’s tire hazed his Goodyear slicks and had to let off the throttle.

“We had a great weekend of qualifying and we got five runs of data which this team needs,” said Zizzo. “We are figuring this car out at every race. That was a good race in the first round and we are going to build on that. I have to thank Rust-Oleum and all our sponsors for supporting us. This is the U.S. Nationals and our biggest race, but it was only our third race of the season. I am so proud we qualified and gave it our best in that race with Clay.”

Zizzo knows he has more work to do and his focus is on building his team into a team that can win races in the near future. The driver who has raced to one final round in his career and multiple semifinals.

“What we need to do is get to more races in the future,” said Zizzo. “We will be back on the track in St. Louis and I am looking at how we can get to more races in the future. It might not be next year, but I want to get out here more. I have a team that can get better if we have more time together. Racing at this level is hard and I love the competition.”

The Rust-Oleum Top Fuel team will be back on track at the Midwest NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway outside of St. Louis, September 29-October 1.

Qualifying Results
Q1: 3.736 sec; 330.07 mph; Qual. 6
Q2: 4.633 sec; 163.39 mph; Qual. 7
Q3: 3.842 sec; 300.86 mph; Qual. 7
Q4: 4.586 sec; 166.70 mph; Qual. 7
Q5: 3.811 sec; 326.32 mph; Qual. 7

Race Results
First Round
Clay Millican, Parts Plus Rick Ware Racing dragster, (.053), 3.752, 333.58 mph def. TJ Zizzo, Rust-Oleum dragster, (.099), 4.438, 183.59 mph