Story By: ELON WERNER / ZIZZO RACING – CHICAGO, IL – Zizzo Racing and the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster team are gearing up for a strong finish at the NHRA Midwest Nationals, September 26-29.
The team has already made a significant impact this season, securing their first No. 1 qualifier at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals in May.
At the prestigious 70th annual U.S. Nationals, driver TJ Zizzo piloted the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster to a No. 3 qualifying position, his best starting spot since joining the event in 2004. With just one more race remaining on their partial season schedule, Zizzo is eager to cap off the year with a strong performance at World Wide Technology Raceway.
“We don’t race at every NHRA national event by design but when we go to the races, we are there to perform, entertain the fans and try and get in the winner’s circle,” said Zizzo, a Top Fuel national event finalist in 2020. “We got some people’s attention in Chicago and that was a highlight for this entire team. They work so hard year-round. When you can say you were the No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel in 2024 with as tough as the competition has been, that is a great achievement.”
Zizzo’s legacy at the NHRA Midwest Nationals, nestled in the historic shadow of St. Louis’ Gateway Arch, traces back to his debut in 2004. Since then, he has maintained a perfect qualifying record. The fan-favorite’s best performance was in St. Louis in 2020, when he secured the No. 4 qualifying spot and progressed to the quarterfinals, defeating Luigi Novelli in the opening round. Last year Zizzo qualified No. 13 and was ousted early by championship contender Justin Ashley.
“Every race is special to our team,” said Zizzo. “We put a massive amount of effort into our program. We were more prepared than the last for every race we attended this season. It’s a privilege to be able to compete at a very high level. It takes a dedicated team to be able to compete against the best in the world andSt. Louis feels like a hometown race.”
The 2024 edition of the Midwest Nationals will be Zizzo Racing’s final event of the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. The event is the third race in the six race NHRA playoff series and Zizzo is looking to continue to improve on the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster’s performance and make an impact on the playoff outcome. A first Top Fuel win is still on the bucket list for the family owned and operated single car team.
“It is cool to be able to compete in a playoff national event and we want to be sure to represent Rust-Oleum and all our sponsors at the highest level,” said Zizzo. “The stakes are high across the board for all the teams. We are chasing our first Top Fuel win, and some other teams might be chasing world championships. Every team must perform at the highest level to have success in qualifying and on race day. We have proven we can race with anyone, and I am ready to get on the track.”
Zizzo and the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel team will make their first qualifying run Friday at 5:30 p.m. CDT and 8:00 p.m. CDT, with two more qualifying runs slated for Saturday at 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Final eliminations for the quickest 16 Top Fuel dragster will begin on Sunday at 11:00 a.m.