August 2008 Archives
INDIANAPOLIS, Saturday -- The PEAK / HERCULINER / O'Reilly Auto Parts Top Fuel Dragster finished day two of qualifying at the MAC Tool U.S. Nationals in the 13th position with two qualifying rounds rounds remaining on Sunday. While Zizzo is not assured a spot in the final 16 (as erronesly reported earlier on the Zizzo team site), T.J. is confident and happy with his team's performance.
"It was another great day for us," Zizzo said. "We made a couple of nice passes today and I feel really good about our chances of making the field.
Normally the NHRA qualifying format assures the top 12 positions a spot in eliminations on the first day of qualifying. However, with five qualifying sessions alloted to each team for the U.S. Nationals, the top 12 are not set until Saturday night. Zizzo remains unqualified but confident of making the field for the 54th annual event.
The afternoon session found Zizzo Racing in the top half of the field with the sixth fastest attempt in the heat. During the evening session the team still had the 10th fastest time, but found itself bumped into the number 13 slot.
"We've got two more shots at the track tomorrow," Zizzo continued. "I like our chances. The new tire is performing well for us and our team is working well together like they always do."
Sunday Nitro qualifying sessions are scheduled for 12:45 p.m. and 3:40 p.m. Fans can tune into ESPN2 for coverage at twice on Sunday. The first session will broadcast from 11:30 a.m - 2:00 p.m. and the second session will broadcast from 5:00 p.m.- 7:00 p.m.
"It was another great day for us," Zizzo said. "We made a couple of nice passes today and I feel really good about our chances of making the field.
Normally the NHRA qualifying format assures the top 12 positions a spot in eliminations on the first day of qualifying. However, with five qualifying sessions alloted to each team for the U.S. Nationals, the top 12 are not set until Saturday night. Zizzo remains unqualified but confident of making the field for the 54th annual event.
The afternoon session found Zizzo Racing in the top half of the field with the sixth fastest attempt in the heat. During the evening session the team still had the 10th fastest time, but found itself bumped into the number 13 slot.
"We've got two more shots at the track tomorrow," Zizzo continued. "I like our chances. The new tire is performing well for us and our team is working well together like they always do."
Sunday Nitro qualifying sessions are scheduled for 12:45 p.m. and 3:40 p.m. Fans can tune into ESPN2 for coverage at twice on Sunday. The first session will broadcast from 11:30 a.m - 2:00 p.m. and the second session will broadcast from 5:00 p.m.- 7:00 p.m.
INDIANAPOLIS - On day one of qualifying at the 54th Annual MAC
Tools U.S. Nationals, T.J. Zizzo piloted the PEAK/HERCULINER/O'Reilly's
Top Fuel Dragster to the 8th spot in the opening round of qualifying.
As one of the top 12 qualifiers in day one, Zizzo has assured his team
a spot in the top 16 for Monday's elimination rounds.
Crew chief, Mike Kern, was happy with the early results. "We wanted to rolled the dice and come off of the transporter aggressive," he said. "When we looked at the track we thought it was a little soft in the middle, so we backed it down there and then let it run." The moved paid off and the resulting 1000 foot pass clocked in at 3.926 seconds at 303.23 m.p.h.
Tony Zizzo, team owner, was happy with the performance of his crew. "We came in here without testing the new Goodyear tires," he said. "We knew absolutely nothing about them and we came in here and made a good pass. I'm real happy about the first day."
Kern knows there's a lot of racing left to do. "We've got a good base to work from now. That's just one of five qualifying attempts we'll get here. So, we just need to improve with each lap."
Crew chief, Mike Kern, was happy with the early results. "We wanted to rolled the dice and come off of the transporter aggressive," he said. "When we looked at the track we thought it was a little soft in the middle, so we backed it down there and then let it run." The moved paid off and the resulting 1000 foot pass clocked in at 3.926 seconds at 303.23 m.p.h.
Tony Zizzo, team owner, was happy with the performance of his crew. "We came in here without testing the new Goodyear tires," he said. "We knew absolutely nothing about them and we came in here and made a good pass. I'm real happy about the first day."
Kern knows there's a lot of racing left to do. "We've got a good base to work from now. That's just one of five qualifying attempts we'll get here. So, we just need to improve with each lap."
LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. -
For the second season in a row PEAK, HERCULINER and O'Reilly Auto Parts will
send T.J. Zizzo to the MAC Tools U.S. Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park. The
Labor Day weekend event is considered by many to be the most prestigious drag
racing event in the world, and Zizzo will be making his fourth appearance in Top
Fuel.
While Zizzo is normally an energetic and optimistic person, the week leading into the Indianapolis event finds him more energetic and optimistic than normal. "We're 'jacked' up about being there," Zizzo said. "To say we're excited about being back in Indy would be an understatement."
Some of Zizzo's energy comes from the successful outing that the team experienced recently at the World Series of Drag Racing. "We made several great passes in Cordova," Zizzo said. "Those runs will give us a solid base to work from in Indy."
While Zizzo is normally an energetic and optimistic person, the week leading into the Indianapolis event finds him more energetic and optimistic than normal. "We're 'jacked' up about being there," Zizzo said. "To say we're excited about being back in Indy would be an understatement."
Some of Zizzo's energy comes from the successful outing that the team experienced recently at the World Series of Drag Racing. "We made several great passes in Cordova," Zizzo said. "Those runs will give us a solid base to work from in Indy."
Continue reading It's 'Big Go' for Zizzo.
