Entries tagged with “Rockingham” from Zizzo Racing

ROCKINGHAM, N.C.  - In the team's first full season of chasing points for a championship, Zizzo Racing and the PEAK Antifreeze / O'Reilly Auto Parts Top Fuel Dragster made a valiant effort. The season long, back and forth battle with veteran racer Bruce Litton didn't end until the first round of eliminations during the IHRA World Finals when Zizzo smoked the tires at the hit of the throttle. Zizzo would finish in the second spot, just 41 points behind Litton.

"We fell a touch short, but just a little bit," an emotional Zizzo said shortly after the loss. "Hats off to Bruce. His team has done well."

"The car is in the box and all four tires are on it, so that's good," Zizzo continued. "There are a lot of good competitors out here that would like to be in our position. So, it's been a successful year."

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.  - If drag racing is a dream, then TJ Zizzo, driver of the PEAK Antifreeze / O'Reilly Auto Parts Top Fuel dragster is living his. It is the first time that Zizzo Racing has attempted to compete for a top fuel championship and they have made the most of their attempt.

This weekend will mark the end of the IHRA Knoll-Gas Motorsports Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series season and the Illinois based team finds themselves on top of the field by 26 points. After a season long battle that saw the lead change back and forth between Zizzo and veteran Bruce Litton the only thing left to decide at the IHRA World Finals is who will be the 2007 World Champion. The PEAK / O'Reilly team will arrive at the Rockingham Dragway on the strength of their 1 win, 4 runner-ups and 1 semi-final appearance.

"It's been a dream season," Zizzo said from the family auto body shop. "A few nightmares, but mostly sweet dreams. I had a dream the other night that my dad was driving the car and Richard Hartman (Bruce Litton's crew chief) was trying to start it and the car wouldn't fire. I'm not sure what that means, but I'll have to keep my eyes on Richard," Zizzo joked.

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. - The Race News Magazine Top Fuel team rolled into Rockingham focused on being number one in the Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam standings. As the sun set Sunday afternoon, the result were apparent; their first "Iron Man" of 2007 and an early season 45 point lead in the standings.

"This feels great," commented T.J. Zizzo after the race. "In San Antonio I needed a little luck and a great team to make it into the final round. This race was truly a drivers race."

Entering the weekend the team knew that consistency would be the key to their success. For Zizzo and crew, consistency was the word during the finals as they ran 4.77 ET's in the final two passes to bring home the victory.

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. - In the first Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam event of the season, T.J. Zizzo piloted the Race News Magazine Top Fuel dragster to a final round appearance, up next - "The Rock". Rockingham, North Carolina will host the second national event of the IHRA season and Zizzo and team can't wait to go racing.

"We're like everybody else - we're ready to go racing again," said Zizzo. Following his final round appearance at the San Antonio Raceway, which was contested on an eight mile format, Zizzo is ready to the race the full 1320 feet again. "It will be exciting to go 300 miles an hour again this weekend," he said.

After the season opening success in San Antonio, Zizzo's team realizes they have work to do if they want to improve this weekend.