LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.  -- There's one thing for certain about drag racing Labor Day weekend. Indianapolis is the place to be. Attending the 55th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at the historic O'Reilly Raceway Park is a time honored tradition for most fans and a dream come true for competitors.

The same is true for T.J. Zizzo who will make his third consecutive start flying the PEAK, HERCULINER and O'Reilly banners on his Top Fuel Dragster. "Doesn't everyone block off their calendar for Indianapolis," Zizzo asked. "When summer and the NHRA regular season ends, all eyes turn to this race. We're excited about being there."

Brian Bohlander, Motorsports Marketing Manager for the PEAK and HERCULINER brands, is looking forward to the race also. "We're excited to be with Zizzo Racing and T.J again this season," he said. "This race marks the end of the regular season in drag racing, and there's something special about racing here on Monday.  Being part of this event is the perfect place for us to kick off the antifreeze season."  

In a special promotion with O'Reilly Auto Parts stores on PEAK Motor Oil, Dee Irey, an O'Reilly Store Manager from the California, Missouri store, won the opportunity to be an honorary crew member for Zizzo Racing.  Dee will be in Indianapolis and will be part of the team on Sunday. "The fulfillment of this promotion is exciting because it provides a unique opportunity for an O'Reilly Team Member to be part of a professional race team with behind the scenes access that very few people ever experience," Bohlander explained.

"We're going to have a lot of fun with our new crew member," Zizzo added. "I'll have to look in our crew manual to see what the initiation will be for Dee this weekend," he laughed. "All kidding aside, we're looking forward to meeting her and having her be part of the team.  I love learning about the challenges in running a successful store and of course they love the behind the scenes look at running a Top Fuel race team."

Professional qualifying for the 55th Annual U.S. Nationals begins Friday, September 4th with eliminations on Monday, September 8th. 

ROCKINGHAM, NC  -- T.J. Zizzo, driver of the PEAK/HERCULINER/O'Reilly Top Fuel Dragster calls it the 'super bonus race'. After competing in Richmond, VA at the NHRA event, the team transporter will travel 250 miles south to Rockingham, NC for the IHRA World Finals contested this weekend.
 
"The truck was in the neighborhood," Zizzo chuckled. "After a Sunday team meeting we all decided to continue our testing for 2009."
 
"We're like a bunch of bears who don't want to go into hibernation. We know winter is PEAK Antifreeze season and with winter coming we wanted to race as much as possible to start 2009 off right."
 
"We're excited about being here," he continued. "I expect it to be a tough race and one that we'll have to make some adjustments to be competitive."

CHICAGO - When the Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals comes to town (June 5-8) Zizzo Racing will make a 300 MPH stroll down a piece of Americana known as Route 66, bringing new primary sponsor, 426 Brand and long-time associate sponsor, HTP America for the race.

"Route 66 brings back some memories," T.J. Zizzo, chuckles. "When we raced here in 2005, we blew up everything we owned trying to qualify. It was the greatest learning experience. We won't blow everything up this time. Hopefully we've learned a little since then."

The Lincolnshire, Ill. based team considers Route 66 Raceway it's home track and it provides unique opportunities for sponsors like HTP America and 426 Brand.

Fabricators, racers, auto body experts, muffler shops, farmers and do-it-yourselfers choose HTP welders and plasma cutters for one reason – quality. Jeff Noland of HTP is excited about teaming with Zizzo for this race. "We like to reach out to guys who work on their cars," he said. "Whether it's grass roots or the grudge racer, these guys know if it's good enough for T.J.'s Top Fuel car, it will get the job down in their garage."

The 426 Brand brings its distinct Chicago style, using hot rods, hair metal and pin-up girls to inspire the designs of their snug-fitting Ts, tanks and thermals. With its home being a 1950s decked-out loft in Chicago’s Meat Packing District, 426 Brand prides itself in Midwest values, but distinguishes itself with cutting-edge gear for scenesters in Los Angeles, New York and everywhere in between. All 426 Brand clothing is manufactured in Chicago.

Robbie Vasquez of 426 Brand thinks Zizzo's style fits nicely with his clientele. "We like T.J.'s style," Vasquez said. "I think we're very similar in the way we go about things. We're looking forward to being apart of his team in Chicago and I hope we get to do more in the future."

To learn more about 426 Brand visit: http://426brand.com
To learn more about HTP America visit: http://htpweld.com/