Zizzo Qualifies 12th in Pomona; Faces Cory Mac Sunday |
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Topics: TJ Zizzo, Auto Club NHRA Nationals
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Brandon W. Mudd
Zizzo Racing
November 13, 2010
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Owner: Tony Zizzo Crew Chief: Mike Kern Clutch Specialist: Tony Smith Utilities/Tires: Mike Adams Public Relations: Cathie Gallo Cylinder Heads: Rick Dale Car Chief: Rick Messmore Bottom End/Motor Assembly: Ryan Ramos Clutch/Car Assembly: Chris Schneider Cylinder Head (right): Joe Cluts Utility: Doug Wikell Public/Media Relations: Brandon W. Mudd |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:
Brandon W. Mudd
BWMudd@ZizzoRacing.com
636-219-9676
POMONA, Calif. – The PEAK/Herculiner NHRA Full Throttle Series Top Fuel dragster was fast Saturday during qualifying for the Auto Club NHRA Finals here. Unfortunately, the ETs earned by TJ Zizzo don’t bear that out after running a 4.120 at 236.22 mph during the first round Saturday and a 4.606 at 163.02 mph under the lights in the final round. Zizzo’s Q2 time of 3.918 on Friday was good enough to put him in the show Sunday in the 12th slot.
“We lost a hole in the first round,” Zizzo said, “and it was pure driver error in the second round. I got out of the groove, pure and simple. But our PEAK/Herculiner car was FAST. There’s no doubt about that. Our crew put a great car under me and we’re going to win some rounds Sunday.”
Zizzo will face Cory McClenathan in the first round of eliminations Sunday, setting up an interesting battle. “It’s PEAK versus Prestone,” he said. “We’ve run against Cory Mac several times, both in NHRA and IHRA and never beat him. But the percentages are for us tomorrow and we’re going to the second round.”
In NHRA pairings, Zizzo is 0-4 against Cory Mac, most recently falling to the Don Schumacher Racing driver in E2 of the US Nationals at Indianapolis this year.
Tony Schumacher will close out the 2010 Top Fuel season on the pole with a Q4 run of 3.794 seconds at 322.88 mph, a track record. The opening round will see a repeat of the class finals in Vegas, pairing the seven-time champion against Dominick Lagana.
Schumacher enters eliminations 82 markers behind two-time champion Larry Dixon. For “Sarge” to earn his eighth title and seventh in a row, he would have to win the race and set a national record with Dixon falling in the first round. Dixon is 20-2 in first round appearances this year.
Fans of TJ Zizzo and Zizzo Racing can find updates and photos of the PEAK/Herculiner Top Fuel team by checking out ZizzoRacing.com, Twitter.com/ZizzoRacing, and Facebook.com/ZizzoRacing. Videos of TJ and Zizzo Racing can be found at YouTube.com/TJZizzo.
Eliminations will begin Sunday at 11 a.m. local time. Coverage of the 46th Annual Auto Club NHRA Finals is being carried by ESPN with eliminations airing at 11 p.m. CDT. Eliminations will also be carried live online at ESPN3.com.
About Zizzo Racing:
This year marks Zizzo Racing's 30th year in drag racing. Based in Lincolnshire, Ill. and owned by Tony Zizzo, started racing in 1980 in the Top Alcohol Dragster class, moving to nitro in 2004 after earning his class license. In 2007, TJ Zizzo finished second in the final IHRA standings and now competes on a part-time basis in the NHRA Full Throttle Series.
About PEAK/Old World Industries:
PEAK® Performance Products are marketed and distributed by Old World Industries, which is among the largest privately held companies competing in the automotive aftermarket. The Northbrook, Illinois based company enjoys a presence in the automotive product markets, energy exploration, and chemical manufacturing in more than 50 countries worldwide. Old World's Product offering includes PEAK® Antifreeze; PEAK® Windshield Wash and Wiper Blades; PEAK® Performance Motor Oil; a full line of PEAK® Electronics; HERCULINER® Truck Bed Liner Kits; and SIERRA®, the safer antifreeze. For more information, please visit www.peakauto.com.