In the interest of transparency, I’ ve been the PR guy for his NHRA Top Fuel team, Zizzo Racing, since 2010. I met him and his son and driver, TJ, at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte that fall and went to work for them at their next race at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In a sport full of interesting personalities, Tony stands out.

A Top Alcohol veteran and champion, a regular presence every summer at Bonneville, and now an NHRA team owner, Zizzo has done a little bit of everything within the sport of drag racing and it all started at a small drag strip in Wisconsin with his friend, Al DaPozzo.

“ I kinda invested in the whole operation as half partner,” Zizzo said of DaPozzo’ s Top Alcohol team.“ And I told him I wanted to drive the thing. He says,‘ Ah, I dunno.’ But we ended up going to Union Grove, Wisc., and got me started on my licensing process in 1978, halfway through the season when I got hooked up with him partnership-wise. I made my first pass, my first half-track pass, at Union Grove in 1978.”

While he earned his license with DaPozzo’ s help, Zizzo’ s first race came as the owner / driver of his own team in 1980 at Detroit Dragway.

Although he was no longer working with his former partner, DePozzo provided Tony with parts and assistance during that first race. And the results?

“ It was the most ill-handling, uncomfortable car I’ ve ever sat in in all my life to date,” Zizzo said.“ Back then, we all qualified because everybody ran in the top-18 back for the final round. So, I’ m sure I qualified, but back then, if we ran 6.20s at 200 miles an hour, we were heroes.”

A five-time UDRA Top Alcohol Dragster champion, Zizzo’ s career as a drag racer was moving forward quickly( pun kinda intended). But something was rushing Tony from behind, moving

along even quicker— his son TJ.

His only son, TJ had been a staple at the strip along with his dad and mom for as long as he could remember.“ There were a lot of UDRA days, a lot of one-night stands, meaning UDRA was just a one-night deal,” TJ said.“ You get there on a Saturday, you run Saturday night, and you get home on a Sunday.

“ My dad did a lot of winning when I was a kid. When I was starting to process what was going on in the world, when I was probably eight or nine, I think he was the multi-time UDRA champ. I saw him go to a lot of finals and beat a lot of people and race really hard. He was always determined. The guy always did what it took to get something accomplished and do it well.”

With TJ coming up, Tony decided it was time to get out of the car full time and focus on his son’ s racing career. When TJ turned 16 and earned his street driver’ s license, the elder Zizzo took the younger Zizzo to the track to get him licensed

PHOTOS: ZIZZO RACING ARCHIVES