TONY ZIZZO

for the family car .

“ So I took him , of course , to Union Grove ,” Tony said . “ Put him in a car ; he drove my ’ 85 Alcohol dragster professionally for UDRA . That whole season I watched him going down the track , I was only 40 ; he was 16 . I said , ‘ Wait a minute . I ’ m not ready to stop driving . I want to keep driving .’ So , I took my old car back , and we bought him a brand-new era car , so we campaigned two cars .”

After watching TJ race Top Alcohol in both UDRA and IHRA , Tony decided it was time to move forward and put TJ in a nitro car . The Sicilianborn Chicago native only had to look a couple hours south in Springfield , Ill ., to the shop of NHRA Funny Car veteran Tim Wilkerson .

After a frustrating series of races for the Zizzos in alky , Tony was fed up and called his good friend Fred Mandolini . After convincing the Zizzos they should not scrap their equipment and give up racing , Mandolini suggested they chat with Wilkerson , who owned a Top Fuel dragster .

“ Didn ’ t even know how to start it , didn ’ t know how to run it , didn ’ t know anything , and Tim Wilkerson , being the used-car salesman that he is , sold us the Top Fuel drag racer ,” Tony said . “ Tim Wilkerson and Fred Mandolini both babysat us until we got TJ licensed and we got him going . And that ’ s where the Top Fuel operation started — at Tim Wilkerson ’ s in Springfield .”

Since then , the Zizzos have raced part-time within the NHRA ’ s Top Fuel class as one of the most-respected family-owned independent teams in the field . In 2013 at Pacific Raceways near Seattle , the team earned its way to the semi-finals after beating Tony Schumacher and Antron Brown , respectively , in the first two rounds .

Ironically , it was after the race there last summer that TJ had what he calls his best racing memory with his dad . “ The best memory I have

of us racing recently was when he and I had to drive the semi across the country last summer ,” TJ said . “ It was wonderful . It was a great experience to be trapped in a cab with my dad for 40 hours straight .

“ I ’ m glad I ’ m able to do it , I ’ m glad we can do it together . The other race teams , where there ’ s a father and son , I don ’ t know they have the same bond my dad and I have . It ’ s something

pretty special .”

Tony ’ s days of competition may be behind him , but that doesn ’ t mean he doesn ’ t love being behind the wheel . Zizzo maintains both his Top Alcohol and Top Fuel licenses and recently

made a purchase that will see him at the track even more in 2017 , but once again as a pilot instead of an owner . He recently found the original Avenger Top Alcohol car he ran with Al DaPozzo and converted it into a Top Fuel car he intends to race this season at selected Nostalgia Drags events .

“ I ’ m not done racing yet ,” he said . “ I got my Alcohol car . I got my Nostalgia Top Fuel dragster and I ’ ve got my Willys that I want to campaign too . Tony Zizzo is not done , and that ’ s one of the reasons why we ’ re not gonna run more NHRA races … it gives me , Tony Zizzo , more time to drive his car .” DI

PHOTOS : ZIZZO RACING ARCHIVES