JUST DAYS BEFORE SECURING THE WINTER SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP, QUARTUCCIO TOOK HIS PERSONAL CAR TO THE WINNER’ S CIRCLE IN RADIAL VS. THE WORLD AT
LIGHTS OUT 16, ADDING ANOTHER ACCOLADE TO A LONG STRETCH OF SUCCESS.
win the championship and then bow out like a lame-duck win. Say I go out next round but I still win the championship. I don’ t want that. I want to end as hard as I can so when I go to Gainesville next week, I’ m still pushing hard. That’ s my mentality. I’ m not paying attention to the points and I’ m just going to race everybody as hard as I can today.
In the second-round chip draw, Quartuccio drew Australian newcomer John Ricca, who he defeated in the Radial vs. the World final round at Lights Out 16 just a week prior. Both drivers left with. 018-second reaction times, then Quartuccio won with a 3.616 to Ricca’ s 3.667. With that, he was crowned the DI Winter Series champion. He was paraded back up the track to the starting line, where he was congratulated by promoter Wes Buck, interviewed by Enders on FloRacing, presented his championship cup by Series Race Director Gavin Carter, and sized for his championship ring by Curt Bruns from Jostens.
“ I knew we could run good, and the team I’ ve got behind me, I knew that with the right support we could do good,” said Quartuccio, who also earned the $ 5,000 Pro Line Racing“ Off the Trailer” Bonus for his No. 1 qualifying effort in the first session.“ A whole different combination this year for me, a screw blower, which I’ ve never drove in 35 years, but it’ s because of Scott Tidwell, Dustin Nesloney, Steve Petty, Brandon Stroud, Chris Terry, Chris Johnson, Dennis Godbout. Through the ups and the downs, they had my back, and we fight together against anybody that came after us, and that alone makes this worth more than you can imagine. This is important, but the friendships and the families that I made, me and my wife, it’ s unstoppable.”
Quartuccio received a true champion’ s welcome on the starting line. He was surrounded by fellow drivers, crew members, tuners, media members, officials, and sponsors offering congratulatory handshakes, hugs, and pats on the back. He was also surrounded by his family, including his wife, two daughters, son-in-law, a grandson, and brother-in-law.
“ For 30 years of racing, I’ ve tried to treat everybody as best as I can as a person, and I’ d hoped that would come back,” Quartuccio said.“ But to be able to do this with Denise and Kelsey and Kaitlin, Jason, Dennis— my family is here.”
The inaugural DI Winter Series, with its record-setting 32-car fields, all-star lineups, and random chip draws to determine pairings in eliminations, brought out the best in drivers who’ ve won everywhere else in the sport. Quartuccio, who’ s won in outlaw Pro Mod, NHRA Pro Mod, PDRA Pro Boost, and Radial vs. the World, dealt with the pressure of facing the toughest drivers, tuners, and teams in the sport. But he also lined up against people he considers some of his closest friends.
“ I said it and you could tell when I was upset with the chip draw, I meant it because Spencer Hyde and John Ricca and everybody here, when you have to draw them, it breaks my heart because that’ s how much I care,” Quartuccio said.“ Believe it or not, I’ m rooting for them. Maybe it’ s wrong, I don’ t know. That’ s why I like a ladder better because you have no choice. But it’ s good for the fans, it’ s good for the excitement.
“ People don’ t realize how hard this series is to race and how much heart and soul every team out here puts into it,” Quartuccio continued.“ It could be really good or it could be really heartbreaking.”
Quartuccio went on to meet to two-time and reigning PDRA Pro Boost world champion Jason Harris in the third round, where he lost with a 3.606 to Harris’ 3.600, ending his hopes for a third consecutive race win following U. S. Street Nationals and Lights Out, but he still walked away with a historic championship.
152 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated. com Issue 194