Back in January, the Rapisarda Autosport International Top Fuel team led by Australian crane mogul Santo Rapisarda and his sons, Santo Jr. and Santino, committed to run a limited 2013 NHRA schedule of around 12 to 16 races.

The team is trying to get sponsors to increase its race total and it did so for the Spring Nationals in Baytown, Texas Friday through Sunday at Royal Purple Raceway.

Lee Beard, the director of racing operations for Rapisarda Autosport International, confirmed to Competition Plus Tuesday Escopeda Oil and Gas Development signed on for a one-race deal to be the primary sponsor on the car this weekend. Larry Dixon will be behind the wheel of the Rapisarda car in Baytown.

Back in January, the Rapisarda Autosport International Top Fuel team led by Australian crane mogul Santo Rapisarda and his sons, Santo Jr. and Santino, committed to run a limited 2013 NHRA schedule of around 12 to 16 races.

The team is trying to get sponsors to increase its race total and it did so for the Spring Nationals in Baytown, Texas Friday through Sunday at Royal Purple Raceway.

Lee Beard, the director of racing operations for Rapisarda Autosport International, confirmed to Competition Plus Tuesday Escopeda Oil and Gas Development signed on for a one-race deal to be the primary sponsor on the car this weekend. Larry Dixon will be behind the wheel of the Rapisarda car in Baytown.

“We are happy to have a one-race deal,” Beard said. “We are still looking for an associate sponsor to carry us at the races Rapisarda is not committed to. He (Santo) committed to funding the team for 12 to 16 races, depending on the Countdown. We have a lot of races where we could give someone primary sponsorship on the race car for a pretty reasonable cost.”

Dixon ran a season-best 3.794-second lap at 323.74 mph to advance past the first round at the 4Wide Nationals Sunday in Charlotte, N.C. Dixon was eliminated in the second round. Dixon is 14th in the point standings, 47 points behind 10th place David Grubnic.

“We still have the small heads on it,” Beard said. “We do own the Alan Johnson Stage 7 heads, but we have yet to run them. They may go on there for Houston.”

The race this weekend is the beginning of hectic several days for the team.

“On Monday (April 29), myself and Santino and a couple of the guys from the Rapisarda team will hop on an airplane in Houston and we will fly into LAX and from there to Sydney (Australia) to run at the Nitro Championship (May 3-5).”

According to Beard, Tommy Johnson Jr. will drive the Rapisarda Autosport International dragster in Sydney. Johnson Jr. will be piloting the same dragster Dixon set a world record in the quarter-mile at 4.50 seconds at 332 mph late last month at Santo’s Cranes Super 3 Extreme Drag Race at Willowbank Raceway in Queensland, Australia.

“Tommy is going to drive for us over there because Larry has some commitments here in the United States,” Beard said. “We feel Tommy is the best available U.S. driver and he is not committed to race anything at Atlanta (May 3-5) so it worked out good for us.”

NHRA’s Southern Nationals are May 3-5 in Atlanta.

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