Dom Lagana is an occasional NHRA Top Fuel driver – and so much more.
 
He operates his family’s Nitro Ninja Dragster along with older brother Bobby, giving such racers as Tripp Tatum and Ashley Sanford a career boost. He serves as a crew hand for recent No. 1 Las Vegas qualifier Steve Torrence. He’s a key reason longtime racer Scott Palmer is enjoying his best performance year ever. And when he gets the chance, he advises European racers.
 
And he’s an intercontinental Top Fuel competitor – and winner.
 
That’s all the more reason multicar team owner Santo Rapisarda is bringing him back to Australia to race April 14 at the Santo’s Super Thunder at Willowbank Raceway, near Brisbane, Queensland.   
 
The Good Friday event will reunite Lagana with Rapisarda Autosport International regulars Wayne Newby and Damien Harris.  
 
Lagana, with Lee Beard tuning, won the ANDRA Nationals from the No. 1 qualifying position in late January at Melbourne’s Calder Raceway in Victoria. He defeated Darren Morgan in the final.
 
Beard will return to tune Lagana’s car.
 
“I’m thrilled to be invited by the Rapisarda family to race at Willowbank,” Lagana, 31, of Scarsdale, N.Y., said. “I keep an eye on what’s happening in Australia and have been really impressed with how the RAI team have been racing. Their performances at Adelaide International Raceway last weekend, where they match raced each other over 1,000 feet, were really on the ball.
 
“I’ve never raced at Willowbank and I’m really keen to get out there and run some hot numbers,” he said. “Lee has done well there in the past and ran the Australian record of 4.50 [seconds] with Larry Dixon in 2013.”
 
Rapisarda said, “I’m delighted to have Dom return to race for our team. Dom has a very heavy commitment with the NHRA series, but good timing and an ounce of luck have come together at the right time to enable him to race for in Australia.”
 
Lagana, of course, wants to repeat his career-first victory. But at stake is the Louie Rapisarda Trophy, so Lagana said, “The ideal outcome is for one of the three RAI drivers to hand the Louie Rapisarda Trophy to Santo at the end of the race. My teammate Wayne Newby had the honor last year, and Damien Harris has come close a couple of times. To win on my first attempt would be really cool. That’s the plan, but at the end of the day, as long as a Rapisarda Autosport International car comes out on top, everyone will be happy.”

John Doig contributed to this report.