ZIZZO, WILKERSON, STANFIELD CLAIM WINS AT VRHRA SEASON-OPENER

by Bobby Bennett    Sun, 2020-12-13 12:47

Driving his 11,000-horsepower, Rustoleum-sponsored Top Fuel dragster wasn't on T.J. Zizzo's mind on Saturday afternoon. Stirring the gallons of spaghetti sauce cooking on his stove was. This was when Zizzo learned he'd won his first Virtual Hot Rod Rod Association (VRHRA) event as a first-time participant, beating Doug Kalitta in the McLeod Top Fuel final round of the fan-vote determined national event.

Tim Wilkerson (TruHarvest Funny Car), Aaron Stanfield (Quartermax Pro Stock), Steve Johnson (Denso Pro Stock Motorcycle), and Stevie "Fast" Jackson (Jerry Bickel Race Cars Pro Modified) joined Zizzo as winners of the inaugural Winter Throwdown at Orange County International Raceway.

The VRHRA series is a nine-race fan vote series staged by CompetitionPlus.com at defunct or fictional drag strips in North America. The inaugural season was staged back in March, in the midst of the Pandemic, with five events.

Zizzo made the most of his first opportunity to participate in the second season of the series by starting from the No. 4 qualifying position. He defeated NHRA champion Steve Torrence before taking out  Clay Millican.

In the final round, Zizzo beat No. 3 qualifier Doug Kalitta in the final round by seven votes.

"Doug Kalitta has had my number for a long time; it feels good to be able to throw him some shade, finally," Zizzo said. "This is super cool."

Last season, Zizzo wasn't eligible to participate because he wasn't entered in the first three NHRA events of 2020. In the second season of VRHRA, the rule was adjusted to include racers who finished in the top twenty amongst points earners.

"I watched the first season and wanted to be a part of it," Zizzo added. "I knew once we got in, we had to make an impact right off the bat. My fans are incredible. When we went to the final round against Justin back at Indy, they wanted it badly, just like I did. Now I can finally give them a win."

For his part, Kalitta took out Brittany Force and defending series champion Terry McMillen to reach the final round.

Wilkerson, the defending series Funny Car champion, found himself in a bit of deja vu by stopping Alex DeJoria, who battled him down to the last event in the inaugural season for the championship.

Wilkerson, and his legion of fans, started from the No. 1 qualifying position and beat Cruz Pedregon and Alex Miladinovich before taking a ten-vote advantage to the finish line for the victory.

"It sure would be nice to be able to have this kind of a week in real life," Wilkerson said with a smile. "This gives a guy sitting on the couch a good psychological boost headed into the NHRA season-opener in March. I hope Alexis and I to remain as popular until March.

"I think this victory is a testament to my fans. I am not an underdog as long as they are behind me. We become one of the big teams.

In the Quartermax Pro Stock division, it was a battle of two Elite Performance racers as Aaron Stanfield stopped No. 1 qualifier Erica Enders in the final round.

Over in the Denso Pro Stock Motorcycle division, Steve Johnson, starting from the No. 2 position, worked his way to the final round where he was able to stop Angie Smith in the final round. No. 1 qualifier Matt Smith was eliminated in the first round by Kelly Clontz.

The Jerry Bickel Race Cars Pro Modified boiled down to two of the best doorslammer drivers as Stevie "Fast" Jackson edged defending series champion Rickie Smith.

The next event starts on Tuesday, December 15, 2020, at 7 AM, with the Thunder in the Desert, at Beeline Dragway in Scottsdale, Az. Qualifying is one day, on Tuesday, with eliminations kicking off on Wednesday. Each day will be 12-hours of voting.

 

 

 

 
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