Two years ago legendary sportsman competitor Peter Biondo made the conscious decision to scale back his personal racing efforts to a degree, in an attempt to focus on other interests.  While one could certainly argue that the five-time NHRA world champion and multiple big dollar bracket winner has nothing to prove behind the wheel, Biondo says that isn’t necessarily the reasoning behind his decreased on track schedule.
 
“Racing has been very, very good to me and my family,” he said.  “But I chased points and big dollar events, and I raced nearly every weekend during the season for nearly two decades.  I had a lot of other interests that I put on the back burner for so long I felt like it was time to re-prioritize.”
 
Some of Biondo’s endeavors outside the drivers seat include a key role in his families longtime business, Biondo Racing Products.  Biondo Racing Products is the exclusive drag racing dealer for Sparco safety equipment, and carries a variety of racing components and accessories for the sportsman racer.  Peter is joined at the family business by his brother Sal (also a former NHRA Champion), family patriarch Sam, and a host of talented employees.

Two years ago legendary sportsman competitor Peter Biondo made the conscious decision to scale back his personal racing efforts to a degree, in an attempt to focus on other interests.  While one could certainly argue that the five-time NHRA world champion and multiple big dollar bracket winner has nothing to prove behind the wheel, Biondo says that isn’t necessarily the reasoning behind his decreased on track schedule.
 
“Racing has been very, very good to me and my family,” he said.  “But I chased points and big dollar events, and I raced nearly every weekend during the season for nearly two decades.  I had a lot of other interests that I put on the back burner for so long I felt like it was time to re-prioritize.”
 
Some of Biondo’s endeavors outside the drivers seat include a key role in his families longtime business, Biondo Racing Products.  Biondo Racing Products is the exclusive drag racing dealer for Sparco safety equipment, and carries a variety of racing components and accessories for the sportsman racer.  Peter is joined at the family business by his brother Sal (also a former NHRA Champion), family patriarch Sam, and a host of talented employees.  
 
Another longtime interest of Peter’s came to fruition this spring, as he and close friend Kyle Siepel developed, promoted and hosted the annual K&N Spring Fling, a four-day big dollar bracket event held at Bristol Dragway in April.  There, Biondo, Siepel, and staff introduced the “1000’ compromise,” in an attempt to appeal to sportsman racers who normally compete on either the eighth mile or quarter mile course.  The event included great payout throughout the purse, television coverage, and over $20,000 in hardcore racing prizes from affiliated sponsors.  The inaugural event was a huge success, and the duo is currently working on plans to make the 2011 edition bigger and better yet.  For pictures and television coverage from the 2010 event, visit www.BracketRaces.com.
 
While these projects and commitments have required a great deal of Biondo’s time and energy, he’s still taken an active roll behind the wheel of sportsman racing machines in 2010.  This season he’s run a very limited schedule, but has nonetheless posted results the sportsman racing community has come to expect.  In typical fashion, Biondo’s versatility has been on display, as he’s won on the biggest stages in sportsman racing in a variety of vehicles and forms of competition.
 
Peter, the 2005 Stock Eliminator World Champion, once again showcased his skills in that category at NHRA’s Route 66 Nationals in Chicago, IL.  There, Peter drove his familiar ’69 Camaro to the event win, knocking off 3-time world champion Dan Fletcher in the final round with a stellar .004 reaction time.
 
“I didn’t really start racing this season until after we put on the Spring Fling, so Chicago was one of my first events and it felt good to get the win.  Racing Fletcher under the lights in the final is always exciting.  I was leaning on the tree in the final and it worked out.  You just can’t afford to cut Fletch any slack, if you do he will exploit every bit of it.”
 
From there, Peter made an appearance at the annual JEGS U.S. Open Bracket Championships at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis.  That event features some of the best 1/8th mile bracket racing in the country, for four days of huge purses.  The event is one in which Biondo has enjoyed success in the past.  This season, Biondo drove friend Jeff Palmer’s dragster (a car he had not driven prior to that weekend) to a $20,000 windfall, defeating touring sportsman competitor Jason Lynch in the final round with another .004 reaction time.
 
“I’ve been traveling to some of the big bracket races with Jeff and Laura Palmer this season,” explained Biondo.  “Racing with them has been a lot of fun.  They are the best.  Besides taking racing seriously, they know how to kick back and enjoy their time at the track.  It was a special win we shared and I’ll never forget it.”
 
While those two event wins would mark career highlights for most competitors, Biondo was just kicking off his 2010 campaign.  A month after the Indianapolis victory, Biondo returned to Atco Raceway for the AA Auto Salvage SuperBucks weekend.  That event is another that has been good to Biondo in years past (he was the $50,000 main event winner in 2000), and he made the 2010 event a memorable outing as well.  That weekend, behind the wheel of his Biondo Racing Products Race Tech dragster, Peter appeared in not one, but two $25,000-to-win main event finals.  In Friday’s event, he fell to Richard Door in a close final round contest.  Two days later, he returned to capture the $25,000 prize with a final round victory over Scotty Bodmer.
 
The Atco victory capped a three month swing in which Biondo won three major sportsman events in three different machines, and three separate venues.  He footbraked his way to the Stock Eliminator title over a decorated opponent with a clutch final round reaction time.  He then wheeled an unfamiliar car to a $20,000 windfall at one of the most competitive eighth mile bracket events on the schedule.  And of course, he drove his own dragster to a pair of final rounds at the marquee quarter-mile bracket race of the season in Atco.
 
“Two years ago I cut my racing schedule down a bit, now it seems like every race I go to is a big one.  Racing less, I made a promise to myself that every time I staged, I would put everything I had into it.  Lately, that focus has paid off.”