Former NHRA Funny Car world champ Phil Castronovo died Oct. 15. He was 69.
Castronovo claimed the championship by winning the NHRA World Finals at Amarillo Dragway in 1971, where he defeated Jake Johnston in the final round. Earlier that year, Castronovo had scored a runner-up finish in Montreal in his only other NHRA final-round appearance.
Former NHRA Funny Car world champ Phil Castronovo died Oct. 15. He was 69.
Castronovo claimed the championship by winning the NHRA World Finals at Amarillo Dragway in 1971, where he defeated Jake Johnston in the final round. Earlier that year, Castronovo had scored a runner-up finish in Montreal in his only other NHRA final-round appearance.
Castronovo, who called Utica, N.Y., his home base during his racing career, began competing in 1967 with brother Fred in a Chrysler-powered ’39 Willys on New England-area dragstrips. His racing career was interrupted when he was drafted into the Army, yet he still competed when he could while on leave and even claimed a class win at the 1968 Springnationals. After completing his military service in 1969, Castronovo entered the Funny Car ranks with the first of many Custom Body Enterprises Dodges. After crashing his first car in its first outing, he rebuilt and won the 1970 Division 1 championship.
Although he still drove occasionally, “the Utica Flash” handed over the reins of the Custom Body Dodge to Tom Prock in 1982; Prock was followed by a number of drivers, including Al Segrini, Rick Johnson, Bobby Hilton, Denny Savage, and Paul Smith.
