TJ Zizzo will close his 2025 campaign this weekend at the NHRA Midwest Nationals, aiming to capture his first career Top Fuel victory at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis. The Rust-Oleum-backed driver enters his third start of the season with momentum from strong qualifying efforts earlier this year.
Zizzo, who qualified No. 1 at the facility in 2024, said the track holds special significance for his part-time, family-run team. He added that competing in front of longtime Midwest fans provides extra motivation.
“St. Louis is a special track for our team,” Zizzo said. “We’ve had success here before and we would love to get our very first race win here, when we’re only a few hours away from home.”
At the Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals earlier this month, Zizzo Racing posted the third-quickest qualifying run at NHRA’s biggest event. Their weekend ended in the opening round when a parts failure eliminated them against Jasmine Salinas.
“Every time we’re knocked out when we weren’t expecting it, it’s a learning opportunity,” Zizzo said. “Parts break, random things happen, and if you don’t know how to roll with the punches this isn’t the sport for you.”
The team has worked since Indianapolis to prevent a repeat of that setback. Zizzo said he is confident their preparation will pay off with a competitive qualifying effort and deep run on race day.
Operating as a part-time team, Zizzo Racing continues to upgrade its program with new equipment and expanded parts inventory. Crew chief Mike Kern and technical consultant Rahn Tobler guide the 12,000-horsepower Top Fueler, while a volunteer crew devotes extensive time to fine-tuning the operation.
Zizzo said the team’s approach has earned respect in the pits, even from full-time operations. He noted that their consistent competitiveness shows they can contend despite not racing a full schedule.
“It’s extremely flattering to know that these full-time guys are paying attention to what we’re doing,” Zizzo said. “They know we don’t come to mess around, and that we have a solid chance of qualifying better than them and besting them on Sunday.”
The NHRA Midwest Nationals represents the third race in the six-event Countdown to the Championship. While Zizzo Racing is not in title contention, the team plans to play the role of spoiler against championship hopefuls.
“Even though we’re not racing a full schedule, we take each race we do enter in extremely seriously,” Zizzo said. “Hours spent in the shop, sleepless nights thinking how we can improve our operation. All in pursuit of winning that Wally.”
