Mon, 8 Feb 2010, 06:30 PM On a High Note

By Kelly Wade Photo copyright 2010 Auto Imagery, Inc.

Frank Manzo

The conclusion of the 2009 NHRA Lucas Oil Series drag racing season marked the end of a half-decade partnership between Top Alcohol Funny Car marvel Frank Manzo and sponsor Lucas Oil, and one would be remiss not to acknowledge the magnificence of their final season together. It was a year brimming with awesome milestones and tremendous accomplishments that culminated in a fourth consecutive and 13th overall national championship for the New Jersey-based racer, who has partnered with Al-Anabi Racing, headed by His Highness Sheik Khalid Al Thani, to drive the Al-Anabi Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car beginning at the NHRA Gatornationals in March.

"The only thing that will be different [for our program] in 2010 will be how the car is painted," said Manzo. "It would really be nice if we could have the same results at the end of the year, but it's tough to do. This is a lot harder than people think it is."

Forrest Lucas and Manzo

It's true that Manzo's success gives the impression that scoring victory after victory is a cinch; after all, last season the decorated driver put together a perfect season, pocketing five national and five divisional event wins to rack up maximum points and sew up the championship two months before the last event of the year. It was his second-straight perfect season and the fourth of a career that spans nearly thirty years, and by the time the last car sped down the track at the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona last November, Manzo's scorecard reflected an incredible seven wins in nine attempts for national events and six victories in the seven NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events that he entered.

That would widely be accepted as a pretty impressive feat, and it's one that Manzo might have dismissed as a probability in the moments following an unfortunate red-light to class-returner and former rival Tony Bartone at the season opener in Pomona.

"It wasn't like I was thinking, 'Tony's back, and I want to do something special against him,' " said Manzo. "I just went up there and tried to make another good run, but I just made a mistake. That'll happen, but you do think about it. I went to Gainesville after that, and I probably said to myself, 'Hey, don't go red-lighting.' That's not something you really want to think about as a driver."

Manzo and crew celebrate win in Reading.

Of course, the experienced racer quickly shook off the concern and claimed his first win of the season right there at the Gatornationals, beating one of his toughest rivals of the year in the final, No. 2 finisher Steve Harker, and laying the foundation for a series of remarkable instances. After prevailing in Richmond at the first Division 1 event, Manzo recorded his 100th Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series victory at the race in Norwalk, an accomplishment that he alone holds. Two races later, Manzo doubled-up in Chicago, scoring the event win and his seventh Jegs Allstars trophy.

It's only fair to mention that aside from the first race of the year, one of Manzo's two other losses was sandwiched in between the two milestones: Mickey Ferro got the win light on a holeshot at the Reading divisional, and later in the season, Harker triumphed on a holeshot at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indy.

Charlotte Lucas with Manzo when presented with plaque commemorating his 100 division event wins.

Perhaps the most-anticipated milestone for the respected racer came at the national event in Reading at Maple Grove Raceway, when he sealed up a decade-long sweep of the event with a holeshot victory over Marc White in the final round. The buzz leading up to the race might have shaken a lesser veteran of the sport, but Manzo quelled his superstitious nature as much as possible and fell back on his familiarity with the track to garner the landmark achievement.

"I've been going to some of these tracks for 20, 30 years," he said. "I have an idea how the car will act on the track, and maybe that gives me a little bit of an edge.

Manzo defeated Andy Bohl for 100th divisional event win. Photo by BME Photography

"I'm not the kind of guy who stays home and reads the stats, per say. I didn't realize it was going to be my 100th win in Norwalk until it was actually happening. When someone told me it was, my reply was, 'Damn, that makes me pretty old.' But when I go to any race, I'm hoping I can win. Some people like to fish on the weekends or play golf. I just love to race, and that's my enjoyment. Sure, I wanted to [complete the decade sweep], and there was a certain amount of pressure, but I was fortunate enough to get it done. I really just love to climb in my racecar, go to the racetrack, and have fun with my friends. I'm not really counting."

Like many racers, Manzo runs a strenuous schedule and finds that to be one of his biggest challenges, particularly when it's crunch-time and there are long stretches of weeks with divisional and national events lined up back-to-back. In 2010, he'll get his start at the national event in Gainesville and add another seven or eight national events and six to eight divisionals to his tally before the season is through, but before his own season even begins, Manzo is already hard at work overseas in Qatar tuning Sheik Khalid Al Thani's Pro Mod entry. The tireless Manzo says he's having fun, though, and that the key to success in the year ahead is preparation.

"My guys work so hard," he said. "My crew has been with me a very long time, and this bunch of guys wants to win as and as I do. The way my car goes up and down the track and repeats in e.t. and speed, and the way that we're fortunate to win four, five, six weeks in a row, it just shows how good of a team I have and how very fortunate I am. I have to thank my wife, Michele; John Glade, Fred Bauer, Ed Hofmann, and Scott Siesing. I get all the credit, but like I tell everybody, it's not me, it's we. Those guys make it possible.

"I'm fortunate to race against a great bunch of racers, and luck has been on my side. But I know that this winter, they all went home and tried to figure out how they can pick up their performance. If I don't do my homework, in a few months I'm going to find myself behind. I have to work a little harder, and I have to try and raise the bar. Everything went our way last year, but there are a lot of great cars out there."

As the one and only Frank Manzo eagerly steps into a new chapter of his racing career aligned with Al-Anabi Racing, he does so tempered with gratitude for what he leaves behind.

"It was a difficult decision, and I have been very lucky to be associated with the Lucas family. It was a great five years."

In addition to thanking Lucas Oil and the Lucas family, Manzo also acknowledged the kind support of Jegs and Hoosier Tire.

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