Wed, 21 Jul 2010, 10:04 PM Twice as Nice

By Kelly Wade Photo copyright 2010 Auto Imagery, Inc.

Mandella vs. Jimmy DeFrank in Sonoma final.

Fans of Super Stock racing surely knew it was coming. Pacific Division driver Tony Mandella has all of the right elements in place to claim success, and it was really only a matter of time before everything came together and he was hauling home a trophy from the big show. What was unexpected, though, was that the 24-year-old racer from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., would accomplish the feat on Sunday in Sonoma, enjoy a little celebrating, have a rest, and then wake up to repeat the process the next day, thereby necessitating a spot on the mantle for not one but two of those widely coveted Wallys.

The double-up was made possible by unusual circumstances at the Phoenix national event earlier this season, when track conditions put the operation on an extended hold. Four Lucas Oil Series categories were scheduled to be completed on Monday following the Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals in Sonoma - Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, and Super Gas - and the contest was to be sandwiched between the Sonoma national and divisional events. Mandella, fresh off of a win at the Woodburn divisional just a few weeks prior, had momentum rolling and just kept right on truckin'.

Mandella vs. Jody Lang in 2010 Woodburn final. Photo by Rich Carlson

"We had been doing really well and had changed a few things," said Mandella. "We were looking at things from a different perspective. I felt pretty good going into it, and I had a lot of confidence in my car and in my driving, especially Monday with all the data we had. I also had a lot of support from my sponsors and good help from my dad. He taught me everything I know about drag racing."

"Dad" would be longtime veteran of the sport Phil Mandella, an accomplished racer with a national event win of his own (the 1984 World Finals) who is also an acclaimed chassis builder. His business, PMR Racing, builds and fabricates Stock, Super Stock, and Comp Eliminator cars, and the younger Mandella puts his Business Administration and Management degree to work in the role of shop manager. Living and breathing racecars most assuredly contributes to his successes, as does having his knowledgeable father at every single race for support and advice. The solid background undoubtedly came into play at Infineon Raceway as he methodically picked off his competitors one by one with utter disregard for their respective scorecards or how many years they have been counted in the heavy-hitter column.

Mandella vs. Dan Fletcher in Phoenix final at Sonoma.

"You go up there and tell yourself it doesn't matter who's in the other lane, but it's tough when you look over and see Dan Fletcher with K&N all over the side of the car," said Mandella. "I've known him since I was a kid, and I know exactly what he's accomplished. You want to beat him, and you really want to try hard. It takes a lot to control that, and it feels really good when you can do it."

Mandella went ahead and trailered Fletcher in the first round of the Sonoma event, nearly matching his opponent's .015 reaction time with a .012 light and then running five-thousandths closer to his dial to win by a slim margin. Fletcher had a chance at redemption in the Phoenix final the following day, but Mandella was all warmed up and ready to go and sealed the double when he won it on a holeshot by four-thousandths.

Mandella in Frank Grossi's Q/SA Stock Eliminator Impala in 2007.

The rounds with Fletcher weren't flukey displays; Mandella was exhibiting the skill of an experienced driver throughout both sets of eliminations, regularly recording double-oh and teen lights and crossing the finish line in his consistent GT/DA Camaro awfully close to his number time and time again. The fourth round was a particular hot spot for Mandella: during Phoenix eliminations, he put together a .019 with a dead-on 9.83 to beat Ryan McClanahan, and the day before in Sonoma competition, he had one of the best packages of the weekend when he was .008 at the tree and four-thousandths over 9.90 to stop Steve Hanby.

The former Jr. drag racer isn't exactly a newbie; after a year and a half of going rounds in the little cars, he took a little time off before family friend Frank Grossi invited him to settle into the seat of his '66 Impala convertible and take a whirl in Stock Eliminator. The unique Impala fell into the Q/SA category, which proved to be a challenge from the start.

Mandella at his first Super Stock race, the 2008 Winternationals.

"I cut my teeth on that car, and because it was slower I was always being chased, so it made finish line driving really tough for me and frustrating at times," said Mandella. "I was never able to get an NHRA win with it, but it was a good car to learn in. It made finish line racing a lot easier for me when I jumped in the Super Stocker."

The Camaro he now drives belongs to PMR Racing customer John Hennessay, who extended the invitation for Mandella to drive just prior to the 2008 Winternationals. Hennessay was unable to drive that weekend, and Mandella had licensed in the Super category a few months earlier, so a collaboration at the event made sense. At that very first event, Mandella won the first round and then - through no fault of his own - the engine gave way as he was coming out of the burnout box in round two. Despite the mechanical injury that cut the weekend short, Hennessay liked what he saw in Mandella's driving and decided to continue the partnership.

Mandella went to his first final at the 2008 SummitRacing.com Nationals in Las Vegas.

In his first season driving Super Stock, Mandella finished 9th in the world and third in the Pacific Division. He quickly established himself as one to watch when he runner-upped at the spring Las Vegas national event and then scored his first NHRA goal when he won the divisional in Woodburn, Ore., three months later. Mandella has clearly been comfortable in the car from day one, and with good reason.

"John Hennessay owns it now, but the car I'm racing is a car my dad used to drive for Jim DeFrank," said Mandella. "I used to sit in this car when I was a little kid and act like I was racing, so we have a history."

Another historical tidbit: In addition to winning the 1984 Finals, Mandella's dad, Phil, has been in two other title rounds, Phoenix (1990) and Sonoma (1996). Winning the two races where his father had previously runner-upped didn't exactly give Mandella bragging rights, though.

Mandella vs. Art Congdon (near lane) in '08 Woodburn final. Photo by Rich Carlson

"It's just cool to be able to bring home wins for people who are always helping you out, especially my dad," he said. "It's my way of saying thanks to him, the family, and the sponsors. All of our hard work has paid off. I have to thank my dad; my wife, Brittney; and John Hennessay and his companies, Deluxe Rent A Car and Johnny Park. And I want to make sure to get a special thank you out to friends and family and everybody who has supported us with phone calls from all across the nation; it's really cool to hear from everyone, and it makes this really special.

"Now we just have to keep doing what we've been doing. I want to focus on going race by race and round by round, making sure we aren't repeating any mistakes. I want to focus on learning something new every time we come to the racetrack, and if we can continue doing that, we can continue to be successful."

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