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CLERMONT, Ind. --
Somewhat mostly overlooked in all the hubbub that surrounds Indy was the fact that this was the 50th consecutive U.S. Nationals to be contested at Indianapolis. After beginning in Kansas and then hitting Oklahoma and Michigan, the Nationals moved to the then-new Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1961 and have been there ever since. The return of Bob "Mad Dog" Glidden has been widely covered, and rightly so. After making five ever-improving qualifying runs Bob still found himself outside the field, recording the 24th best elapsed time of the 30 Pro/Stockers that ran. But the real story is the fine job he did driving the car after being out of the seat for the better part of this decade. The driving gig has really re-ignited Bob's passion for racing and he has committed to driving the Cunningham Mustang for at least the balance of this season. "Mad Dog" fully expects to be able to qualify before this season ends. As Bob came up the return road after his last qualifying pass the fans rose, section by section, to give him a standing ovation as he passed in front of them.
T.J. Zizzo and the Zizzo Racing Team and the one of the best weekends of their Top Fuel career. After a career-best 3.86 elapsed time off the trailer during Friday night's first qualifying session the team never looked back. With one of the most consistent top fuel cars on the premises, TJ ran another career best, a 3.85, on his third run, which was good enough for the tenth qualifying position in the final order. Round one brought a match up between Doug Kalitta and Zizzo. T.J. was on his game as he went on to record another career-best with a top speed of 314 MPH. It was one of the biggest round wins of his career. The second round brought a pumped Zizzo Racing Team to the staging lanes, where they were positioned fourth pair out. All three racers ahead of them in the right lane smoked their tires. With a last minute change to the PEAK dragster from Mike Kern and Tony Smith, Zizzo was the only one to make it down the track in that lane with a 3.90-second elapsed time. Unfortunately, that wasn't quite enough to beat eventual runner-up Cory Mac's 3.821-second elapsed time.
Zizzo Racing sponsor Expo Dry Erase Markers was on site to fulfill their promotion which allowed kids to sign a portion of the PEAK dragster. With each run where T.J. was first to the finish line, including qualifying, Expo donated 1,000 feet of markers to Teachers' Treasures, a Kid's in Need affiliate. "This was a huge hit with the fans and a very successful promotion. We were able to donate 6,000 feet of Expo Dry Erase Markers and we talked to thousands of people over the weekend," Zizzo said. The team is now preparing for their next outing, which will be in Charlotte. Another Top Fuel team that showed well was the Amalie Oil dragster of Indiana's Terry McMillen. Terry, in his first full year on the NHRA tour, has qualified for every race so far this season. After running well early in the weekend, the team went into the final qualifying session on the outside looking in. A clutch 4.014-second elapsed time was good enough to get the car back in the field and maintain his perfect season record, which is quite an accomplishment for a first-year team. It was a battle of the Macs in the first round as McMillen smoked his tires and was defeated by eventual T/F runner-up Cory McClenathan.
Indy is well known for special paint schemes and this year there were several beauties on hand. Doug Kalitta had a special Mac Tools/DeWalt/Stanley paint scheme, with a die-cast to match, while Tony Schumacher commemorated the tenth anniversary of his Army sponsorship with a retro look that recalled the original Army paint scheme from 10 years ago. Meanwhile, Robert Hight, Bob Tasca III, and Cruz Pedregon all carried special paint schemes or wraps on their fuel funny cars. Angelle Sampey officially announced her retirement from drag racing at the U.S. Nationals. Just prior to the Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying she was presented special plaques from both the NHRA and the Army in honor of her success and contributions to championship drag racing. Now happily married, she is expecting her first child in the spring and is looking forward to motherhood and the next chapter of her life.
Announcer Alan Reinhart may have come up with the quote of the event when he noted that the number 1 on Bill Reichert's Top Alcohol Dragster was not a decal but an engraved titanium plate. While being somewhat facetious, Reinhart was acknowledging the way that Bill has owned the class for the past four seasons and has a good chance of extending his streak this year. Despite losing in the second round Bill remains in first place in the Top Alcohol Dragster standings with a 52 point lead over the number two driver. It has been said many times that the alcohol classes are great training grounds for the fuel stars of tomorrow. At Indy at least three new bright lights made their U.S. Nationals debut in Top Alcohol Funny Car. Second generation driver Fred Hagen, Jr. qualified second in his family's Dark Horse Ford Mustang while Brent Henry drove the Lane Automotive Dodge Charger of Frank and Dan Parker to the the sixth starting position and Cassandra "Cassie" Simonton hit the ninth spot in her Chevrolet Monte Carlo that is owned by Canadian businessman Spiro Kontos. Good things are expected in the future from all of them as they are top notch young talents that are competing in first class equipment.
2011 will be the 60th Anniversary of the National Hot Rod Association. In honor of the milestone the NHRA is going to have special corrals and historic exhibits at every event on the 2011 tour. Since the incorporation papers were signed in late March the Gatornationals have been designated as the official anniversary event and will host even more special events than the other stops on the tour. More information will be released later but for now NHRA chose to preview the excitement by showing the special 60th anniversary logo at Indy.
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