In a Top Fuel field filled with championship contenders, it was part-time racer T.J. Zizzo who impressed the most for the second time this season in front of a capacity crowd on Saturday at World Wide Technology Raceway for the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals.
Austin Prock (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 17th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the third of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Zizzo raced to the No. 1 spot with a run of 3.7 14s at 327.66mph in his Rust-Oleum dragster. It’s the second career No. 1 qualifier for the veteran, who earned his first career top spot earlier this year in Chicago. He put together a similar performance on Saturday in St. Louis, holding off an absolutely loaded Top Fuel field.
He’ll open race day against Billy Torrence, looking to pick up his first career Top Fuel victory, and Zizzo had plenty to be excited about after two strong runs on Saturday.
“It’s spectacular. Our all-volunteer team, we do this because we love the sport. We love the sport of NHRA championship drag racing,” Zizzo said. “We come out here and qualify No. 1 twice now. As far as the mindset of a driver, it puts way more pressure on me. That’s what a good race car does. I can’t go up there and lollygag anymore, I have to go up there and get after it.
“The 16 (cars) that are qualified for the show, no joke, any one of us can win. It would be near and dear to my heart to be able to qualify No. 1 and then go four rounds tomorrow, but I know that’s a tough feat.”
Eight-time world champ Tony Schumacher impressed on Saturday as well, qualifying second with a 3.718s at 325.22mph and Brittany Force is third after going 3.722s at 314.39mph. Points leader Antron Brown, who has won the first two races in the Countdown, qualified 10th and will open eliminations Jasmine Salinas.
Funny Car points leader Prock rolled to his 12th No. 1 qualifier of the season for John Force Racing and just missed the track record set by Robert Hight in 2017, going 3.836-sat 330.72mph in his AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS. His 12th No. 1 qualifier this season also pulls him to within one No. 1 spot of tying John Force for the most top qualifiers in a single season in Funny Car history.
Prock has picked up 12 No. 1 qualifiers in the first 17 races and he remains focused on his quest for a first career world championship. The young standout has won the first two playoff races, holding a 129-point lead entering the weekend, and will try to pick up his eighth win of the year on Sunday.
“This whole team, they’re so incredibly smart and dialed in right now,” Prock said. “It sure is fun to drive. We were low both sessions and I’m really proud to be driving this AAA Camaro this weekend.
“We’re definitely not changing our mindset, we’re not laying up at all. We’re going out there and racing like what got us to this point. We want to get as much of a points lead as we can possibly have going into Pomona, and we’ve been doing a good job of that today. We racked up all the qualifying points today. It was another great day – stout runs, and we have a good hot rod for tomorrow.”
Chad Green jumped to the second spot during the final qualifier with a run of 3.876s at 325.77mph and Ron Capps took third on the strength of a 3.878s at 333.33mph.