The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series heads to Route 66 Raceway this weekend for the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals, and hometown favorite TJ Zizzo is ready to put the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster back in the spotlight.
As the NHRA celebrates its 75th anniversary season, Zizzo and his Chicago-based team return to one of the most meaningful stops on the tour, carrying momentum built through years of hard work, persistence, and steady improvement. Even with a limited racing schedule, Zizzo Racing has proven it can run with the sport’s elite Top Fuel teams.
“We don’t race often, but we are putting in the work year-round to be ready for races like Chicago,” said Zizzo. “Thanks to the support from Rust-Oleum and our other sponsors, we can come out and be very competitive. Our team, led by Mike Kern with input from Hall of Famer Rahn Tobler, will have this Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster set up for success. This sport is so competitive and having the ability to be a No. 1 qualifier is a huge achievement.”
Zizzo Racing Continues To Build Competitive Top Fuel Program
While many NHRA Top Fuel teams compete full-time, Zizzo Racing operates on a more limited schedule. That reality makes every race weekend critical, and every offseason even more important. Over the past several seasons, Zizzo has consistently shown flashes of elite performance, including multiple strong qualifying efforts and competitive elapsed times against full-time powerhouse teams.
Crew chief Mike Kern and the Rust-Oleum team reportedly invested more than 2,000 hours during the offseason preparing the operation for 2026 competition. That commitment reflects how seriously the independent team approaches each NHRA appearance.
One of the biggest turning points for the program came during the unusual 2020 season. That 2020 campaign included a runner-up finish during the rain-delayed event completed at the historic U.S. Nationals, further validating the team’s ability to contend at the highest level of NHRA drag racing.
“I think our fortunes really changed for the positive in 2020, even though we didn’t win the race,” said Zizzo. “We knew at that moment we could compete with the best of the best, and we just needed some better equipment. Thanks to the late Don Schumacher, we upgraded across the board, and the rest is history. You must have a passion to compete out here, and you also need to take risks, in a good way.”
Route 66 Raceway Remains Special For Zizzo
Few drivers on the NHRA tour receive the kind of hometown support Zizzo enjoys whenever the series visits Route 66 Raceway. The Chicago native has delivered several memorable performances at the facility, including a No. 1 qualifying effort in 2024 that marked his strongest qualifying result since earning the No. 5 spot back in 2018.
Last season, however, the team’s Chicago weekend ended earlier than expected after drawing three-time Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown in the opening round. Zizzo was first off the starting line, but the Rust-Oleum dragster lost traction after overpowering the track surface, allowing Brown to advance.
“Mike and I talked about what happened,” said Zizzo, following the race. “The idle was a little high, and I compounded the situation with my right foot, applying a little pressure to the throttle pedal. We are running the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster right on the edge. You must try and get the most out of the tune-up and we just tipped it over a little. We can fix that and learn from it.”
Nitro Cakes Tradition Continues In Chicago
Beyond the on-track performance, Zizzo Racing has also become known for one of the most popular fan traditions on the NHRA tour: Nitro Cakes. Each year during the Route 66 Nationals weekend, the team hosts a free pancake breakfast on Saturday morning for fans, crew members, and fellow racers. The annual gathering has become a staple of the Chicago NHRA event.
“Saturday morning serving Nitro Cakes is the best,” said Zizzo. “We haven’t been on tour, so it is a little like the first day of school when all our friends come over. The fans love it and I love to see many of our loyal NHRA fans every year. We have hundreds of people come by and it is just a cool way to thank the fans and have some fun.”
Heading into the 2026 Route 66 Nationals, Zizzo Racing once again finds itself in position to make noise in the ultra-competitive Top Fuel category. With strong equipment, experienced leadership from Mike Kern and Rahn Tobler, and hometown energy behind the team, the Rust-Oleum dragster could easily become one of the weekend’s surprise contenders.
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