The all-time leader in NHRA victories with 223 combined between the national and divisional level — a number unlikely to ever be surpassed — Frank Manzo remains the man to beat, even in retirement.
Manzo on Sunday added yet another national event triumph to his resume, this time as a crew chief, when he guided veteran wheelman Mike Castellana to the winner’s circle in the first-ever four-wide Pro Modified contest at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at the zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, North Carolina (the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod schedule was expanded to include the Charlotte event for the first time in 2017). For Castellana, Manzo, and the Al-Anabi Performance camp, the victory was the culmination of a two-week whirlwind that saw them become the Pro Modified performance standard-bearers after Castellana uncorked a national record 5.685 last weekend in Houston. There, he qualified number one and had the quickest car of the first two rounds, but an aborted run in the semifinals ended their torrid march.
A week later, Manzo and Castellana were not to be denied.
At zMAX, Castellana qualified second in the 29-car field and set low elapsed time of eliminations in a round one victory with a 5.786. In the semifinals, he and Michael Biehle advanced out of their quad to meet top qualifier Troy Coughlin and Jonathan Gray in the finale, and in said money round, he was first out of the gate and used that signature Manzo horsepower to drive away from his three opponents to make history as the first four-wide Pro Mod victor.
For Castellana, one of the most decorated Pro Modified drivers of the last two decades, the win was also notable as his first NHRA crown behind the wheel of a supercharged car.
“I’ll tell ya, it was awesome,” Castellana said. “First time coming out here, you’re a little worried about how to drive and what’s going to happen. But when you got a team like I do, it just makes everything go real smooth.”
“This is on the top of the list [of my other career victories], especially driving a blower car for the first time this year,” Castellana added.
Lead photo courtesy NHRA/National Dragster
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