Most folks in the world of drag racing hear the name Manzo and know exactly who you’re talking about. Frank Manzo, also known as Ace, is a prolific drag racer with an astounding 17 world championships and 105 national event victories earned over the course of nearly 40 years. Manzo was on site at this weekend’s 40th Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals as the most winning driver ever – in any category – at Atlanta Dragway.
He was the very first Top Alcohol Funny Car winner there in 1981 and claimed a total of 13 trophies at the Southern Nationals, including in four consecutive seasons (2005-08). The only driver to beat Manzo in an Atlanta final was Tony Bartone in 1996.
For the last few years, Manzo has been out of the driver’s seat and focused on Pro Mod, and he was at the event as crew chief for Al-Anabi Racing.
“With Pro Mod, we only come here every now and again, and I’ve missed the place,” said Manzo during pre-race ceremonies on Sunday morning. “We have a lot of memories here, raced here a lot in Alcohol Funny Car. This is a great facility, great fans, and I’m going to miss it.”
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