NHRA class racers flock to Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis each year to race for more than the coveted event Wally – these racers come to the U.S. Nationals to race the best of the best in class, long before the main event even begins. Class racing extends well beyond the U.S. Nationals, though, and Super Stock racer Bobby Fazio – along with fellow racer and business partner Brian Anderson – has been devoting most of his free time over the past year to spotlighting the competitors in this unique corner of NHRA’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series with the Class Racing Today podcast.
“It was something that had been talked about on one of the forums, that somebody needed to do a podcast,” explained Fazio. “Brian called me and said, ‘Hey, let’s do this.’ My first response was, no way. It’s too much work, I don’t have time, and I don’t know if I’d be good doing it. But he convinced me to try it a couple of times and see how it went. We thought we’d stick with it for like a month or two, but here we are a year later.”
Fazio understands the racer’s perspective because he is a racer himself, and he’s been actively involved since 2006. The Eagleville, Pennsylvania, native can currently be found in the Super Stock category behind the wheel of a beautiful SS/L 1965 Ford Mustang that belongs to his father, Bob. The Ford is more than pretty; it’s a unique piece.
“It’s a small-block, high-winding stick shift, and I like to think it does nice wheelies,” said Fazio. “My favorite thing is driving through the crowd at a national event and everybody is just waving to you and saying they love the sound of the car, the way it looks. All of the above makes this car really special to me.”
Fazio’s experience in the racecar gives him an advantage when it comes to effectively interviewing podcast guests, and some of his confidence in jumping in front of the camera comes from acting when he was enrolled at Villanova University in Philadelphia. Fazio was handed an acting class as an elective, and it turned out to be something he really enjoyed.
Since its inception, the Class Racing Today podcast has shined the spotlight on everyone from Bob Tasca III to Summit Motorsports Park co-owner Bill Bader, but the best part of the experience for Fazio has been featuring Stock and Super Stock racers and giving the world a window into what the categories are truly about.
“I love that we’re teaching people what these categories are,” said Fazio. “I know that a lot of listeners, especially in the beginning, already knew what Stock and Super Stock were. But now people are coming up to me – half of them I don’t know – and they’re saying that they really like the podcast. Some of them are even wearing our Class Racing Today t-shirts. That makes this even more special for me. It means that we have an audience, but more than that, it means that people are enjoying it.”
For more information, go to ClassRacingToday.com. You can find Class Racing Today on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, and the Class Racing Today podcast can be listened to on your preferred podcast platform or at whymilbank.com.
Fazio on racing at the Dodge//SRT NHRA U.S. Nationals:
“This is my first time here. Our car runs decent, but we didn’t know if we would have enough power to qualify, so it was a little nerve-racking to take the plunge and come here. I’ve been like a tourist the past few days, riding around on my bicycle, taking pictures. The aura of the place is amazing. Everybody is here; it’s like a big party.
“But when I say I was never so nervous for a qualifying pass as I was this morning… I mean, I just wanted everything to be perfect. I wanted the car to run well, I wanted to hit all my shifts, and I wanted everything to fall into place. I never really got that nervous before a qualifying session before, but this is the U.S. Nationals.”
Take a ride in Bobby Fazio’s high-winding, 9,000-rpm Super Stock Ford 1965 Mustang, and watch as he rows the gears in his Jerico 4-speed here.
Find results from the 67th annual Dodge//SRT NHRA U.S. Nationals throughout the weekend at DragRaceCentral.com.
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