T.J. Zizzo was at the track Friday by Noon, and by his estimation was five hours too late. Friday’s qualifying wasn’t scheduled until 5 PM.

“We’re getting everyone back into the swing of things,” Zizzo admitted. “We always are working on this race car, every Tuesday, every Sunday, all year long no matter how many races we go to. There’s always something to do on these race cars. But we’re getting re-familiar with awnings, extension cords, air hoses and pit mats. We’re kind of getting organized and up to speed and trying to just get last minute details taken care of before we fire this thing at 4:30.”

Zizzo learned a long time ago; the devil is in the detail when it comes to Top Fuel racing.

“A couple of years ago I took a different approach to this deal,” Zizzo admitted. “My approach was always appearance. My approach was always fans first. It was always making sure everything was clean and tidy. It was always making sure that everyone was organized in our pit area, everyone had the right stuff. The past couple of years I’ve taken a different approach. My hands are more on this race car every day.”

Make no mistake about it, Zizzo wants to win, and rolls through the gates at any race not just hoping to qualify or win a round, he wants to win the whole thing and believes he can.

“That’s our goal,” Zizzo said. “That is absolutely our goal. It’s been our goal for the past three years. Yeah, we run on a limited basis, I get it and I understand that. I understand that I haven’t driven this car for eight months, but we work our ass off on this thing and we come here with all the correct parts. Period. Probably more than Matt Hagan next to us. We have what it takes to win.

“I think years past it may have been a fantasy, but I think what’s going on in this sport right now, things are coming to us, so we’re not underfunded when we come here period. I never complain about that. Sure, we don’t have the knowledge of going down the race track like other people do surrounding us. But we learn a lot of stuff not being here.

“Sometimes when you go to a race track, you lose track and focus on what it really takes to do this. And when you sit back a little bit, you watch it on All Access, you get a good understanding of what this car needs. And we have a lot of good friends in this pit area, that are always showing us the correct direction of what to do.”

Zizzo might not race a full schedule, but his per race budget, he counsels, can rank right up there with the leading teams.

Oh, to run a full 24-race schedule.

“You hear me swallow in my throat?” Zizzo asked. “You hear that? I would love to have the opportunity. Someday I would love the opportunity to race a full schedule..John Force, I think he was in his 40’s or something the first time he won. I’m in my 40’s now. So It is attainable, it just has to be the right decision, right thought process, right guys. Right now, I would just like to win with who we have. Because some of these guys that have surrounded me for the past 26 years, 15 years in our pit area, they’re the guys who have stood behind this car for a long period of time. To win with these guys would mean the world to me.”

And winning would be worth arriving at 6 AM, for a 5 PM start.