Drag Racing Association of Women, is $5,000 richer, thanks to David Napp’s donation to the charitable organization Saturday at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at Concord, N.C.

DiBartolomeo – photojournalist/editor, racer with handful of victories dating back to the early 1990s, manufacturer, parts distributor, innovator, and liaison between drivers and the sanctioning body – passed away May 23 at age 68 following a battle with cancer.

Napp, co-owner of Old Bridge Township Raceway Park at Englishtown, N.J., presented the gift on behlf of the Napp family to DiBartolomeo’s family. Accepting were Di Bartolomeo’s widow Dottie; son Franklin, his wife Jennifer, and their son, Evan; and daughter Christina.

DiBartolomeo, a Beaver Springs, Pa., resident, was inducted into the East Coast Hall of Fame in 2010 and the NHRA Division 1 Hall of Fame in 2016 for his contributions to the sport of drag racing.

His most recent victories came in back-to-back triumphs in 2018 and 2019, at Norwalk, Ohio. At the now-defunct Englishtown dragstrip he considered his “home track,” he won in 2009. Son Franklin DiBartolomeo had won that event two years before, and Dad said, “It marked only a small number of times when a father and son had national-event victories to their credit.”

John DiBartolomeo had Wally trophies also from victories at Gainesville, Fla.; Indianapolis; and Reading, Pa.

Napp said this gesture at zMAX Dragway was meaningful to him because “this is the 30th anniversary of the Jr. Drag Racing League. Drag racing, it's not about trophies. It's about family, in my opinion. I want to thank the family and staff at Raceway Park in Englishtown that made this possible. The main thing we're trying to do is spread happiness and try to take bad situations and make them good.

“John was a journalist, a racer, and someone that promoted the sport in a way that reminded me of my own father [Vinny Napp, who will be inducted in the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame this next March at Gainesville, Fla.]. He was a jack of all trades. He created the Junior Drag Racing League. He had a family. He had a racetrack. That kind of ability needs to be celebrated. That's why we're celebrating John DiBartolomeo’s memory today,” Napp said.

“DRAW is an outreach program that helps drag racers in need. We need more of that. We need people to reach out and extend a hand if it's financial or if it’s a pat on the back. That kind of generosity, we need more of that,” he said. “Drag racing is my family. It always has been. I think drag racing . . . it has given me so much, and it just felt right to give back.

“I just want to say to NHRA and to all the fans here, NHRA is a family. It's, again, not about the trophies. It's about the connection. And it's a beautiful sport, and I'm so happy to be here,” Napp said.

“And it's truly my honor to celebrate the memory of someone that has done so much for our sport and just a true gentleman,” he said. “We miss you, John. We love you, John, and we're not going to forget you. You are in our hearts forever."

D.R.A.W. provides financial and emotional support to individuals injured in drag-racing accidents.

“It just felt right on the JDRL [Jr. Drag Racing League] 30th anniversary to give back,” Napp said. “I could never match my father’s many contributions to our sport. Anytime and anywhere I see a family towing their son or daughter into the staging lanes with their Junior Dragster, I am reminded of the impact my dad made to ensure a future for drag racing. His wish came true. I just wish he was here to see it.”

Earlier this month at the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, Napp donated $5,000 from his family to Shirley’s Kids, a charity NHRA legend and three-time Top Fuel champion Shirley Muldowney established to help children in markets the series visits.

“This lady has inspired me my entire life, not just the opinionated and tough-as-nails racer we all know but the person who called me and encouraged me in my life in tough times. Now I get to give something back at Indy!” he wrote in a Facebook post.

At Gainesville, Fla., during this year’s Gatornationals in March, Napp made a $10,000 donation to the Darrell Gwynn Quality of Life Chapter of the Buoniconti Fund To Cure Paralysis. Top Fuel racer Joe Morrison made the presentation on behalf of David Napp and his family.