Frank Manzo
Frank spent his teenage years hanging out at a Sunoco station and whose owner campaigned a B/Modified Camaro at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park and where Frank caught the drag racing bug. In 1970 Frank began his racing career in the seat of his own ’23 T-bucket roadster with a carbureted small block Chevy furnishing its power. In 1972 he replaced the T-bucket with a Firebird Funny Car and the small block Chevy with a Supercharged Chrysler Hemi on alcohol and has been competing in that class ever since.
Racing was a part time hobby done locally at first but in 1975 he began competing at NHRA National Events. In 1976 Frank took ownership of a Ken Cox Monza bodied Funny Car and installed a Supercharged Chrysler Hemi on alcohol for power and moved closer to victory circle. By 1980, Frank had replaced the small block Chevy in the roadster with a Supercharged Chrysler Hemi, moved up into AA/Altered with the roadster and was able to score his first major National Event victory, the NHRA Sportsnationals at Beech Bend International Raceway in Bowling Green, KY.
Frank replaced the Cox Monza Funny Car with a Murph McKinney Monza bodied Funny Car in 1981 and installed his reliable supercharged Chrysler Hemi in it for power, fueled it with alcohol and won his first NHRA Alcohol Funny Car Championship. Very happy with his McKinney, Chrysler Hemi, alcohol combination, Frank had Murph build every one of his new cars from that time up to and including his last Monte Carlo bodied car in 2013. His next NHRA Alcohol Funny Car Championship win came in 1986 and that Championship was followed by wins every year from 1997 through 2003 and again with wins every year from 2005 through 2013. To say that Frank was, and still is, a dominating force in Alcohol Funny Car is an understatement.
Moving into the international arena of the sport, in 2009 Frank signed on with Qatar’s Sheikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Thani’s Al-Anabi Racing program where he not only competed under the Al-Anabi banner with his Chevrolet Monte Carlo Alcohol Funny Car, he also helped develop the team’s overall strategy both in the US and Qatar.
During his career Frank has notched 17 NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car Championships, 118 NHRA class Divisional wins and 105 NHRA National class wins. He was also able to be the number one class qualifier at NHRA National events 100 times, set and reset the Low Elapsed record 121 times and did the same for the top speed record 139 times. He is also ranked number 40 on the NHRA 50 Greatest drivers list.
While Frank is retired from driving, he is still in great demand as a tuner and engine builder for the Funny Car and Pro Mod classes and still actively mentors young people entering the sport every opportunity he gets.