Stellar driving career Life as an engine builder - NHRA.com

Frank Iaconio, left, son Frank Jr., center, and four-yearemployee Ernie Topping developed enoughhorsepower to push Mike Edwards’ Young LifePontiac Grand Am to the third-quickest run in ProStock history, a 6.650, at this year’sMac Tools NHRA Gatornationals.by John JodaugaThe list of Pro Stock campaigners from the early1970s who remain competitive has decreasedover the years, but certainly not in terms ofinfluence. The very elite group includes WarrenJohnson, Bill Jenkins, Bob Glidden, David Reher,and a resurgent Frank Iaconio.A standout driver during a lengthy racing career,Iaconio has made his mark as one of the category’spremier engine builders. In his current position as thehorsepower provider for Mike and Lisa Edwards’Young Life Pontiac Grand Am, Iaconio’s skills weremost recently showcased through Mike Edwards’qualifying efforts in Phoenix (No. 3) and Gainesville(No. 2), the latter of which came on a sizzling 6.650,the third-quickest run in Pro Stock history.What makes Iaconio’s accomplishments all the moreoutstanding is that he does not have the benefit of amajor budget, a multicar team, or an armada of highlytrained specialists, key elements in many of today’sPro Stock operations. Assisted only by his son FrankJr. and four-year employee Ernie Topping, Iaconio hasworked out of the same 3,000-square-foot shop andwith the ancient dynamometer he acquired in 1985.Iaconio first gained national attention in 1969 when he won Stock — and a new ’70Cougar — at the prestigious Super Stock Nationals with his H/S ’57 Chevy. Withadditional contingency awards, his total purse added up to more than $10,000, aconsiderable amount of money at the time.54 ✦ National DRAGSTER“Probably the main reason we’ve been able tostay competitive with limited resources is that thisis the way I’ve raced all of my life,” said Iaconio.Stellar driving careerAfter switching from Stock to Pro Stock in 1972,Iaconio worked primarily with longtime partner RayAllen to win 11 national events, placing him 10th onthe class’ all-time list. Among his career highlightsare winning the 1982 Winternationals, where healso recorded the first seven-second Pro Stock run(7.82) at the event where class racers first used 500-cid engines, and defeating Glidden in a dramatic7.80 to 7.80 final at the 1982 U.S. Nationals.From June 1979 to March 1985, Iaconio waspart of the elite quartet of Pro Stock contestants —which included Johnson, Glidden, and Lee Shepherd— who won a Pro Stock title at an NHRAnational event. Iaconio’s best season was 1983,when he runner-upped to Shepherd for that year’sseason title, and he might have won the championshipif not for a controversial first-round loss atthe season-ending NHRA World Finals.In 1985, Iaconiojoined Kenny Bernstein’snewly formedBudweiser/FordSuperteam, but afterfinishing seventh in atransitional season ofworking with the Boss429 Ford powerplant,Iaconio was left withoutfunding when the teamdisbanded at the end ofthe year. He did,however, enjoy thedistinction of being thelast driver other thanGlidden to win a ProStock race in a Ford — atthe 1986 Winternationals— but he failed to finishin the top 10 for the firsttime in a decade.Iaconio returned to theGM ranks in 1988 andcompleted his last fullseason competing as adriver on the series tourin 1996.Life as an engine builderBecause he had built all of his engines throughouthis career, Iaconio considered it only natural tocontinue in that profession after his driving careerended. Among his first customers were Barry Grant,Kenny Koretsky, Rickie Smith, Hurley Blakeney,Robert Patrick, and, more recently, Greg Anderson,who won his first races in Bristol and Indianapolisin 2001 with Iaconio power. Anderson also usedIaconio’s engines as a baseline from which todevelop an in-house engine program. Iaconio’s morerecent success has come since joining Edwards, whoqualified last year between third and sixth at everyrace from the U.S. Nationals to the NHRA Finals,finishing 2004 on a decidedly strong note.“Working with Mike has been great,” said Iaconio.“There’s no question that he’s really good behind thewheel. If I give him something better, I know he cando a great job with it. Also, I thank Roger Stull, whohelped put together Mike’s program with Young Life[for] the proper funding.”Said Edwards, “I began using Frank’s engines atthe 2003 Phoenix national event, and our programhas been on fire since last year’s U.S. Nationals. Iwent with Frank because of his knowledge andexperience. He’s a hands-on guy from the old school,and he’s not scared to put in the hours. I just wishwe had hooked up sooner.”How does Iaconio excel on a limited budget?Answered Edwards, “He’s a very talented individualwho pushes the envelope in terms of detail. He worksas hard as he can in one area, and once he feels thathe has maxed out, he’ll move on to the next project.”Edwards has brought Iaconio to moreraces this season, and the move has generatedpositive benefits.“He can’t attend every race on theschedule because every time heleaves the shop, the R&D programstops,” said Edwards.“But when he’s with us atthe track, we usually havegood luck getting downthe track in our firsttwo sessions, whichgives us a baselinefrom which to workand try otherthings before raceday. It also giveshim a chance to seewhat’s going on andcome up with newideas for furtherdevelopment.”

Iaconio forever etched his name in the record books when, at the 1982 Winternationals, he won the first title from an NHRAnational event featuring 500-cid-powered Pro Stockers and recorded the first sub-eight-second run, a national record 7.822.A source of knowledgeDespite Edwards’ lengthy tenure in drag racing,which includes a Modified Eliminator championshipin 1981, he says that he is learning a lot aboutracing from Iaconio.“He has accumulated a lot of knowledge duringall of his years in racing,” said Edwards. “He’s oneof those guys who you can learn a lot from withoutasking any questions. All you have to do is listenand pay attention to what he says. He’s a true racerat heart, and he was a very skilled mechanic beforehe began drag racing.“He certainly knows what it takes to puttogether a winning program,”added Edwards. “If he would’vehad more funding when he raced,there’s no doubt that he would’vewon several Pro Stock worldchampionships. We tried to put adeal together last year for him todrive another car at a couple ofraces, but it didn’t materialize.It’s something that Lisa and Ihave wanted to do for him toshow our appreciation for everythingthat he has done for us.We’re still trying to make ithappen.“Power is the bottom line in ProStock because none of us makes perfect runs. Youcan have a nice car, lots of data, and everythingelse, but if you don’t have any steam under thehood, it won’t work. Frank has turned our teamaround, and now it’s just up to me to get it togetheron Sunday.”Adapting to changing timesThough Iaconio maintains that the basic elementsof Pro Stock racing have remained constant over theyears, he has noticed two major changes.“The biggest difference is that two guys used to beable to do everything on their own, but now you areseeing larger teams made up of people who specializein just one segment of the car. One guy will concentrateon the tune-up, another on servicing the clutch,and so on,” said Iaconio. “The other big change hasbeen the CNC machining of cylinder heads. In the olddays, racers would completely hand-port their heads,and it would take weeks to come up with just acouple of pairs, but they were still able to retain whatthey had developed exclusively for their own use.Now, the CNC process makes it easier to copy, andall of that leading-edge technology is available to justabout anyone who can afford it.”In addition to providing engines to Edwards,Iaconio will build powerplants for Jamie Ober, whoplans to compete in six races this year.“I need one more full-time campaigner to bring inthe proper funding to make our program reallywork,” said Iaconio. “There are so many things Iwant to try, but I can’t because of lack of funding.We almost had that kind of deal set up withFernando Cuadra, but a big part of his overseasbusiness got wiped out by the tragic tsunami inIndonesia, so it’s going to be a while before he’s back.“Overall, drag racing is still really fun for me, and Ienjoy having the opportunity to make a living at this. Iwouldn’t be doing it if that wasn’t the case.” NDIaconio still uses the dynamometer that he purchased in1985 as part of the Budweiser/Ford Superteam.(Left) Iaconio began competing in Pro Stock in the early 1970s with cars such as this SRD-built ’73 Vega. As hedid with his others, he built the engine for this race car. (Above) Compared with most Pro Stock operations, Iaconioworks out of a relatively small 3,000-square-foot building. But he has enough equipment to get the job done,including a lathe, honing machine, two mills, and a CNC cylinder-head machine that cuts valve seats and guides.April 15, 2005 ✦ 55