Drag racer greets fans in Vernon Hills

Drag racing star T.J. Zizzo met with fans and signed autographs Sunday during a special event sponsored by Firehouse Subs in Vernon Hills.

Car enthusiasts had a chance to talk shop with the race car driver and the Team Zizzo pit crew as muscle cars lined the parking lot.

"Firehouse is supporting our team and we want to support them," said Zizzo, a Lincolnshire resident who's driven his top fuel dragster at speeds topping 300 mph. The quickest time of his career came last August when he reached 319.22 mph at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

Steve Enriquez, owner of the Firehouse Subs in Vernon Hills, said the partnership with Zizzo formed in part because his racing team is based in nearby Lincolnshire.

"I've always been interested in cars and racing and that kind of stuff. As we went through the summer and went to the races, we became more and more interested," he said. "We said, 'Let's do a meet-and-greet with the fans.' We hope this becomes a huge success."