Hi everyone! It has been a little bit since I have updated my driver blog. In the past few weeks, Caruso Family Racing has been more than busy! Rewinding a few weeks back to the Norwalk regional, my Randy Meyer Racing team took the win in Top Alcohol Dragster and my Caruso Family Racing team took the win in the Rumble Wars Pro Mod race.
Mary Lendzion photo
Rumble Wars happened to find its way on top of the Norwalk regional event, and they had a Pro Mod class that my dad, Marc, could compete in. The NHRA Virginia Nationals was the same weekend, which had the RPM Pro Mod class competing as well. It was a tough choice for him to miss that event, but I am happy he decided to be at Norwalk so we could all race at the same event. In qualifying they struggled with a few changes we had made but they figured it out like they always do. We went on to win Rumble Wars on Saturday night!
The Norwalk regional was my second TAD event with the Randy Meyer crew. One of my teammates, Julie Nataas, was driving the Dot’s Pretzels dragster that weekend. We both qualified great – I ended qualifying in the third qualifying position with a 5.33 ET at 277 mph, inches behind Julie, who also ran a 5.33 ET for the No. 2 spot. We both managed to make it to the semifinals, where we had to face off against each other to see who would make it to the final round. She was .059 and I had a .062 reaction time, so we were close at the starting line, but down track she went up in tire shake bad, which gave us the advantage to take the win. On to the final round I had a .037 reaction time to Will Smith’s .030 light, but he couldn’t keep a wheel ahead of me after 300 feet and I crossed the finish line with the winning time of 5.36 at 267.
Fast forward a few weeks to this past weekend at PDRA Maryland, where I was able to drive my old Top Dragster, Lola. I was super-excited to have the chance to jump back into my old car and come race at PDRA again. During qualifying I ran 3.831, 3.839 and 3.836, which put me in the No. 2 spot.
In eliminations, no round was easy and each person I faced was on top of their game and each was a great race. In the finals I faced Brian Bednar, who qualified No. 1 with a 3.72. Going into the final I dialed a 3.79 and he dialed a 3.70. Off the line I was .010 and he was .044, which gave me a slight advantage. Down track I didn’t see him and pedaled it to close the space between us to make sure I didn’t break out. I was so excited that I could take home the win for Lola’s new owners and team.
I am so grateful to Rick, Chuck, Craig Addis and Tom for trusting me to wheel their car! Thank you to Lee White for making Lola consistent, Hank Jackson and the rest of the dream team (Tommy D’Aprile, Al Billes, Richard Giovannelli, Mike Dusinski, Donna) for supporting me no matter what I’m racing! I missed my Papa Joe, Dad, Kristi and my mom, but they cheered me on from home!
Without the continued support from VP Race Fuels, Simpson Safety Gear, Mickey Thompson, Lucas Oil and NGK Spark Plugs we wouldn’t be able to race the way we do and I can’t thank them enough!!
Camrie Caruso is a NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster and PDRA Top Dragster driver, racing out of the Caruso Family Racing camp. Follow Caruso Family Racing on Facebook and Instagram.
This story was originally published on June 3, 2019. 
