WEST SALEM, OH — In a year filled with challenging weather conditions on the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) circuit, Lizzy Musi and the Musi Racing team will face that challenge once again, as sweltering heat is expected at this weekend’s Inaugural Northern Nationals at Dragway 42 in West Salem, Ohio.
Pat Musi promises they won’t be holding anything back in the Frank Brandao-owned Edelbrock/Lucas Oil “King Kong 7” 2018 Dodge Dart. In fact, he may turn things up even more on the Pro Nitrous car as Lizzy seeks her first win of the 2019 PDRA season.
“We’ve had some bad breaks this year, but I’m throwing the kitchen sink at it now,” Pat Musi said. “Whoever gets beside the Dart better be ready. There’s no babying around, we’re going to go for the throat now. Lizzy deserves a win and has raced well enough to get one, so we’re going to be on it now.”
With four races left, Musi is determined to end the PDRA season on a good note. Lizzy, who is sixth in points, has been close, qualifying No. 1, advancing to a final round and making one of the quickest runs in a losing effort at the last race in Georgia, but that first Pro Nitrous win of the season has just escaped her.
Musi has more than made up for it on Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings, picking up her third straight win in the Edelbrock-equipped “Aftershock” Camaro last weekend in Eagle, Idaho. Pat Musi continues to be impressed with the way the team has performed despite the spotlight getting bigger with each victory.
“I’ve had a target on my back throughout my racing career, and it’s just something you have to get used to,” Musi said. “These guys want to throw everything at you, and you have to know that and be able to respond to it. We’ve just raced the racetrack and Lizzy has done a great job.”
She’ll try to make it wins in back-to-back weekends to keep her standout 2019 season going. The No Prep Kings victories have done plenty for team morale and excitement, while the busy schedule keeps Lizzy on top of her game. It’s a frenetic pace and the Musi Racing team will have to deal with extremely hot temperatures over the weekend, but Pat Musi remains confident in their chances.
Chad Green, who uses a Pat Musi engine in his nitrous-powered car on the NHRA Pro Mod scene, made a number of runs in the 3.60s last weekend in Texas in his 1/8-mile-specific C7 Corvette, giving Lizzy plenty of hot-weather data heading to her first appearance at Dragway 42 in Ohio.
“We’ve been working on stuff and we’ve got a lot of warm-weather data now,” Musi said. “We tried some stuff in Texas on Chad’s car that seemed to work, and we’re confident. We’ve got a really good team right now with a bunch of great people, and we’re really looking forward to seeing what we can do this weekend.”
Friday qualifying at the PDRA Northern Nationals will begin with the first sportsman qualifying session at 10 a.m. Friday Night Fire with back-to-back pro qualifying sessions begins at 6 p.m. Sportsman final qualifying starts Saturday at 10 a.m., with professional eliminations slated to start at 4 p.m.
This story was originally published on July 18, 2019. 
