The 24-year-old racer, doing what she always wanted to do, determined not to disappoint those in her corner.
Freckles, pigtails, a fireproof suit and a helmet, and an NHRA Pro Stock Chevrolet Camaro that ran the quarter-mile in 6.516 seconds, at 210.70 mph, as she qualified seventh out of 20 cars on a cold, slick track at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida.
That’s 24-year-old Camrie Caruso, a rookie in the exceptionally tough Pro Stock class, a third-generation drag racer from outside Rochester, New York, currently living in Denver, North Carolina, because that’s where the shop for her Right Trailers Camaro is located.
And because racing is all she ever wanted to do. She began at age 8 in NHRA Junior Dragsters, and climbed the sportsman ladder to one of top three NHRA professional car classes. Nitro Funny Car and Top Fuel cars may go faster, but Pro Stock is regarded as perhaps the hardest class to succeed in, because the performance of the cars in the class is so close that the tiniest mistake can prevent a driver from qualifying for the field of 16.
Twenty cars showed up for Sunday’s eliminations, and four were sent home Saturday night as the weather-delayed qualifications got a late start. One racer who knows how tough the class can be is Jim Yates, Caruso’s crew chief, and a two-time Pro Stock champion (1996, 1997) before he retired from driving.
Camrie Caruso won her first NHRA round in the Pro Stock class in just her second time out.
Richard H Shute
Caruso, in person nothing at all like her fierce persona behind the wheel, “has the heart of a champion,” Yates said.
The track temperature was in the low 60s, and all the cars waiting to qualify after Pro Stock were shut down because the track was deemed to be too cold for safe racing, with the Pro Stock motorcycle class being set by points instead of qualifications. Saturday night’s low was expected to be in the 20s, with frigid—by Florida standards—weather expected for Sunday.
“Not many rookies can run a 6.5-second quarter-mile in conditions like we have now,” Yates said after qualifying. “I would have been happy with a 6.7 or 6.8-second time, but she beat that by a considerable margin.”
None of this seems to outwardly matter to Caruso, who puts her head down and faces whatever the track conditions present. This is the third race of the season for the NHRA, and Caruso qualified well at Pomona and Phoenix, and won a round at the Phoenix race. That’s especially impressive when you consider the fact that it took eight races for Erica Enders, a four-time Pro Stock champion, to win her first round.
Asked what she’d be doing now if she weren’t drag racing, Caruso paused and said, “I really have no idea. This is what I always wanted to do,”
To help pay the bills she handles marketing for sponsor Right Trailers and Titan Racing Engines, which provides the 1,400-horsepower V-8 engines for her race car. It’s something Caruso is comfortable doing—she has degrees in marketing and finance from SUNY Empire State College.
Caruso admits to one fear when she is behind the wheel.
“Letting down all the people who back me, my crew, my family,” she says. “I just want to do the best I can to make them proud.”
So far, so good.
NHRA Gatornationals
Qualifying Results, Sunday Elimination Pairings
Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the 53rd annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, the third of 22 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel — 1. Tripp Tatum, 3.674 seconds, 331.53 mph vs. 16. Lex Joon, 4.060, 295.66; 2. Brittany Force, 3.684, 337.75 vs. 15. Clay Millican, 4.056, 248.52; 3. Steve Torrence, 3.697, 329.50 vs. 14. Tony Schumacher, 3.983, 266.32; 4. Mike Salinas, 3.709, 332.10 vs. 13. Krista Baldwin, 3.865, 297.55; 5. Doug Kalitta, 3.718, 330.47 vs. 12. Alex Laughlin, 3.858, 319.98; 6. Justin Ashley, 3.722, 330.96 vs. 11. Josh Hart, 3.783, 306.88; 7. Spencer Massey, 3.735, 324.12 vs. 10. Doug Foley, 3.775, 313.44; 8. Austin Prock, 3.761, 326.71 vs. 9. Billy Torrence, 3.763, 328.78. Did Not Qualify: 17. Antron Brown, 5.056, 168.20; 18. Leah Pruett, 5.125, 227.34; 19. Ike Maier, 5.901, 202.67; 20. Arthur Allen, broke; 21. Shawn Langdon, broke.
Funny Car — 1. Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.831, 333.41 vs. 16. John Smith, Dodge Charger, 9.754, 102.99; 2. Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 3.891, 328.22 vs. 15. John Force, Camaro, 8.924, 75.58; 3. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.891, 327.35 vs. 14. Jim Campbell, Charger, 8.903, 68.36; 4. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.898, 320.13 vs. 13. Dave Richards, Mustang, 8.773, 85.61; 5. Alexis DeJoria, Toyota Supra, 3.907, 326.40 vs. 12. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 8.436, 87.67; 6. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.918, 319.98 vs. 11. J.R. Todd, Supra, 8.381, 86.92; 7. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.057, 249.63 vs. 10. Ron Capps, Charger, 7.487, 90.36; 8. Chad Green, Mustang, 4.075, 313.66 vs. 9. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.495, 200.44.
Pro Stock — 1. Aaron Stanfield, Chevy Camaro, 6.468, 211.66 vs. 16. Stefan Emryd, Dodge Dart, 6.989, 188.86; 2. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.482, 212.06 vs. 15. Fernando Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.577, 210.24; 3. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.510, 211.89 vs. 14. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.571, 209.92; 4. Rodger Brogdon, Camaro, 6.510, 210.31 vs. 13. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Mustang, 6.556, 210.11; 5. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.511, 211.63 vs. 12. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.549, 210.44; 6. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.511, 211.10 vs. 11. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.534, 210.31; 7. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.516, 210.70 vs. 10. Cristian Cuadra, Mustang, 6.528, 211.43; 8. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.524, 209.43 vs. 9. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.528, 211.93. Did Not Qualify: 17. Val Smeland, 7.241, 202.88; 18. Chris McGaha, 9.387, 130.56; 19. Alan Prusiensky, 9.532, 99.36; 20. Larry Morgan, 12.341, 116.11.
Keyword: NHRA Pro Stock Rookie Camrie Caruso Has One Fear Behind the Wheel