CAMRIE CARUSO FIRED UP FOR NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS
DENVER, NC – After a breakout weekend at the SpringNationals in Houston, Texas, rookie of the year standout Camrie Caruso has had to 
wait almost six weeks to get back behind the wheel of her Sand Haulers of America Chevrolet Camaro. The wait has been hard for the third-generation driver who raced to her first career No. 1 qualifier quicker than any other Pro Stock driver in history except for last year’s rookie of the year Dallas Glenn, who also achieved that feat in just five races. To make her performance even more impressive Caruso raced to the final round and was center stage for the first all-female Pro Stock final and elimination round in the class’s history.
“Houston was a great weekend for the Sand Haulers of America team and I was really going for that win light in the final,” said Caruso, who recently announced Sand Hauler of America would add additional races as primary sponsor including this weekend’s New England Nationals. “Our whole team has a lot of confidence and our Titan Racing Engines have shown we can race with anyone. My crew chief Jim Yates has been very helpful and the support I get from my family is a big help too.”
In addition to her on-track success Caruso has been incredibly active with sponsors showcasing the benefits of racing in the NHRA and with the Caruso Family Racing operation. At the beginning of the season GESI, Right Trailers, PowerBuilt Tools, NGK Spark Plugs and VP Racing Lubricants all jumped on board with the rookie team. All these relationships and sponsorships were brokered by Caruso herself who is hands on with all business matters when it comes to her Pro Stock race car.
“I want to be involved from top to bottom with this team,” said Caruso. “I get a lot of help from my dad and papa but at the end of the day I want to be the one writing the check and then delivering on the racetrack. I have great sponsors that I want to have for many, many seasons. The best way to do that is to show them how we can grow their business through the NHRA and Caruso Family Racing. I want to do as many appearances and interviews as I can to make this program successful. I know that turning on win lights helps, and we have aggressive goals for this season.”
Since her debut national event in Pomona at the NHRA Winternationals Caruso has been grabbing attention and not letting the bright lights or tough competition distract from her pre-season goals. She has qualified in the top half of the field at every national event except for the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals where she checked in at No. 9. In her second career Pro Stock race she collected her first win light in eliminations racing to the quarterfinals at the Arizona Nationals. She duplicated that feat at the history Gatornationals after just one qualifying run again racing to the quarterfinals in Florida.
Six weeks ago she took a major leap forward when she raced to the No. 1 provisional qualifier on Friday night at Houston Raceway Park and then held off a host of tough competitors to earn her first official No.1 qualifier in arguably one of the most competitive classes on the Camping World Drag Racing Series. On race day she took out Fernando Cuadra and former world champion Bo Butner in the first two rounds. In the semifinals she beat reigning Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson on a hole shot and in the final round racing against four-time Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders she came up a few hundredths of a second short even though she didn’t have fifth gear.
“We lost fifth gear on the burnout so I knew I was in trouble but there was no way I was giving up,” said Caruso. “I got a great jump off the starting line, and I was doing everything I could in the car to get that win. It was a great race weekend and I am looking forward to getting to more finals and getting that first win.”
Caruso will get her first pass at New England Dragway on Friday night followed by two qualifying sessions on Saturday. Pro Stock final eliminations will begin on Sunday at approximately noon ET. Caruso sits seventh in points just seven points out of sixth place and less than a round from fifth.
photo by Auto Imagery
