CHICAGO – Racing outside the Windy City for the first time in her Pro Stock career 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year experienced a whirlwind of emotions at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals. On Saturday Caruso won the inaugural NHRA Pro Stock All-Star Callout picking up the big check for $28,000 defeating Cristian Cuadra, Troy Coughlin Jr., and Aaron Stanfield. Her final qualifying pass of 6.524 seconds was quick enough for the win and moved the young driver up to the No. 5 qualifier position.

In the opening round Caruso matched up with newcomer Jerry Tucker looking to pick up her second NHRA national event win of the season. Caruso had lane choice and confidence heading into the opening session. Throughout the season she has been one of the quickest drivers off the starting line and her reputation has drawn out the best from her opponents or at least forced them to take chances on the starting line. Against Tucker, who posted a perfect .000 reaction time, Caruso came up on the losing end of a very close race. At the finish line Caruso’s 6.561 second pass was not enough to advance to the quarterfinals.

“We have a good car and we made good runs yesterday and today in the first round,” said Caruso. “They just got lucky with that triple zero reaction time. To do that in a Pro Stock car is so close to a red light. Good for him and good luck in the next round.”

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CHICAGO – In another statement that second year Pro Stock driver Camrie Caruso is a serious NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series world championship contender, the 25-year-old third generation driver won the first ever NHRA Pro Stock All-Star Callout today at Route 66 Raceway. As the No. 8 qualifier Caruso drove the Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro to victory over Cristian Cuadra, Troy Coughlin Jr. and Aaron Stanfield to take home the $28,000 top prize.

“Honestly, it was super awesome,” said Caruso, who this season has a race win and No. 1 qualifier. “I told the guys at the beginning of the year I want to win all the specialty races this year and as many races as possible. This Pro Stock All-Star Callout gave us another chance to bring home a trophy at a racetrack I’ve never been to before. This was a whole bunch of new experiences and first-time excitement for us this weekend. We managed to get it done. I’m excited and I couldn’t be more thankful.”

On Friday the top qualified drivers had the chance to call out their competitors, but Caruso was not selected and ultimately was paired with Cristian Cuadra in the first round. In previous races Caruso held a 4-1 record against the young driver from Mexico. In the first round the 2022 Rookie of the Year was first off the line and never trailed in the drag race. The run was not perfect as her Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro suffered some engine damage.

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MOORESVILLE, NC – Camrie Caruso, 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year, will return to racing action this weekend at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals with her new look Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro. The 210-mph, six-second race car will also sport the branding of new associate partner CR Towing, a family-owned Joliet business that has been serving the greater Chicago area since 1927.

“We could not be more excited to introduce everyone at CR Towing to the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series,” said Caruso, who has steadily incorporated local businesses into her marketing program. “At every race we have been looking to partner with a local business to expose them to the NHRA fanbase and CR Towing was a perfect fit for the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals. This is their first drag racing sponsorship, but they have done some things with dirt racing.”

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MOORESVILLE, NC – Beginning with the Gerber Collision and Glass NHRA Rt. 66 Nationals, May 19-21, Camrie Caruso will campaign a new look Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro in the ultra-competitive Pro Stock category. Caruso, the reigning NHRA Rookie of the Year, will race the Tequila Comisario Camaro for eleven races, an increase in races over the marketing relationship which began during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Series season. In addition to the primary sponsorship Caruso will also be making select appearances in advance of NHRA national events to promote Tequila Comisario and she has been added as brand ambassador with CW Spirits who handles online purchases for Tequila Comisario.

“I am super excited to be back in the Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro,” said Caruso, who won her first Pro Stock national event this season at the Arizona Nationals. “The Tequila Comisario team has been great to work with and we are thrilled to help them grow their brand. I am now an ambassador for CW Spirits so fans can get a discount code when they purchase online. There will be a lot of cool events off the track and some more announcements later in the season.”

Last season Caruso raced the Tequila Comisario Camaro during six NHRA national events including the Western Swing, Topeka, the U.S. Nationals and the first race of the Countdown in Reading. The expansion of the program shows the marketability of not just Caruso but the NHRA. In recognition of this successful program fans interested in buying Tequila Comisario can make their purchase through www.cwspirits.com and use the discount code “Caruso” to receive a 5% discount on their purchase. The program has also brought more eyeballs to Tequila Comisario through the strong NHRA television package that includes FOX and FS1.

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MOORESVILLE, NC – Second year Pro Stock driver and reigning NHRA Rookie of the Year Camrie Caruso is proud to be one of eight Pro Stock drivers set to compete in the first-ever NHRA Pro Stock All-Star Callout, which will take place on Saturday, May 20 as part of the NHRA’s return to Chicago at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway. Caruso who this season collected her first win at the Arizona Nationals and followed that up with a No. 1 qualifier and semifinal finish at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals is eager to test her skills against some of the best and brightest stars in Pro Stock.

Caruso clinched her spot driving the Big Jeff Audio Chevrolet Camaro at the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, photo courtesy of SR Driven Media.

“You look at the talent of the drivers and the quality of the Pro Stock cars. I know this is going to be a great event for the fans and the class,” said Caruso, when she saw the official list of participants. “I know my dad was keeping up with my qualifying position all weekend in Charlotte since that was the last chance to earn points. It was cool to clinch racing the Big Jeff Audio Chevrolet Camaro since they are a new sponsor for our team. We will switch to Tequila Comisario as our primary sponsor starting in Chicago and I appreciate all the support we have received all season from Powerbuilt Tools, VP Racing and DENSO.”

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CONCORD, NC – Racing four-wide for the first time at her home track, zMax Dragway, 2022 Rookie of the Year Camrie Caruso continued her development in the unique format. The third generation drag racer introduced new sponsor Big Jeff Audio to the NHRA community with an eye-catching car design. Through two days of qualifying Caruso showed she had a race car that could go rounds and capture her first four-wide win light. The young driver made four qualifying passes with her quickest pass of 6.561 seconds at 209.59 mph, quick enough to position her in the top half of the field at No. 7. She was placed in a first round quad with No. 2 qualifier and KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn, No. 10 qualifier Mason McGaha and No. 15 qualifier Fernando Cuadra Jr.

The Pro Stock category had to wait out a nearly three-and-a-half-hour rain delay before they could hit the track. Once Caruso’s Big Jeff Audio team rolled up to the starting line, she was eager to take on the competition. All four cars rolled into the pre-stage and then they all staged waiting for the tree to activate. Unfortunately, Caruso hit the gas before her tree fired, disqualifying her strong 6.590 second pass that was the third quickest of the session. Glenn made a clean pass followed by Cuadra to advance to the next round.

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MOORESVILLE, NC – A combination of existing sponsor relationships and a passion for supporting the North Carolina drag racing community led to NHRA rookie of the year Camrie Caruso adding Professional Staffing Solutions to her Big Jeff Audio Chevrolet Camaro livery for this weekend’s Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway. Tameka Jenkins, General Manager of Professional Staffing Solutions, wanted to try a different approach to find quality job candidates and help her existing clients reach a new audience and picking one of the rising stars in the NHRA was just the avenue she was looking for.

“The main reason I am involved in drag racing is because of my son CJ who races junior dragsters now but wants to eventually race professionally,” said Tameka Jenkins, General Manager Professional Staffing Solutions. “This is the only event in North Carolina, so we wanted to support that as well. We are aligned with Camrie already because we are both with Right Trailers, so we wanted to support her and start getting involved more in the sport besides just racing. We want to see what kind of feedback and awareness we can get for Professional Staffing Solutions and get a better understanding of the NHRA fan base. I could spend money on an Indeed search or try something unique to find people that support a sport that I am passionate about and so is my son CJ.”

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MOORESVILLE, NC – Camrie Caruso grew up in the Rochester, New York area but since she launched her professional Pro Stock career the 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year has called the Charlotte, North Carolina, area home. The Mooresville resident is eager to take a second crack at her hometown track, zMax Dragway, the Bellagio of Drag Strips. This will be the third generation drag racers first attempt at four-wide racing at the drag strip located adjacent to Charlotte Motor Speedway. During the 2022 NHRA Countdown Caruso raced her Chevrolet Camaro to the No. 8 qualifier position, but she did not advance beyond the first round.

“We didn’t get to race four-wide at zMax Dragway last year and I was pretty mad about that,” said Caruso. “I came to the race anyway and it was my first time seeing four-wide racing in person. There is a lot going on and I feel more confident coming into this weekend than I did two weeks ago in Las Vegas. I have a good race car and with my new sponsor Big Jeff Audio I am excited to go some rounds this weekend.”

Big Jeff Audio Chevrolet Camaro Camrie Caruso will be racing at Circle k NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte

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LAS VEGAS, NV – Camrie Caruso was bringing a lot of momentum into the desert for the Las Vegas NHRA Four-Wide Nationals this weekend. The Arizona Nationals winner and Winternations semifinalist was looking to continue her development with success at four-wide racing. The Powerbuilt Tools Chevrolet Camaro made solid runs in qualifying and entered race day as the No. 8 Pro Stock car at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

In qualifying the team missed the tune-up on the first run but bounced back with three quality passes to put Caruso and her KB Titan Racing powered Camaro in the field heading into race day. In the last quad Caruso faced No. 1 qualifier Matt Hartford, No. 16 qualifier Jerry Tucker and No. 9 qualifier Erica Enders. It was a stacked group, but Caruso felt confident as the only driver with a win in 2023.

When the tree flashed Caruso was second off the line with a strong .015 reaction time, but her race car went into immediate tire shake and the young driver was forced to abort the run. Hartford and Enders advanced but a representative run by Caruso would have more than likely advanced her to the second round. The third-generation driver knows that some days things go your way and some days you have to struggle.

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