Dina Parise to compete in new Cadillac Pro Mod at President’s Cup in Maryland

NEW FREEDOM, PA – Former Ice Capades figure skater-turned-professional drag racer Dina Parise will compete in this weekend’s IHRA Nitro Jam President’s Cup Nationals at Maryland International Raceway in Mechanicsburg, Maryland. Parise will compete in a new Cadillac Pro Mod, capable of speeds in excess of 240 miles per hour.

The new Cadillac Pro Mod debuted in the first race of the season in Bradenton, Florida, in mid-April. At the most recent event, the Summer Nationals in Cordova, Illinois, Parise finished runner-up in the final round of eliminations. The new car’s progress makes Parise a threat to win in Maryland on Saturday.

Parise’s transition from ice-cold rinks to red-hot drag strips is an interesting tale.

“I grew up on Long Island, New York, and from an early age I wanted to mix it up with the boys,” Parise began. “I wanted to play hockey and my mother said, ‘No, not gonna happen.’ I always seemed to be the girl who liked all the boys’ sports. I also was a gymnast, so we decided figure skating was a better way to go.”

Parise’s love for competing on skates eventually led her to the big show.

“I was competitive from age eight through my early 20s,” Parise explained. “I had a friend who told me the Ice Capades was holding auditions and suggested I try out. I had to lie about my height on my application form. They wanted you to be at least five-feet-five inches and I am barely five-one. It happened pretty quickly. They let you know if you passed or failed that night. I passed and was chosen to go on tour. My first tour was their 50th anniversary tour and it lasted eight months.

“You undergo some off-ice training with choreography. You have to remember a lot of steps and counts. There’s a lot to it. I did four tours (years) with them, as a line skater and ensemble skater. We traveled all over the United States and Canada.”

After four years on the road with the Ice Capades and also skating in other shows during the off-season, Parise decided to hang up her blades.

“I had been a hairdresser for years before I went on tour, so I thought, ‘Let’s go back to that and see where things go.”

In the meantime, Dina’s husband Andrew got involved in cars.

“About 10 years ago, Andrew built a 1967 Camaro. At first he was going to show it, then it went from a show car to a race car with a full tub and roll cage. He drove that car for about a year or so and I just fell in love with the sport of drag racing. I had seen it on TV but I had never been to a drag race. The following year, he decided he was going to build a Pro Mod from the ’67 Camaro. I said, ‘Well, I’d like to drive the ’67,’ so I went to the Frank Hawley Drag Racing School and earned my Super Gas license. I competed in that Camaro for a couple of years. Later, I was looking to step up to a higher class. My husband bought me a ’67 Camaro body. He was thinking Top Sportsman, but I said, ‘I kinda wanna go Pro Mod.’ After I picked him up off the ground we got our marketing partners together and they were able to help us.”

Parise’s decision to try Pro Mod racing was an easy one.

“To me, Pro Mod is one of the best classes,” admitted Parise. “We’ve worked with Scotty Cannon, Carl Spiering – guys who were in the midst of things when it was really happening back in the ‘90s. I love the fact that there are so many body styles and that the fans can relate to the cars. No disrespect to anyone but they’re not cookie-cutter and that’s the best part about it.”

Which leads us to Parise’s unlikely choice of car: a Cadillac, something always considered too elegant – and too big – to race. That was then, this is now.  The luxury car brand has been heavily involved in road racing and has won several sports car championships.

“One day Rob Matheis of Rob Matheis Race Cars Inc. rang our phone and offered something a little different. Early last year, Rob approached us and said, ‘I have a Cadillac body and it seems like it would suit you.’ We weren’t in the market for a new car, but we were able to work things out where we could get the car built. We’ve taken it out testing and I made some changes. We’re going to run the Nitro Jam series and Bradenton will be our first race.”

Looking back, Dina believes her stint in show business is similar to what she does now in drag racing.

“We were in shows at a different venue every week,” she said. “Now we race at a different track every week. We used to do pre-show public relations – radio, TV, talk shows. It’s the same thing in racing. I tell everyone, ‘I traded my sequins for a fire suit.’”

Qualifying for the President’s Cup Nationals will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday with final eliminations slated for 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Maryland International Raceway is located at 27861 Budds Creek Road in Mechanicsville, Maryland. For more information, call (301) 884-9833 or visit www.mirdrag.com.