NHRA: Pro Stock driver Camrie Caruso ready to go for two wins this weekend
One of the NHRA's rising stars will be pulling double duty in this weekend's race at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., as NHRA returns to the facility about 50 miles outside of Chicago for the first time since 2019 (races in 2020, 2021 and 2022 were all canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
25-year-old Pro Stock driver Camire Caruso will make her first-ever start at Route 66, and hopes to leave there with not just one win but rather two wins.
Additionally, the sophomore driver is one of eight drivers competing in Saturday's Pro Stock edition of the All-Star Call Out - an exciting made-for-TV event that puts the best drivers in each class against each other with money and bragging rights on the line.
"I’m excited," Caruso said in an interview with Auto Racing Digest. "I’ve heard a lot of really good things about Chicago. I think it’s just overall going to be a great weekend.
"I know there’s a lot of fans excited for us to come back to Chicago, so I think that we’re just really going to have a great weekend and hopefully it's all going to go well."
A third-generation drag racer, Caruso made her NHRA debut with Titan Racing last year. She won Rookie of the Year honors by qualifying for all 19 Pro Stock races with both her first No. 1 qualifier and a career-best finish of runner-up coming at Houston.
With Titan Racing and KB Racing merging over the off-season, Caruso became one of four drivers competing for the new team. On March 26, she made history by becoming only the second female driver (in addition to five-time champion Erica Enders) to ever win in the Pro Stock class, beating Bo Bunter in the final round to win the final Arizona Nationals near Phoenix.
"As everyone knows, we made a big bunch of changes over the off-season and we really wanted to start the year off with a bang," Caruso said. "After Gainesville [where Caruso was defeated in the first round], we were a little worried just because the car struggled.
"Then we went to the next race and the car was awesome. The car did great, the guys did great. Everybody just all around did a great job. We won Phoenix, qualified No. 1 at Pomona and honestly, it’s been a great start to the year and I’m super excited to see what the rest of the year holds."
Starting in Chicago, Caruso's car will also sport a different paint scheme for the next several rounds. After sponsoring her in six events last year, Tequila Comisario returns to sponsor Caruso in 11 races in 2023.
"A company like Tequila Comisario just brings a lot of fan bases together," Caruso said. "Our fan base and theirs have kind of merged over the past few years working together.
"Being able to bring their brand recognition throughout the season is great. They’re awesome to work with. They’re like family at this point. I’m super thankful. I have great partners. All of them are awesome to work with and I’m really, really lucky on that."
Not only is Caruso lucky to have great sponsors, she is lucky to have great mentors. When asked who she looks up to, she mentioned her teammate Greg Anderson - the most successful driver in Pro Stock history.
"Greg Anderson is a great example of who to look up to and who I have," Caruso said. "He’s involved in the program and he’s a great driver.
"He’s really such a great role model to look up to and shoot for the stars to be like because it doesn’t get better than him in Pro Stock."