DI CLASSIC: Lizzy Musi Isn't Afraid of What Comes Next|

Born and raised in New Bailiwick of jersey, 23-year-onetime Lizzy Musi moved south belatedly in 2012, as her father, doorslammer legend Pat Musi, relocated his family unit-owned-and-operated horsepower factory to Mooresville, North Carolina. Though not quite ready to declare herself a newly minted southern belle, the second-generation racer says she'southward happy with the alter in scenery.

"The atmospheric condition is definitely nicer, especially in the winter, and I like the southern-type mental attitude, a lot of people are very friendly," Musi says. "But what's really cool is at that place's then much racing going on down hither; it's incredible. We've got Mooresville Dragway about 12 miles from u.s. and if I walk out of my firm sometimes they'll be racing or testing there and I can hear the burnouts. Or sometimes I'll be standing outside the store and hear the other race shops about us running their dynos. I simply recollect that is so cool."

With her dad stepping away from front office duties to concentrate on building horsepower out back, Musi has largely taken over solar day-to-day operations at Pat Musi Racing Engines (PMRE), which counts among its clients Pro Nitrous veterans John Hall, Tommy Franklin and Robert Patrick, as well every bit 2013 ADRL Dragstock winner Jason Harris and defending NHRA Pro Mod World Champion Rickie Smith.

"It's really a family effort, a family unit team hither," Musi explains. "I handle mostly the parts and part orders and invoicing and e-mails and all that; my sis and my mom practise the paperwork stuff and my dad gives me the orders. So information technology's basically like a big teamwork deal.

"It's busy and it'south crazy, especially when my dad is gone helping customers. He goes all over the world and it's a lot of work when he's gone. A lot is going on at one time. Sometimes we need more people, just near of the time nosotros can handle it. We've just got to get the work done. Phones are ringing, you've got to go this down to shipping, y'all've got to gild this, you've got to do that, you've got to go this. But I can't complain, considering we're decorated and that's a good thing."

Business-wise, the move couldn't have worked out meliorate and Musi is dedicated to maintaining the momentum while juggling the demands of her PMRE duties with a rapidly developing driving career.

"I recall overall through last twelvemonth, we had a great year. Nosotros had a lot of people running good and a lot of great customers, a lot of new customers, so it was a astounding year. Nosotros're running fast and I recall nosotros're on our game, and then we tin't stop at present," she says.

"That's really what I learned from my dad. He works twenty-four hours and night. If information technology's Christmas Day, he'll be working, plumbing a manifold or doing something on the motors; he'southward 24/vii. That's what inspires me the most near him; he really has heart in what he does and he gives center to all his customers. Anything they demand, he'll exist there for them. That'southward what ways a lot to me and it'southward what I desire to bring to the business, besides."

For the last couple of years, Musi has been bringing that same sense of dedication to the rail. Five years removed from making her final competitive drive down a drag strip—at 16 in a Jr. Dragster, no less—Musi made her Top Sportsman debut at the 2012 ADRL season opener in Houston, where she proved to be a quick learner, qualifying team owner John Lee's 1969 Camaro fifth and even winning her first round of eliminations before suffering a surprising spinout at the terminate of her burnout that disqualified her from round two.

"I'1000 mad, but I'm too embarrassed," a visibly upset Musi admitted at the time. "Something happened with the scrap that'due south supposed to control the RPMs for the exhaustion. I don't know if it wasn't turned on or something went incorrect with it, only I heard and felt the engine just keep going up and I tried to ease out of the throttle, but it simply got away from me. I was mad because I wanted to go a lot farther."

And then came the incident that for a cursory time made Musi one of the most famous drag racers on the planet. While qualifying for just her second Superlative Sportsman race at Tennessee's celebrated Bristol Dragway in Apr 2012, her auto crossed over from the correct lane and wound upward on top of the left guardwall where information technology made a perfect pirouette before taking out the acme-end Television set camera as it concluded up on the wrong side of the wall. That the photographic camera caught all the action—even later its operator jumped over the wall to safety on the track—made for the perfect viral video.

Inside days, Musi'due south proper noun and likeness fabricated the rounds worldwide. The crash video was an instant hit on YouTube.com, quickly racking upwards multi-million views and leading to coverage from several mainstream television, print and online news outlets, including Play a trick on News, Us Today and The Daily Mail in Great Uk.

"To be honest, I'm kind of glad that's all died downwards. Information technology was fun at the time doing all those interviews and appearances; it really was a great feel, thankfully considering no one got injure, but I don't want to only exist known as, 'that chick that crashed,'" Musi says. "I want to win races and championships and be known for that somewhen, instead."

Needing a replacement ride for Musi, Lee soon picked up a former Dewayne Silance-owned '68 Camaro from Jerry Bickel Race Cars simply a few weeks after the Bristol consequence. At the ADRL race in St. Louis that June, Musi made a and then-career-best 4.15-seconds pass in the new car to qualify fourth, then went on to win 2 rounds on race mean solar day. More of import to her, though, the weekend's operation made a argument.

"I know subsequently what happened in Houston and and so the crash in Bristol, some people were wondering if I could bulldoze a car similar this, so it felt really good to make some runs like that and go that all behind me," she says.

With a much more stable machine to work with, Musi and team then set up about building experience and becoming i of the consistently quickest entries in the ADRL Top Sportsman ranks, typically qualifying their bright red, Edelbrock-backed Camaro in the top five and dialing in with 4-teens for race solar day. Every bit her rookie year came to a close, Musi reached the semi finals for the first time in the season ender at Dallas and finished an impressive eighth in points.

And so came 2013 and she picked upwardly correct where she left off, qualifying a career-loftier second at Rockingham, North Carolina, to offset the season, followed by a third-place first at the next result in Cecil, Georgia, before the race was canceled past rain. Regardless, the tone was fix for Musi, who made another second-place start at Cordova, Illinois, followed by her start number-one-qualifier award at Richmond, Virginia, where she over again made it to the semis and left the track on meridian of the Top Sportsman points list.

The 2d half of the season began late in June at Martin, Michigan, where Musi one time more started from the number-two slot and reached the semi finals, but after ADRL took the month of July off, she came back in Baronial at Memphis with an off weekend that resulted in a first-round leave after qualifying 6th.

Afterwards that came an also disappointing render to Rockingham, where Musi redlighted abroad her chances in the opening round of the special-effect Battle for the Belts before qualifying number four for ADRL's prestigious Dragstock outcome, just made another early exit from round ane. Regardless, she counts that event as one of her virtually memorable of the 2013 ADRL bout.

"I've got to say Rockingham is probably my biggest fan base of operations out there. I mean, I had a pretty long line when I saturday out there and signed posters," she recalls. "I really love the fans; no matter how we do (on the rail), they just make my whole 24-hour interval, my whole race. I just honey talking, being able to talk to them and interact with them. They're like the nigh important thing to me. Really, I beloved them. Information technology'south a joy to be out at that place and simply acquaintance with them and give them attending because without them, you lot know, where would we exist?

"They nonetheless bring upwardly the whole blue car thing (from Bristol), but I think this past twelvemonth kind of made up for that whole deal," she adds. "And then information technology'south good to hear that. Now I tin hear more about me doing good than that whole incident."

And while it's always heartening to hear from young girls and women who gain inspiration from her on-track results, Musi admits she likewise gets plenty of attending from male fans, both trackside and online, but says information technology can be difficult to deal with at times.

"Information technology tin can become a little crazy," she says. "Some people are like, 'Why don't yous write your number on the poster, as well?' And I'thousand like, 'Oh God, no!'

"Then on Facebook, I get 'Do you desire to go along a date?' and these messages, I tin can't fifty-fifty answer them; sometimes my inbox, my Facebook inbox is overwhelmed. And then I just permit it become right at present. Then there are some that are like, 'What would it take for a guy similar me to go out with a girl like yous? Please respond to me.' I mean, there are some pretty desperate ones. And I don't want to be mean or annihilation; I just don't know what you practise about the state of affairs. I mean, I'grand really non the kind of daughter that wants to strut her stuff or something similar that. I'm but me. That'south all."

In her personal life, Musi says she's dated a couple of fellow drivers over the last few years, but nil serious and nothing lasting, something that's as much by design every bit chance.

"I retrieve information technology's just because there's a lot going on for me right now. I kind of really demand to focus. Fifty-fifty my dad sat me down and said nosotros need to focus on this business, focus on the racing, considering correct now we are doing really good and we've got to keep focusing to keep things going," she says.

"It's a lot on me. The personal life, I like to become out—or I would similar to get out and socialize and stuff—but we want to be successful and be in this racing, and so you kind of have to brand it a full-fledged deal, give all your attention to it. It's a little difficult on me sometimes, but honestly, if I could exist at the track every day I would. It's but an enjoyable environment to me. I love being there."

Leaving Rockingham, Musi had slipped to tertiary in the flavor standings, only less than ane round'southward worth of points out of the lead and essentially left to battle with four other drivers for the championship at the final race of the yr in Houston. Unfortunately, disaster struck.

"The last couple of races nosotros were fighting transmission problems, then it was kind of iffy on what was going to happen. We should have taken that trans out and checked it out, but that'due south our fault and we fought that office of it and we learn from our mistakes," Musi explains.

"But it was a bummer that we fought that problem considering nosotros came out there pretty strong at the last race. We really went testing and we fabricated iii passes in it and information technology went dead direct downwardly the rail. I mean 4.06, 4.08 and a four.09 and I was like dead on the tree. I had a .010 calorie-free, a .012 and a .009 lite, so I was like, 'Wow, this could be the race right here; we're on pinnacle of it!' And so we go out there for start qualifying round and the car just zinged in loftier gear. It's crazy. I don't know. It was but a shocking thing. It just bounced out of gear and just similar that it was all over."

With rain cutting short qualifying in Houston, just two rounds were completed to set the fields and unable to make repairs in time, Musi missed out on eliminations and finished the flavour a disappointing, but certainly respectable 5th in points.

"I had a great squad behind me and I desire to thank John Lee for giving me that. Nosotros did our best. In the racing industry, annihilation can go wrong motor-wise, car-wise. You know you've but got to exist on meridian of everything and I think we did really proficient overall," Musi says. "Information technology was definitely kind of a bummer at the last race when we had some manual problems that cost us that race, just other than that, I remember overall we had a expert twelvemonth."

With the 2013 flavour over, Musi says she and Lee mutually agreed to office ways, primarily considering she had the opportunity to step upwards this twelvemonth to Pro Nitrous with the newly formed Professional Elevate Racers Association (PDRA), piloting the aforementioned 2009 Dodge Stratus her father concluding collection in 2011 for car owner Frank Brandao. Nevertheless, she knows she'll miss her Peak Sportsman days.

"That class is a blast. All the people that race in it, it's like one big family unit," Musi states. "In that location are a lot of heavy hitters in that class; Ronnie Davis, Aaron Glasser, William Brownish, Bruce Thrift, all those guys, they're groovy guys. If you lot need help, they're at that place for you. We all help each other out and I think information technology's more enjoyable when you know you lot're close with the people y'all race with, that yous similar racing with them. When you're on runway, yous feel more comfortable racing. So information technology's virtually like a joy. They brand it more fun.

"But Top Sportsman is a really tough course, as well. I hateful, you have to exist dead on your reaction time and your punch in, so you've got to be majorly consistent and it merely makes you a better racer. It'south a very competitive class. Then I really enjoyed racing in it. I learned a lot."

Musi won't exist alone in representing the family unit business with the PDRA this season, besides, as little sis Tricia will make her race driving debut in yet another of their father's quondam rides. Twenty-1-yr-old Tricia will enter Top Sportsman competition in the 1997 "Popeye" Firebird, now owned by Pennsylvania'south Don Ream.

"It's going to be a pretty decorated bargain going on. She'll exist running the fuel injection on a Musi 632 engine, most a similar setup to what I ran and I'm excited for her with that," Musi says. "It's going to be cool to take her out at that place; we demand more girls out there racing."

And there's notwithstanding a take chances Musi's own Pinnacle Sportsman days aren't quite over, equally she reveals she may enter a couple of NHRA Pinnacle Sportsman events this season, "just to become some quarter mile runs under my feet." For the time being, however, her focus remains on making the transition to Brandao'due south Jerry Bickel-built Stratus, outfitted with an EFI Musi-built 903 cubic incher under the hood that's backed upwardly by a Bruno automatic manual carrying a Neal Take a chance torque converter.

"My dad is really the ane that put that bargain all together. He brought it upward to Frank (Brandao) near me peradventure driving the motorcar and Frank was all gung ho nearly information technology, so I'm really grateful that he wants me to drive his automobile. I'k really thankful for that," Musi says. "And we accept a couple of sponsors that stepped up to the plate to help us, too. Edelbrock once more wants to help out this year and so we have Lucas Oil that my dad had the previous years when he raced, so I think it'southward going to be a actually great deal."

Still, Musi realizes there will again exist the naysayers, people questioning whether she's set to step up to the quicker, faster Pro Nitrous form, wondering if she'southward capable of facing hardcore professional drivers, maybe even whispering behind her back that she simply got the ride because of her father. She doesn't care.

"Y'all know what? I'm going to practise what I'm going to do, I'm going to listen to what my dad tells me to do, take it step past stride, not going to leap into anything. I want to brand certain I'chiliad comfy and ready to become. And so we're actually going to do some testing for a couple of weeks down in Florida when he comes back from Qatar, which is late Feb."

Start, though, the Stratus had to be adjusted by Bickel's shop in Moscow Mills, Missouri, to fit Musi's much smaller frame than her male parent's.

"I feel like a piffling shrimp in my dad's car," she says, yet referring to information technology as "his" car. "I had to send out the gas pedal to Bickel and it looks so funny now because they put an extension on information technology. They made a whole new pedal for me so I can reach it, and then they have an extension on the steering bike for me, as well. And then I experience like a trivial midget in there, but they did a bully chore and it'south comfortable for me now."

And though recognizing the intimidation factor of racing against the likes of past Pro Nitrous champions and race winners, Musi says she's found a level of comfort in the seat and looks forward to the challenge.

"No question there's some major heavy hitters in that class; it's going to exist pretty crazy," she admits. "But it's going to exist then absurd running against those people. I grew up watching them race, so it'south going to be actually cool to have a chance to run against them.

"And without a doubt I definitely feel more than comfy in the car. It's like, when you're at the rail, you lot're at the runway, simply when you're in the auto, information technology's a totally different ballgame. I don't know about anyone else, just to me I experience like when I'k in the car goose egg else matters; everything is blanked out. Information technology's but full focus on getting downward that runway, doing everything that I need to do in the car and being consistent in everything I do."

Realistically, Musi says she's mainly looking to gain experience this year, simply with a auto her dad ran 5.92 at over 241 mph in 2011 at Budds Creek, Maryland, she knows the potential is there to make some noise—and perchance intermission a few hearts forth the mode.

"Seriously, I want to do proficient runs, make some good passes, go some good reaction times, qualify and peradventure go some rounds at a few races. I would love to win, absolutely, but I remember overall for this twelvemonth, information technology'southward merely almost taking my time because information technology's a whole new deal. I accept to get used to everything all over once again," she realizes. "I want to brand some fast runs. Then let's see what happens."

Photographs by Mike Carpenter and Ian Tocher

This story originally appeared as the cover story in Drag Illustrated Effect No. 84, the Hottest Women Effect, in February of 2014.

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