NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Entering her third year driving a KB Titan Racing-powered Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stocker, young Camrie Caruso planned to win races and secure a spot in the top 10 in 2024. An early season crash curtailed those plans, but she’s back on track and eager to re-establish herself in the highly competitive field.

After finishing No. 11 in the nation the year before, Caruso entered the new season on a tough note, missing the field at in Gainesville and then falling in round two at the Pomona Winternationals to KB Titan Racing teammate Greg Anderson. Her season really took a turn in Phoenix, when on her final qualifying pass, she lost control of her race car and slammed into both retaining walls. The worst of Caruso’s injuries was a broken left fibula that meant that she would not walk unassisted for a period of weeks. It also meant that the 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year would be out of the racecar until further notice.

“It sucked,” said Caruso. “It was awful. I was so bored at home, but I still worked with a lot of my sponsors, and I got to go to a lot of things that I would have missed if I was driving. That was a good part, but on the same token, I missed being out at the track. It was tough watching everybody still go racing without me; I was like, wait for me. It just sucked, to be honest.”

But the time away from racing Pro Stock allowed 26-year-old Caruso something she didn’t even know she needed. Generally bubbly with a dash of characteristic sass, Caruso has come across as a bit steadier and more even-tempered in her return.

“It was a learning experience for me,” admitted Caruso, who hails from New York and resides now in Denver, N.C. “The accident was a life experience, and as much as I didn’t want it to happen, it taught me a lot of valuable lessons.”

Healed and mentally prepared to take on Pro Stock stronger than ever, Caruso made her return at the Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals on Labor Day Weekend. With 21 cars on the property, Caruso had to get her act together quickly – and she did so, qualifying in the No. 16 position and earning a first-round meeting with Anderson, the No. 1 qualifier. Although the veteran racer got the nod in their match, Caruso was back.

Two weeks later at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals in Reading, Caruso was first off the starting line and first to the finish to see her first win light since the Winternationals. She’s qualified for each of the races since then, and although she does not have a shot at making the top 10 this year, Caruso is renewed.

“It’s been really nice to be back,” she said. “I’ve missed it. This is all I want to do, and anybody that knows me knows that’s the case. We’re going through some growing pains with the car, but that’s okay. We’re going to keep pushing through, and hopefully, we get it figured out in a good amount of time. We’re trying hard.”

Caruso said that she has very little residual pain and no real issues now that the healing process is behind her. She didn’t need to have rods placed; the injury was allowed to heal on its own. With the support of sponsors such as True Brand, Big Jeff Audio, and Aeon Laser USA on her KB Titan Racing Camaro, Caruso is in no way easing her way back into the heated game of Pro Stock.

“We came back out here wanting to win right away,” she said. “Truly, I don't want to be out here just to be comfortable or to be a filler. That's not me, that's not ever who I'm going to be, and I would never be content with that. I'm here to win. I'm here to make my sponsors looked good, and if I can't do that, then it's not for me.”