ROCKINGHAM — If reigning PDRA champion Rickie Smith is going to win his third straight race at Rockingham Dragway, it won’t be behind the wheel of the IDG Camaro in which he won the NHRA Pro Mod opener last month at Gainesville, Florida.
In fact, if the 62-year-old veteran from King is to extend his mastery of The Rock during the third annual PDRA Spring Nationals, it won’t be behind the wheel at all.
With engine-building legend Pat Musi laid up with some health issues, “Tricky Rickie” temporarily will take on the job of crew chief on the nitrous-boosted Dodge Dart driven by Musi’s 25-year-old daughter, Lizzy.
It’s a collaboration that has “dream team” written all over it.
First, there’s Musi, a 64-year-old native of Carteret, New Jersey now running his engine-building business out of Mooresville. A legendary Pro Stock and Pro Modified racer himself, Musi’s engines are among the most sought-after in racing — and some of the biggest.
For example, the nitrous-boosted V-8 in his daughter’s car displaces 963 cubic inches and is capable of zero-to-205 mph acceleration in just 3.70 seconds.
Second, there’s Lizzy. After coming up through the ranks, first as a Jr. Dragster racer and then as a Top Sportsman driver, the woman who is into yoga, fashion design and action sports (motorcross and surfing, among others) has found her niche in the Pro Nitrous class in which she already has won twice and in which she was the 2014 PDRA Rookie of the Year.
And then there’s Smith, whose often-stated wish to retire from racing after a more than 40-year career keeps getting short-circuited by success. Since announcing his retirement in 2013 after he and son Matt both won NHRA championships, he’s added a second NHRA title and also won in the PDRA.
Moreover, despite his protestations to the contrary, the former high school wrestler probably isn’t heading for the rocking chair until somebody starts to beat him on a regular basis. And that hasn’t happened yet.
What sets Smith apart is his throwback attitude. In an era of specialization, the greatest Mountain Motor Racer of all time has continued to do things as he has since first he turned down football scholarship offer to go racing.
That means that in this age of specialization, he still drives the truck to the races, sets up the pit area, prepares the race car, tunes the race car and, finally, drives the race car.
It’s a formula that has delivered 77 national event victories and 10 series championships that span 39 years. To put that in perspective, consider that Hall of Fame driver John Force has won 16 championships but by the time he won his first one, Smith already had five in Pro Stock and two others in the old Factory Modified class.
He since has added two more since Force won his last.
That kind of makes an alliance with the Musi clan seem somewhat unfair although 2014 series champ Jason Harris of Pittsboro, veteran Tommy Franklin of Fredericksburg, Virgina, Stevie Jackson of Evans, Georgia, Jay Cox of Smithfield and Travis “the Carolina Kid” Harvey of Elon, are sure to keep things interesting when qualifying begins Friday.
In addition to Pro Nitrous, champions will be crowned in Pro Extreme, a class in which Frankie Taylor’s 3.485 second track record could be in jeopardy, Pro Boost, Extreme Pro Stock, Extreme Pro Stock Motorcycle, Top Dragster, Top Sportsman and two Jr. Dragster categories.
