Tricia Musi...making a name for herself one run at a time
/We have all heard the Musi name once or twice in drag racing circles. Whether it be Pat Musi and the days of Pro Street, or Lizzy Musi and he ability to wheel a pro mod. This weekend though, it was all about Tricia Musi.
The time has come for the drag racing world to see the other Musi, the one that tends to be overshadowed by her Father and her Sister. Tricia also proven this weekend that the time has come for her to put a hurting on the NMCA ARP Nitrous Pro Street Class. And they are doing it with one of the most famous Pro Street cars ever.
Now, if you were at Bowling Green this weekend, you were able to witness the return of Pat Musi’s old 2000 Pontiac Firebird. This was a car that along with his old Camaro were staples in the drag racing scene. It was announced recently that Tricia was able to make a dream come true and bring this car back into the fold with her team, The Bankston Boyz Racing Team and that they would compete in NMCA Nitrous Pro Street.
Too many times we see cars that have lived a life of greatness just tossed aside for the new shinny penny. We have seen it in just about every drag racing class that there is, whether it be Pro Mod, Pro Street, Outlaw 10.5, etc. The resurrection of having an iconic car back out there racing was nothing short of emotional for a lot of people. Instead of continuing to use a car that works, it gets tossed to the side because we in drag racing think that the newest and shiniest is the best thing.
Emotion is something that is in abundance within drag racing. It might be from a win or a loss, or even an argument. Rarely do we see emotion about a car anymore though. Something that brings back a connection to the past. A memory of seeing this car when you were younger. Thankfully, Tricia is now able to provide us all that experience She has done something that may others never dare to do, and that is race a car that her father did and race it amazingly well.
This isn’t just about a car though. In Bowling Green this last weekend, we saw dominance from Tricia in a class stacked with heavy hitters. In fact, Tricia wheeled this car to the finals in its NMCA Nitrous Pro Street debut. Not only did she make it all the way to the finals, but she also covered the field well enough to qualify number one. It almost appeared effortless from a bystander’s view.
It’s not often that you see a driver smiling from ear to ear when they get out of the car, getting in the car, or working on the car. That was not the case last weekend. Being pitted where we were last weekend, we were lucky enough to be right by the team, and it didn’t seem like there was a single moment that Tricia wasn’t smiling. Based on her performance we can understand why too. That smile comes after years of hard work trying to make a name for herself, while also having the expectation to live up to the family name within our industry. She certainly lived up to the Musi reputation though. Surgically taking out her opponents like a surgeon with a knife. It was only the final round where the competition was able to snatch victory from her hands.
Speaking of the Musi reputation, it is no secret that there is a lot to live up to when you have the last name Musi. In the door slammer racing world, that name is on the same level as Force is in Nitro racing. So, you can image the stresses and expectations that come along with the family lineage. Tricia has been handling it like a champ recently though. While she may not get the ink that others in her family do, she is proving that she can drive just as well and live up to any expectation that is set or expected when your last name is Musi.
Based on what we were able to see this weekend, it looks like Tricia will be the one to beat this year in Nitrous Pro Street. We haven’t had a chance to speak with Tricia about her plans the rest of 2018, but she has certainly shown that she is no longer in the shadow of her family. She can stand on her own behind the wheel of that car. Watch for Tricia to evolve into a championship caliber team.