Camrie Caruso learned early in her Pro Stock career the importance of her left foot, keeping a car in the groove, and hitting her shift points. However, before she hit the button to start her Titan Race Engine in her Tequila Comisario Camaro, she already knew that without mastering drag racing’s business world, the aforementioned critical points wouldn’t matter. 

A deal here, a deal there, and a growing number of partnerships are preparing the 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year frontrunner for long-term involvement in the sport. 

Together with her dad, former Pro Modified racer Marc Caruso, they have been working Corporate America for long-term relationships on a short-term basis.

“We always start with what they would be looking for in a program like ours,” Caruso said. “The question we always present is what can we do for them? It’s never what they can do for you; it’s what you can do to for them to align with their goals.”

Caruso is joining the best of both worlds in a drag racing world where impressions and reach have long since taken a back seat to the business-to-business approach. 

Relationships provide the perfect in for Caruso, and they have wasted little time putting them into action. Making friends is always a bonus, but providing deliverables for those relationships has been a key to her early success. 

“The program with Right Trailers began with a program for my Dad’s Pro Modified, and it just became a natural fit for us here,” Caruso explained. “Our Tequila Comisario program began during the downtime of Covid. You maintain those relationships while you’re racing, but when you’re not on the track, it becomes even more important to stay in touch.”

On-track performance is crucial too. Caruso is tuned and mentored by past NHRA Pro Stock champion Jim Yates who has guided her to seven top-half qualifying positions in ten races. She also has a No. 1 qualifying effort and a final round to her credit. 

Case in point, Sand Haulers of America signed on for the Houston event and, following the memorable outing, hung around for a few more races than previously agreed. They will also be with the team at the upcoming NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis and NHRA FallNationals in Dallas this fall. 

Caruso opened her rookie season with a multi-race sponsorship from Powerbuilt Tools. 

“I want to be involved from top to bottom with this team,” said Caruso. “I get a lot of help from my dad and papa, but at the end of the day, I want to be the one writing the check and then delivering on the racetrack. I have great marketing partners that I want to have for many, many seasons. The best way to do that is to show them how we can grow their business through the NHRA and Caruso Family Racing.

“I want to do as many appearances and interviews as possible to make this program successful. I know that turning on win lights helps, and we have aggressive goals this season.”

Caruso admits the experience of walking in a boardroom can sometimes rival rolling into the beams in a must-win drag race. She’s ranked eighth headed into Seattle this weekend. 

“That’s why your mind has to always be on the prize,” Caruso said. “It’s really important to be just as prepared to win a presentation as you are in winning a race. Like you have to hit your shift points, you also have to have the best answers you possibly can for them.”

Caruso believes her progress as a driver and in doing the business of drag racing is on equal footing, headed into the second half of her rookie season. 

“It’s easier to ask five companies for $100,000 than one company for $500,000,” Caruso said. “It’s a philosophy that’s working for us, so we will keep heading in that direction. I think that’s kind of like the way everything’s going nowadays.”