Lancaster Raceway Park next stop on PMRA Tour
Rochester team hoping for good showing with new supercharger
GRAND BEND, ONTARIO (July 24, 2007) – The PMRA team of Joe Caruso and Mike Cusimano are new to the Pro Modified Racing Association series, but the Rochester, NY duo is certainly not new to drag racing.
“I’ve been racing since 1971,” stated Cusimano. ‘We used to run Lancaster on Thursday nights.”
The team will be returning to the Western New York facility of Lancaster Raceway Park this coming Sunday for the running of the Third Annual PMRA Challenge presented by G-Force Race Cars, Grainy’s Automotive, and Niagara Auto, with their 1994 Corvette-bodied Pro Modified.
They were running the car at the recent IHRA Canadian Nationals at the Grand Bend Motorplex, and qualified the car number two in the 43-car field in the IHRA’s Top Sportsman class.
Cusimano drives the car, and partner Caruso wrenches on the Vette, which now sports a PSI blower on the Jan-Cen 526-cubic inch supercharged Rodeck engine, something new from the former nitrous injection.
“We always ran nitrous,” said Caruso. “We always wanted a blown car, and now we’ve got it, and it seems to be working good for us.”
“It’s nice to come out for the second time with this combination and qualify number two.”
The team made it to the opening round of competition at The Bend and were eliminated, their first attempt at a national drag race event.
Both Caruso and Cusimano admitted they were out to race for the fun of it, and their laid-back attitude and approach to racing may not seem in character with driving and maintaining a 2000-horsepower race car that can travel down the drag strip at over 200 mph.
But they enjoy the sport with a focus that centers on enjoying their pastime.
“We’ll race about 15 times a year,” said Cusimano. “Joe and I started out with a Super Pro car, and even though we have raced on and off, our partnership is still working after 25 years.
“Racing is a disease, an addiction,” continued Cusimano. “You just can’t stay away.”
There will be two sessions of PMRA qualifying at 1:45 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., with the four quickest teams returning for the final eliminations at 4:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
The Third Annual PMRA Challenge presented by G-Force Race Cars, Grainy's Automotive, and Niagara Auto, will take place Sunday, July 29 at Lancaster Raceway Park, just outside of Buffalo, in Clarence, New York.
Joining the PMRA at Toronto Motorsports Park will be the CAN-AM Stock/Super Stock Series. This popular grass-roots drag series that features competitors from Ontario, New York and Michigan, was formed in 1996, and continues to grow each season.
For more information about Lancaster Raceway Park, call (716) 759-6818 or visit -- Welcome to Lancaster Raceway Park --
Now in its third year of operation, The Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA) has enjoyed strong fan popularity and will present some of the best in Pro Modified racing for 2007.
The PMRA will travel to several drag strips in 2007, including two dates at Toronto Motorsports Park, Lancaster Raceway Park in New York State, Sanair in Quebec, and the Southwestern Ontario track of Grand Bend Motorplex.
In 2006, the tour was a great success, and during the past two seasons of the PMRA, each event finished with a different winner. Joe Boniferro and Kasey Janzen tied in points last year and were crowned co-champions over the other Ontario, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania teams. Wix Filtration Products, Valvoline, a division of Ashland Inc., Uni-Select, and Moen Incorporated will sponsor the PMRA point series in 2007.
For more information, contact Bruce F. Mehlenbacher [email protected]
About the Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA):
The Pro Modified Racing Association, Pro Modified Racing Association, started late in 2004 and is entering its third year of operation. The PMRA is a self-governing organization, with technical and safety rules as outlined by the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) and the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). Cars in the PMRA capture the true spirit of hot rodding, and the class is one of drag racing’s most exciting and volatile classes, offering a diverse group of racecars with different types of 2,000-horsepower engines. Combining classic body styles and modern equipment, constructors are permitted, within established rules and parameters, to modify and enhance the cars in both appearance and performance. The cars are fuelled by gasoline or methanol, propelling them down the quarter-mile in low six-second times at over 200 miles per hour. The PMRA provides drag race fans the opportunity to see, hear, and experience the popular Pro Modifieds, known as "the world's fastest door slammers".
