Midlife Crisis Corvette hoping for successful PMRA 2009

Midlife Crisis Corvette hoping for successful PMRA 2009

Rochester, New York Pro Modified team back for Pro Modified Racing Association Tour

ROCHESTER, NY (May 28, 2009) – They’re not quite ready, but the Pro Modified team of Joe Caruso and Mike Cusimano plan to make a strong effort in this season’s Pro Modified Racing Association’s 2009 season.

Although car owner Joe Caruso mentioned recently the engine for the 1994 Corvette is still being tweaked and the team missed the PMRA season opener at Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, Ontario, the Rochester, New York-based team will be in the hunt for the rest of the year, starting with the Fifth Annual Family Weekend Spectacular at Cayuga.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t ready for the opener at Cayuga,” Caruso mentioned. “We’re just getting things back together. But will we be back? Absolutely. We’re looking forward to it.”

The Midlife Crisis team Corvette, driven by Mike Cusimano, runs a Jan-Cen Racing Engines Rodeck powerplant, prepared by fellow Pro Modified racer Mike Janis.

“We’re making a few adjustments with the car right now,” Caruso continued. “And Mike (Janis) has the engine and he’s putting some more steam in it.”

The engine in the Stroupe Race Cars Corvette runs a PSI supercharger, and a Lenco three-speed is mated to it. A Jan-Cen Enderly fuel system is also employed.

Caruso and Cusimano did not race in all PMRA events in 2008. A highlight of their season was nailing down number one qualifier at Dunn Tire Raceway Park in Lancaster, New York last year, and getting into the final on the eighth-mile track, taking runner-up to fellow New Yorker Mike Stawicki’s G-Force Race Cars entry.

The team’s plans include PMRA events, plus Caruso mentioned they may take the trip to Norwalk, Ohio to compete in that track’s Friday night Door Wars. He added there are no plans to run the Corvette in any IHRA races this year, but some NHRA points meets may be in the works.

Crew chief for the Midlife Crisis group is John Vouros, and Mark Caruso and Chad Cusimano work with the team.

Sponsorship includes NitroPlate, the exhaust coating firm from Tennessee, and DRE Engine Diapers from Illinois.

Caruso said he is hoping for a more fruitful year in 2009.

“Hopefully we’ll do a little better this year,” he said. “We’re going to have to be on our game as the PMRA is going to have some great competition this year.”

For more information, contact Bruce F. Mehlenbacher Bruce@PMRA.ca

The next event for the Pro Modified Racing Association is the second event of the seven-race series in Cayuga, Ontario.

The Fifth Annual Family Weekend Spectacular is scheduled for June 13-14 at Toronto Motorsports Park.

The PMRA will headline the two-day event, which will include racing in the TNT Super Series.

For information about Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, Ontario call (905) 772-0303 or visit online at www.torontomotorsportspark.com

About the Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA):

The Pro Modified Racing Association, www.PMRA.ca, was organized late in 2004, started racing operations in 2005, and is entering its fifth year of operation in 2009. The PMRA is a self-governing organization with input from its teams, and adheres to the technical and safety rules as outlined by the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) and the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). The series has event venues in Ontario, Quebec, and New York State.

The PMRA will compete at several drag strips in 2009, including dates at Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, Ontario, starting with the season opener on May 16 and 17, June 13 and 14 and the season-closer on September 19 and 20, at St. Thomas Dragway in Sparta, Ontario on July 11 and 12, and the South-western Ontario track of the Grand Bend Motorplex at the 10th Annual MOPAR Canadian Nationals July 17 to 19, the Stratford Spectacular Hot August National presented by Ideal Supply & NAPA Auto Parts August 8 and 9 and on September 5 and 6.

Cars in the PMRA capture the true spirit of hot rodding, and the class is one of drag racing’s most exciting and colorful classes, offering a diverse group of race cars with different types of 2,500-horsepower supercharged, nitrous powered and turbocharged 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".

Several of the PMRA events will be run in conjunction with the Quick 32 Sportsman Series presented by NAPA Auto Parts, www.Quick32.ca, offering fans a great show of drag racing.

Photo Credit: Dale Boeru - Canadian Drag Racing Photos - www.canadiandragracingphotos.com