Salemi runner up | Shakedown at the Summit

September 23, 2016 // by Horsepower & Heels

Buffalo, NY based drag racing driver Melanie Salemi and her Melanie Salemi Motorsports Pro Mod team entered the 2016 Shakedown at the Summit last weekend with high expectations to take home the richest Pro Mod purse in the history of the class. Summit Motorsports Park Owner Bill Bader Jr. vowed to make the “Shakedown” a race that everyone would place on their schedules for years to come because simply “you just can’t afford not to be there.”

Salemi started the Shakedown at the Summit strong, netting a No. 4 qualifying position in the rain shortened program with a 5.91 at 238 mph. The weather cleared on Sunday morning and sun was shining, so it was time to “Put up or Shut up” in true Shakedown lingo.

Melanie stomped through the 24 car field with a string of 5.87 second performances, eliminating fellow competitors RubenT, Bruce Boland, and Billy Harper in her wake. In the semi final round, she dispatched fellow Canadian and friend Wes Goddard with a 5.86 @ 242 mph to Wes’ 5.87 at a fast 252 mph.

This set the Shakedown at the Summit finals to be a blower vs. turbo battle for the money and the glory. Salemi would match up against the turbocharged entry of Kevin Fiscus, and the pair left almost dead even in reaction time on the tree. But Fiscus pulled away after Melanie experienced tire shake at the hit, trying to pedal and regain traction to no avail.

Although it was not Melanie’s day for the big Shakedown at the Summit win, she showed her skill on the track all weekend and was stellar on the tree to advance through 4 tough rounds of competition.

I am just really excited that I get to race with these guys a lot of them have way more experience than me in these cars and I’m really happy that I can class myself as one of them,” stated Melanie. “My guys send me down the track with a perfectly prepared car each time and it makes my job that much easier. I don’t know if there is a harder working bunch of guys in this sport. We have had a lot going on the past couple of weeks and I owed it to Jon, Jim, Mike and the rest of our crew to do my job on the tree and go rounds last weekend.”

Although Melanie didn’t take home the Shakedown 14 title, she took home more experience in the ¼ mile and posted one of her best racing weekends to date in the books.

Watch for the Melanie Salemi Motorsports team at their next outing at Virginia Motorsports Park, October 21-22 at the 2016 PDRA World Finals and then their final event of 2016 will be The Street Car Super Nationals in Las Vegas November 17-20.

Parise joins forces with Aerospace Components

June 15, 2016 // by Horsepower & Heels

Ladies supporting and working together is one of the most key elements of success for women’s advancement in automotive and motorsports. Recently, two very important women in drag racing have joined forces to align and support one another in the racing industry.

2015 IHRA Crower Pro Modified reigning World Champion, Dina Parise and Aerospace Component’s President, Kim Kussy have just announced a very special mutual partnership for the duration of the 2016 season. Parise joins forces with Aerospace Components on her award-winning Cadillac CTS-V Pro Modified, nicknamed “Stella”.

When Kim (Kussy) and I first met, we hit it off. Two hard working women in this amazing industry both loving every minute of it. What’s not to like, right?”, said Parise of her first meeting with Aerospace Component’s President, CMO and co-founder, Kim Kussy.

With the Dina Parise Racing team’s longstanding history of advocating and supporting our nation’s veteran population and active military, the two ladies shared a mutual passion for our United States Armed Forces. Aerospace Components began as a MIL-Spec certified contractor for government projects, and is proud to employ many veterans in their facility. Parise has campaigned several tribute racecars that help honor and celebrate the sacrifices made by our service men and women. They participate in many events in support of veterans – both publically and privately.

I have always said it’s not about getting to the stripe first,” Parise says. “But the journey you take to get there”.

Since their military roots, Aerospace Components has involved to become a very active supporter of the Drag Racing industry. They are a contingency supporter of the National Mustang Racer’s Association and the National Muscle Car Association, rewarding racers in contingency awards on 5 products (Brakes – Front and Rear); Vacuum Pump, Water Pump, Fuel Pump and Shifter) in all classes and series with Promedia for the past five years. They also sponsor the Aerospace Winner’s Circle for all the Promedia series and events. In addition, Kim works closely with the NHRA to award a very special “ Aerospace Component’s “Excellence in Engineering” Wally award at select national events.

Both Dina and Kim have built a very dedicated and engaged community of fans and customers through their social media outreach efforts, sharing success of their peers and customers.

Dina interacts regularly with fans through special live videos of her time on the road with the rest of the Dina Parise Racing team and other special messages, often touching on important topics she feels passionate about. Kim hosts a video series entitled “Kimmy’s Garage” that teaches and educates consumers about their products, how they are made and installation instructions.

The female racing powerhouse partnership between DPR and Aerospace Components is an exciting new development that both are looking forward to showcasing to the industry. Aerospace Components joins other key supporters of DPR in Eastwood, CRC Auto, NGK, Lucas Oil, Speedwire Systems, Hussey Performance, Hoosier, Motorsports Unlimited and Crank It Media.

Dina Parise at New York International Auto Show

March 29, 2016 // by Horsepower & Heels

Special guest and IHRA Pro Mod driver, Dina Parise will display her championship-winning Cadillac Pro Mod “Stella” at New York International Auto Show 2016. Held at the Jacob Javitz Center, the New York International Auto Show showcases the latest automotive trends, new designs and other automotive innovation.

Dina Parise will showcase her award-winning ‘Stella’ the 3,000HP Pro Mod Cadillac that earned her the 2015 IHRA Pro Mod Championship as part of the Lincoln Technical Institute booth (1E Hall). Parise will be in the booth for photos and autographs on Wednesday, March 30th from 10AM to 12PM.

A regular partner with Dina Parise Racing, Lincoln Tech’s accelerated career training programs help mold the future of students. Their education and training programs cover a large variety of fields in six disciplines: Automotive, Skilled Trades, Business and IT, Cosmetology, Health Sciences, and Culinary.

I am thrilled to be appearing at the New Your Auto show along with Lincoln Tech for many reasons. Their career training programs are second to none,” said Parise. “They believe in pushing people to following their dreams. Lincoln Tech speaks to what people are passionate about, and encourages them to expand on it. That is surely a recipe for success in my book!”

The Lincoln Tech booth is part of the 2016 Automotive Career & Education Fair at the New York International Auto Show. The New York International Auto Show’s Career Fair brings carmakers, suppliers, and advanced automotive training programs together so candidates can learn about careers in the automotive industry.

Parise will also speak at the National Awards Banquet, the awards ceremony that recognizes winners of regional and state contests held to determine the nation’s best automotive students. The winning student teams will be at the NYIAS to represent their state at the national finals. The National Automotive Technology Competition will take place on Tuesday, and winners for the title of The Nation’s Best Automotive Technician selected at the banquet ceremony.

I am honored to have been asked to address these talented students at the Awards Banquet,” said Parise. “I’m looking forward to giving them some insight into my life and how I made my way into the automotive industry. I will convey to them that it was not always an easy road but in the end it was completely worth it! I don’t ever want them to give up.”

Dina Parise on Power Nation TV

December 8, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

IHRA Pro Mod World Champion, Dina Parise is set to appear on an upcoming episode of Power Nation TV with her 3,000 horsepower Pro Mod Cadillac CTS-V “Bella” and husband/crew chief Andrew Parise. Show host Katie Osborne will talk to the newly crowned champion about her transition from Ice Capades star to Drag Racing Champion.

New Sponsors: Lucas Oil and Eastwood Company

Excitement builds for Dina Parise on Power Nation TV as the team recently welcomed new sponsors Lucas Oil and Eastwood Company for the 2016 season, and will be debuting the new additions to the car/team on the show.

Melanie Salemi’s rookie Pro Mod season

December 7, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

PDRA Pro Boost racer Melanie Salemi will celebrate the end of her rookie Pro Mod season at the PRI Show this week in Indianapolis, IN. Melanie and her beautiful G-Force Racing 1968 Pro Boost Firebird will be on display in the Ross Pistons Booth #1801 December 10-12, 2o15 at the racing industry’s largest tradeshow.

Melanie Salemi’s Rookie Pro Mod Season

Melanie took on the tough competition all season long in the PDRA’s Pro Boost class, earning her first win in just her second start in the class at the Dragstock XII event in Rockingham, North Carolina. Salemi qualified #3 at the event, before running consistent 3.86 second elapsed times through the eliminations rounds, taking out Anthony Disomma in the final to become the first woman to earn a professional victory in the PDRA’s Pro Boost class.

It’s been an awesome experience to say the least. I know it’s cliché but my team is so great. I don’t really feel that there is another team as versatile as ours. Every aspect of this car is built and maintained under our own roof. Engine, chassis, tuning, maintenance and management, It really is a one stop shop. Without the effort from my entire team this just wouldn’t be possible. I feel it’s huge advantage and has all of us very excited for 2016 and beyond”, stated Salemi.

Salemi plans for 2016 season

The Melanie Salemi Racing team isn’t sitting idle during the off-season. They plan to switch their combination to an electronic fuel injection system with the support of Fueltech USA to maximize engine efficiency and allow them better tuning control and management on the track. They plan to begin on-track testing in January with the new combination after they conclude extensive dyno testing on their in-house engine dyno.

Dina Parise IHRA Pro Mod Champ

October 10, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Dina Parise is the new 2015 IHRA Crower Pro Mod World Champion

IHRA Pro Mod competitor Dina Parise sealed up the 2015 IHRA Crower Pro Mod World Championship at the final race of the season, the IHRA World Finals in Memphis, TN. The popular Nitro Jam standout debuted her Cadillac CTSV Pro Mod named ‘Stella’ at the season opener, encountering new car bugs for the first half of the Crower Pro Mod season. After struggling with dialing in the new car and getting comfortable behind the wheel, Dina was able to push through the difficult times and secured the points lead going into the final race. Once there, it was a battle between her and Bill Lutz, but the former figure skating pro would end up sealing up the championship during eliminations.

Congratulations to Dina Parise and team on their new championship!

Dina Parise runner-up at IHRA Summer Nationals

June 1, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Pro Modified drag racer, Dina Parise, qualified No. 1 on the way to her first final round appearance of the season at the IHRA Nitro Jam Summer Nationals this weekend in Cordova, Illinois.

The former professional Ice Capades skater-turned racer from New Freedom, Pennsylvania posted a 6.913 second elapsed time at 154.35 mph to secure the No. 1 qualified position in the Crower Pro Mod class on Friday in her blown 2013 Dian Parise Racing Cadillac CTS-V, a car she endearingly nicknamed ‘Stella’. Dina and her team debuted the Cadillac at the Bradenton IHRA event in April and have been working out all the new-car bugs since, with steady improvements.

Rain delay gives Dina Parise Competition Bye into the Final

On Saturday, rain hit Cordova International Raceway, cancelling the scheduled Saturday eliminations, and forcing racers and fans to stay over into Sunday. Because of a short field in the Crower Pro Mod class, Dina would take the tree for a competition-bye right into the Final round. She would face the 1970 Camaro of Ruben Tetshovili for the event title. Tetshovili would leave first, and stay out front for the win, defeating Dina’s 7.560 second elapsed time at 134.55 mph with a 6.963 second, 163.16 mph timeslip.

Dina is currently 5th in the Crower Pro Mod for the IHRA Nitro Jam championship points chase.

Speed Scene Live TV- Erica Ortiz returns

April 23, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Erica Ortiz returns to Pro Mod

Horsepower and Heels Racing driver Erica Ortiz joins Scott “Lucky” Hudson, Diana-mite, Bruce Barker, Bob Beck and the rest of the Speed Scene Live TV crew on air to discuss her history in drag racing, the struggles that took her away for several years, her triumph over health issues, and her return to Pro Modified Racing and current rebuild efforts.

Listen to the archive of the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPwr_0B1Ifo&feature=youtu.be (segment begins around 15:00 mark)

On Air: April 21, 2015 Episode # 577

H&H Cold Hard Art Model

May 24, 2011 // by Horsepower & Heels

This year for my birthday, my boyfriend Alex surprised me with one of the most unique and amazing gifts: he commissioned Tom Patsis of Cold Hard Art to create a metal art sculpture of my 2007 Twin Turbo Mustang Pro Mod.

Tom took only the photos I have online here to create the model. The attention to detail is stunning! Everything is present: the turbo impellers, the wheelie bars, the parachute and beadlock wheels. It is one of the most impressive art pieces I’ve ever seen, and it looks exactly like my racecar!

He’s done other impressive models as well, and I’m quite honored to be one of the lucky subjects of his art! I’m also quite honored to have a really smart, resourceful and thoughtful boyfriend who knows that car parts and racing art beat flowers hands-down!

View Photos of the Build

Pro Mod now an NHRA Professional category

November 4, 2009 // by Horsepower & Heels

Tom Compton and roger Burgess announce NHRA Pro Mod as a professional category

The long, hard fought battle has finally been won.

For 9 long years, Pro Mod racers have begged, pleaded, borrowed and stole to gain the acceptance of the NHRA as a professional category, only to be shunned aside as a mere exhibition class.

Popular across the country for the colorful, exciting, and out-of-control tendencies, Pro Mod drivers relegated themselves to limited exhibition status, a pay-to-run class that was considered the ugly step child of the NHRA. Often walked-on during their limited schedule appearances, the Pro Mod class endured zero coverage or respect from the NHRA, no TV time, no promotional acknowledgement, and were the first on the chopping block for rain delays, with qualifying scrubbed at the first sign of delay.

For years, Pro Mod supporters cries fell on deaf ears in the California home offices of NHRA. Many believed that they refused as a matter of principal after the ugly pro stock truck fiasco, some felt that factory supported hot rods feared the backlash from Pro Stock drivers. Most had finally accepted the cause as lost, that NHRA would never acknowledge or accept Pro Modified as a professional category, myself included.

But a surprising change of heart came courtesey of an announcement by Tom Compton of the NHRA at the awards banquet: as of 2010, Pro Modified is now a legitimate professional class.

The 2010 Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series

What does this mean for Pro Modified racers? A LOT. Now, the class is an official NHRA run series, complete with a centralized NHRA approved/controlled rulebook, a per race purse structure, and a championship points purse fund. NHRA media will now highlight the class in the National Dragster and NHRA.com, along with a seperate 30 minute ESPN TV program devoted to the class (tape delayed). The series is now eligible for contingency sponsors, will have access to their own hospitality area, a vendor trailer on the NHRA midway for t-shirt sales, and most importantly, will now be competing for the same coveted Wally trophy as NHRA Championship drivers.

This allows drivers to actively pursue sponsors, now having legitimate benefits to offer in terms of coverage and exposure, something that had been a tough sell in the previous architecture. For me, this means a complete revise to my marketing plans, and a renewed fight to find a partnership that would allow me to move up to the National stage.

There’s a lot more work to be done this off-season for many teams, and I suspect the NHRA will be surprised with the 1st year results.

The NHRA Get Screened Pro Mod Drag Racing Series Schedule

41st annual NHRA Gatornationals March 11-14 Gainesville, Fla.
23rd annual O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals April 9 – 11 Houston
14th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals April 30 – May 2 St. Louis
30th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals May 14-16 Commerce, Ga.
41st annual United Association NHRA SuperNationals June 10-13 Englishtown, N.J.
10th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals June 18-20 Bristol, Tenn.
4th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals June 24-27 Norwalk, Ohio
56th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Aug. 31 – Sept. 5 Indianapolis
3rd annual NHRA Carolinas Nationals Sept. 16-19 Concord, N.C.
10th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals Oct. 28-31 Las Vegas

photo: Roger Richards

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