Courtesy NHRA Communications
POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 13, 2022) – After a standout debut season in the Pro Stock ranks, Camrie Caruso has been named the 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series.
Caruso, Top Fuel’s Scott Farley and Funny Car’s Jason Rupert were the eligible candidates for the award, which honors the sport’s top rookie. Caruso enjoyed a standout rookie season in the highly-competitive Pro Stock ranks, qualifying at all 19 races and advancing to the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
She earned her first No. 1 qualifier in Houston and also advanced to the final round at the event where she joined points leader Erica Enders as part of the first all-female final round in Pro Stock history. In all, Caruso has enjoyed nine round wins in her Powerbuilt Tools Chevrolet Camaro, and celebrated the NHRA Rookie of the Year award at this weekend’s 57th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona.
“I am so proud to win this award and it wouldn’t be possible without the support and love from my Poppa, dad and mom,” Caruso said. “We achieved so many of my goals this season from qualifying No. 1 to getting to a final round to qualifying at every national event. We didn’t check all the boxes, but I am very thankful. The competition is so tough out here and to be recognized as the Rookie of the Year is a tremendous honor. Every race this season I feel like we got better, and I am excited to get back on track next season.”
Farley attended five races in the loaded Top Fuel class in 2022, qualifying at two events during the 2022 campaign. He picked up a round win at one of those races, advancing to the second round in Epping, N.H. at the NHRA New England Nationals in June. He also made his quickest and fastest career run at the event.
Rupert also competed in five Funny Car races this season, qualifying for four of them, including twice in Pomona. He also made career-best runs to close out the season, going 4.030 at 313.44 at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
Dallas Glenn won the NHRA Rookie of the Year award in 2021, while recent winners include current Top Fuel points leader Justin Ashley in 2020 and class standout Austin Prock in 2019.
The NHRA Rookie of the Year award recognizes the top rookie competitor that also represents the future of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Drivers must compete in a minimum of five events to be eligible for the NHRA Rookie of the Year award. The nation’s leading auto racing journalists select the winner through a voting system based on the following criteria: number of events competed in, performance on and off the racetrack, participation in NHRA promotions, and relationships with fans, sponsors, and media.
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About Camping World Holdings, Inc.
Camping World Holdings, Inc., headquartered in Lincolnshire, IL, (together with its subsidiaries) is America’s largest retailer of RVs and related products and services. Our vision is to build a long-term legacy business that makes RVing fun and easy, and our Camping World and Good Sam brands have been serving RV consumers since 1966. We strive to build long-term value for our customers, employees, and shareholders by combining a unique and comprehensive assortment of RV products and services with a national network of RV dealerships, service centers and customer support centers along with the industry’s most extensive online presence and a highly trained and knowledgeable team of associates serving our customers, the RV lifestyle, and the communities in which we operate. We also believe that our Good Sam organization and family of programs and services uniquely enable us to connect with our customers as stewards of the RV enthusiast community and the RV lifestyle. With RV sales and service locations in 42 states, Camping World has grown to become the prime destinations for everything RV. For more information, visit www.CampingWorld.com
About NHRA
Headquartered in San Dimas, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 22 national events featuring the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by D-Wagon, Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown™ and Top Fuel Harley Series. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 120 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
