Count Lizzy Musi as someone who wasn’t ready for the 2017 PDRA season to end.

But an impressive finish, coupled with the overall success of Musi Racing Engines, already has the Pro Nitrous standout anxious for 2018 to begin.

Musi won back-to-back races at GALOT Motorsports Park and Virginia Motorsports Park to close the year in PDRA, finishing third in points and ending the season as the speed record-holder.

Continuing to show rapid improvement behind the wheel of her Dodge Dart, it puts Musi on track for what she hopes will be an even bigger 2018.

“It does give us a lot of momentum for next year, for sure,” Musi said. “Every time I get in the car I’m learning something new, but every pass I make I do get more comfortable. I feel like I get in the car and it just flows now. Overall, when I stand back and look at it, I feel like I did make a big improvement with my driving this year.”

The hot finish was satisfying for Musi for a number of reasons, including treating the season as a tribute to Vic Edelbrock Jr., who passed away in June.

Edelbrock helped give Musi her start in racing after forming a lasting friendship with Musi’s father, Pat, a decade prior.

That support had Musi determined to show her appreciation, and the back-to-back victories, along with a record pass of 206.54 mph certainly did that. It also made the victories even more satisfying for Musi.

“I know he would be smiling right now,” Musi said. “He has always been supportive and giving me encouragement, and I’m glad we could have a finish like we did. Hopefully we can get a championship for Vic and Edelbrock next year.”

The relationship between Edelbrock and Musi Racing Engines appears to be taking another step forward as well, with Musi Racing Engines teasing a major announcement between the two companies at the PRI show in Indianapolis next month.

Musi’s current car – she will debut a new one in 2018 – will be tied to an announcement which takes place at 2 p.m. EST on Friday, Dec. 8.

That only furthers momentum on the business side of things for Musi, who serves as the president of Musi Racing Engines. The company enjoyed another banner year on a number of racing fronts, even apart from Musi’s own success.

Tommy Franklin won his second straight Pro Nitrous world championship in PDRA, while Rickie Smith and Jonathan Gray grabbed wins in the ultra-competitive NHRA Pro Mod ranks.

Customer success stretched across a number of other associations as well, with Musi Racing Engines even enjoying success in the grudge ranks. The announcement with Edelbrock will serve as another positive in a year filled with them.

“The whole company has come a long way,” Musi said. “All of our customers are running fast and that’s showing at the track. We have a whole variety of people running our engines across several organizations and they’re all running up at the front. That gives us good momentum for next year, too.”

The new car will make for some adjustments, but Musi is ready for that challenge. With strong backing, Musi has enjoyed tackling whatever the next step may be. After an incredible finish, Musi enters 2018 as a championship contender and there’s no place she would rather be.

“The biggest thing for me is Lucas Oil and Edelbrock have been with me since I started,” Musi said. “That means a lot and it’s important. Everything seems like it’s falling into place. It takes time and work, but it’s coming around.”

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