Pat Musi believed undergoing quadruple bypass surgery would be the toughest part of his heart issues.

The veteran Pro Modified engine builder and past Pro Street world champion knew recovery from the six-hour surgical procedure would be a challenge, but figured he could implement the same recovery procedures he used when he had a broken back five years ago. Two weeks ahead of schedule back then, Pat was back in a race car racing before the season was complete.

Not so this time, Pat found out.

Two key factors made this recovery different from the last. Number one, a heart surgery requires more than physical therapy for recuperation and secondly, this time, his youngest daughter and PDRA Pro Nitrous racer Lizzy Musi is on his case 24/7 and enforcing his lifestyle change.

"She’s wearing me out," admits Pat.  "She looks at everything that I eat."

Lizzy chimes in how her father, the tough man of doorslammer racing, is essentially a big baby when it comes to this aspect. Eating healthy and working out is right in the second-generation drag racer's wheelhouse.

"That one night you didn’t want to take that Omega pill, and you had a fit," Lizzy offered.

Doing her best impersonation of her headstrong father, Lizzy said, “I'm not taking any Omega pills - these things are horse pills. I ain’t taking them!”  

"I was like 'you at least need to take your multivitamin,'" she explained. "And he was all pouting. "I told him that he at least needed to take that because he won’t take anything!"

Pat shakes his head and acquiesces to his kid.

"I’ve got to learn to eat right, that’s our problem," Pat admitted. "We’ve all got that problem."

"That's YOUR problem," Lizzy countered.

Musi underwent open heart surgery to clear four blocked arteries he initially believed to be and was diagnosed as acid reflux, a condition in which acidic gastric fluid is regurgitated into the esophagus, causing heartburn. Medications the doctors had prescribed for the conditions did little to alleviate the nighttime pains he regularly endured.

Pat is feeling no pain these days, mostly thanks to his daughter's vigilance.

"I haven’t had a snack, and I’m not gonna," Pat proudly proclaims.

She'll vouch for him, too.

"Yeah, he’s been strict," Lizzy confirmed. "He’s been doing pretty good, surprisingly, the Italian food.

"My grandma was in town right after the surgery.  She wanted to make lasagna.  She attempted the wheat lasagna, and he’s like, al lright let’s just have a little piece, so he tried it and he was like, 'what is this?"

Pat will just have to get used to Mom's wheat lasagna.

"Yeah well, at least I’m still breathing," Pat said.