Dina Parise Became a World Champion Drag Racer at 48

Dina Parise Became a World Champion Drag Racer at 48

She was the first woman to hold the title

A. Raye Baldwin, location courtesy of Atlanta Dragway Dina Parise with her supercharged Cadillac Pro Mod named Stella Growing up on Long Island with three brothers, Dina Parise loved watching NASCAR and Formula One races. An adrenaline junkie by nature, she was drawn to the speed, thrill and camaraderie of the sport. But as someone who could never sit still, Parise, then a competitive gymnast, didn't envision herself participating in these hours-long races in any way other than as an enthusiastic spectator. Instead, she followed her dream of becoming a professional ice skater, joining the famous Ice Capades at age 22. (At just 5 feet tall, she fell short of the height requirement but was so impressive that the auditions director encouraged her to fudge her numbers on the application.) For four years, Parise quenched her need for speed with her trademark layback spin, as well as by soaring over audiences Peter Pan-style and, in one circus-themed number, dangling one-handed from a 20-feet-high rope and being spun over and over, no net or harness to be seen. As her 30th birthday approached, Parise was well aware that her days as a pro skater were numbered. “It’s like being a showgirl. ... In these industries, they want you to be younger looking,” she explains. She started working as a hairdresser and began dating a man named Andrew who had, like her, grown up around cars but, unlike her, had spent years street racing. In 1999, the pair headed to Maple Grove Raceway in Pennsylvania, where Andrew raced his 1967 Camaro. For Parise, it was love at first sight. “I had never been to a live drag race, and I fell in love with the sport, the fans, everything. I found Andrew in the pit and said, ‘I want to do this,’ ” she says. Parise attended Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School, earning her National Hot Rod Association license. She slowly but steadily began making a name for herself in racing, participating at the Maple Grove Raceway in 2008. She raced Andrew, by this point her husband, the following year. In 2015, at age 48, Parise became the International Hot Rod Association Pro Modified World Champion — the first woman to hold the title. Now 52, she’s president of and resides just outside Atlanta, spending her days competing, giving motivational talks, wooing new sponsors, volunteering and arguing over button versus lever shifters with her beloved crew chief, Andrew. We spoke with Parise about racing, aging and staying in shape.

Tell us a little about your racing car

It’s a 3,000-horsepower supercharged Cadillac Pro Mod named Stella, after my grandmother, my love. It was originally red, and she had flaming red hair when I was younger. She leaves the starting line at 3.4 G's [g-forces], which is equivalent to a jet. My grandmother never had a license or drove a car, which makes it even more hilarious. In drag racing, there are two cars on a track that’s either a quarter or eighth of a mile long, and I can power down an eighth of a mile in less than four seconds, driving at 200 mph.

How do you stay in racing shape

I walk and jog at least five miles a day. I lift weights and do body-weight moves like push-ups and lunges. These cars are a lot to handle; you need strength to handle the brakes, the clutch.

Does racing help keep you young

Absolutely! Many of my competitors are younger than me, and I need to have a reaction time [that’s as fast as theirs]. If you’re going 200 mph and something happens, you have to be ready for it. Once, a break-fluid cap popped off, spilling fluid under the rear tire, and my car violently went to the left. I had a split second to decide what to do as my car went up on two wheels to one side. [Racing] helps keep your mind sharp.

When you turned 50 a fellow racer told you to start lying about your age What was your response

I said, “I’m proud of my age. I’ve going to evolve with myself and evolve with the sport, and those who can’t handle it can walk away.” I want to empower other people to do what they want to do, no matter what. There are lots of drag racing fans in my age bracket. I want them to realize that if they want to get involved, they can. They can come into the pit area and be close to the cars, they can work on a race team, they can talk to us on social media. It’s not just for young kids. When I give motivational talks, I always say, “You get one ticket in life, and I’m using mine until it expires!”

Where did the nickname Spicy Meatball come from

I'm Italian, and at the racetrack I’m known for my cooking. I do big Saturday night Italian meals and, yes, there are often meatballs. Once, in an online chat forum, I signed a comment “Spicy Meatball,” and it just stuck.

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