Pat Musi, one of the most prolific engine builders in the history of the Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series, will meet and greet fans at this weekend’s PDRA Thunder Valley Throwdown presented by Larry Jeffers Race Cars at Bristol Dragway. Fans will also have the chance to get up close and personal with the “Back in Black” ’69 Camaro, a brand-new build from the Musi Muscle restomod line featuring an Edelbrock Musi 555 crate engine. It’s one of many attractions fans can expect at the fifth of seven races on the 2026 PDRA schedule.
“Pat Musi has been a key ‘power broker’ in the PDRA since the series began in 2014,” said Mark Beatty, a member of the PDRA leadership team. “This is a great opportunity for fans to meet Pat, swap stories, and pick his brain on all things horsepower. Everyone knows Pat for building these massive nitrous engines that power many of our Pro Nitrous racers, but he also pours that same knowledge and experience into his crate engine program with Edelbrock. I’ve seen the ’Back in Black’ car myself, and it’s a real show piece that will really stand out on our midway this weekend.”
Musi won several Pro Street world championships as a driver before turning his focus to building engines and tuning. His late daughter, Lizzy Musi, is a multi-time winner in both PDRA Pro Nitrous and No Prep Kings, where she was the first woman to win in both series. Pat Musi Racing Engines have powered racers to PDRA world championships in Pro Nitrous, Pro 632, Super Street, and Elite Top Sportsman. The Pat Musi autograph session is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Musi Racing booth, where fans can also find Musi periodically throughout the event.
“I can’t say enough about PDRA and I’m excited to have a presence on the midway this weekend,” Musi said. “I’m always at the PDRA races supporting our customers throughout the season, but this is a cool opportunity to meet the fans and show them what we’re doing with our Musi Muscle restomod line and our Edelbrock Musi 555 crate engine program.”
Edelbrock, a longtime PDRA supporter and the title sponsor of the Bracket Bash class, has worked with Musi for decades. Their latest collaboration, the Edelbrock Musi 555 crate engine program, provides championship-caliber horsepower in a street-driven package, with EFI and carbureted options available. The engines are assembled by Musi and his team using Edelbrock cylinder heads produced in the Edelbrock Race Center within the Pat Musi Racing Engines shop in Mooresville, North Carolina. One of these engines is featured in the “Back in Black” ’69 Camaro on display at the Musi Racing booth.
“Pat has been making big power with Edelbrock products for decades, so the Musi 555 program is a natural extension of that relationship,” said Trent Goodwin, Edelbrock Group Brand and Motorsports Marketing Manager. “We’re excited for fans at Bristol to meet Pat, check out the ‘Back in Black’ Camaro, and see what this engine can do in a car built to be driven and enjoyed.”
For a complete event schedule and to purchase tickets for the PDRA Thunder Valley Throwdown presented by Larry Jeffers Race Cars, visit www.PDRA660.com.
This story was originally published on August 5, 2026.
The post PDRA Thunder Valley Throwdown to Include Pat Musi Autograph Session, ‘Back in Black’ Display first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
