Being the son or daughter of a legendary racer can come with pressure that the average competitor doesn ’ t face , but Lizzy Musi handled that role with grace and determination . The daughter of iconic Pro Stock , Pro Street , and Pro Modified racer and engine builder Pat Musi , Lizzy forged a path of her own as she became a championship-level driver in PDRA Pro Nitrous and Street Outlaws : No Prep Kings . She formed a fan base of her own , inheriting some fans of her father while also connecting with a new generation of drag racing fans . She inspired many young women when she continued to race after receiving a triple-negative stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis |
in April 2023 . Just over a year later , she passed away at age 33 .
Musi started her drag racing career in Jr . Dragsters before moving up to a Top Sportsman car , which she drove to prepare for an eventual move up to PDRA Pro Nitrous . Driving Frank Brandao ’ s “ King Kong 5 ” Dodge Stratus , which her father drove to a historic win in NHRA Pro Mod competition , Musi became the first woman to win in Pro Nitrous when she won at Virginia Motorsports Park in the PDRA ’ s inaugural season in 2014 . She went on to win a total of five races in nine final-round appearances , putting her fifth on the all-time win list . She also ranked third on the all-time low qualifier list in the class . Her
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class speed record – 209.23 MPH , set in October 2018 – still stands .
The opportunity to blaze a new trail on the popular Discovery series Street Outlaws : No Prep Kings was an alluring one for Musi . With her father providing the horsepower , she made history by becoming the first woman to win in the NPK series . She also became the first driver to win three consecutive events in the series . With 136 round wins , 12 invitational final rounds , and seven invitational wins , Musi remains one of the most accomplished drivers in NPK history .
Musi shared the news of her cancer diagnosis in an emotional and candid video posted on her YouTube channel in April 2023 . The news came
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY TARA BOWKER , JOE MCHUGH , SCOTT WITTY , AND RICK BELDEN |