Come with us behind the scenes of the Pat Musi Engine Shop and Race Center Open House.
Pulling up to the Pat Musi Racing Engines building was an unassuming event. There are no big signs on the building to indicate what goes on inside, nothing more than a small door decal to give you a clue you are in the right place. And, make no mistake, it’s all by design.
When you enter the doors, BAM! You step into a world of top-tiered engineering and racing greatness, something Pat and the crew doesn’t make available to every passer-by. That’s what made their recent open house so special.
Knowing that people would be traveling from great distances to attend the momentous event, our crew arrived a day early to spend some time walking through the shop with Pat Musi, and talking to the Edelbrock guys before joining the other Musi fans to geek out over cars and the rest of the Musi clan.
Pat Musi was overflowing with enthusiasm during the walk through, exclaiming “We’re really excited about this new building and the chance for all the fans to see it and get a look at everything we’ve got going on inside”.
His engine center is home to machines and tools that maximize the potential of the Chevy Big Block.
During the preview tour we ran into Edelbrock Crate Engine Product Manager, William Philippin. We had the chance to get he and Pat on camera prepping a 555 for the big day.
When I asked William if the engines were easy to work on (out of my natural gearhead curiosity), he replied “Why would you need to when you can get Pat to build it for you?”. Perfect reply!
Pat even got on the lathe, so we could see his work in action. “We have honing equipment and boring equipment, we have Bridgeports and all the manual stuff that you need to race and build these engines,” said Musi.
The specialty 959 cubic-inch engine is almost too much engine for the human eye to process. On bold display for the open house, we were able to take in the shock and awe of this monster powerplant built for PDRA and NHRA Pro Mod Racing.
We are grateful that we got the opportunity to have a preview, because the following day was insane! As soon as the open house started, people began piling in the doors of the engine shop, eager to meet Pat, get more information about products, and get a first hand peek of where all the magic happens.
Pat, known for his charismatic and historically rich racing stories, was in full force giving the fans exactly what they came to hear and see.
Being able to see and hear more about what goes into the engines, including detailed explanations on the how and why, was this gearhead’s dream come true.
Luckily we arrived at the race shop just in time. We narrowly beat a huge crowd that filled the building far ahead of the scheduled start of the race center portion of the open house.
The race shop crew let us in for a quick run through to get some clean images before they opened to ease the crowding and let people begin to funnel in.
New merch was out and ready to be snapped up by eager fans (me, I am on of those eager fans :)) waiting to get inside for a tour and autographs.
Lizzy Musi along with other Musi family and crew, graciously hurried over to the race shop ahead of the crowd to prepare for greeting fans.
Signing away and taking photos, Lizzy has fans of all walks of life. And, as you can see in the background of this photo, Pat has his fair share of fans as well.
Lizzy Musi has inspired many with her accomplishments and the grit she shows on Street Outlaws.
The line was flowing out the door, into the parking lot, and down the road at times, but every fan was met and every person who wanted an autograph got one. This true show of appreciation is another reason why the Musi family has such a loyal following.
Lizzy Musi jumped in to make sure everyone got their photos, helped move merch, and charmed the attendees.
I, like the other fans, am thankful to have gotten this opportunity to hang out with the Musi family. They were very gracious to open their doors to let people like me learn more about the engines, see the cars, and experience their hospitality.
This isn’t the last you’ll hear of my time at the Musi shop. Stay tuned for a more in-depth article on the Edelbrock Crate Engine program coming soon.
