Pro figure skater turned drag racer one to watch at Martin Dragway's IHRA ... - MLive.com

MARTIN – Race fans who attend this weekend's IHRA Nitro Jam Northern Nationals at U. S. 131 Motorsports Park will never guess what Dina Parise carries in her race hauler. You will find parts and equipment, and of course, her Cadillac CTS-V Pro Mod, nicknamed Stella, that she races around the country and will be driving Friday and Saturday at Martin Dragway. Parise never leaves her New Freedom, Pa. , home without them because she just might pass a skating rink on the road, and that would be too hard to pass up. Parise was a professional figure skater before deciding to change careers and become a drag... It might seem like a big switch, trading in a delicate, glitzy ice skating costume for a race uniform, helmet hair and dirty fingernails. But Parise said it has been no big deal. "I skated with the Ice Capades for about four years, and that was some time ago, but it was a big part of my history," Parise said. I enjoyed it. "It is funny because there are parallels between ice skating and drag racing. It's open, every ticket is a pit pass and fans get to come in meet with us. It's the same thing, minus the skates. What happened is that the drag racing deal blossomed into a second career. She is the president of Dina Parise Racing and competes with a number of. Source: www.mlive.com