HE NAME DOESN ’ T COME UP as “ Dean Marinis .” Or “ Dean .” Or “ Marinis .” Or even “ Mean Dean ” as he ’ s affectionately known by many in the drag racing scene . ¶ Instead , when the New York-native grudge racer turned successful X275 , Pro Mod racer and standout tuner calls one of his New York racing friends , a different – but also very apt – nickname comes across their phone : “ Mr . Perfect .” ¶ “ He calls me ‘ Perfect ’ or ‘ Mr . Perfect ’ because that ’ s what I ’ m always striving for ,” Marinis says with a laugh . ¶ In true racer fashion , perfection remains a mythological creature . It drives everyone , but is there ever a perfect run ? There ’ s always a little more left , a little better weather , a little better track . ¶ Perfect is a rarity and maybe even an
impossibility in the never-stationary world of drag racing , but it ’ s also a moniker that suits Marinis well . A respected tuner and driver , Marinis is always after more , hopeful for that so-called perfect run .
Of course , that ’ s no different from any racer who has a similar mindset .
The difference is Marinis is willing to work to find it , no matter how impossible , how needlein-the-haystack the concept may be .
Racing isn ’ t Marinis ’ main job – he exports heavy equipment – but it may as well be his main priority .
Going fast is always top of mind , whether he ’ s doing the driving or doing the tuning . He ’ s enjoyed a career that ’ s spanned decades and whether it was grudge racing , X275 or a Pro Mod , Marinis has been dedicated to making people go fast in a nitrous car .
“ If there ’ s anyone I can help out and make them go faster , I take pride in that . That ’ s important to me and it means a lot if I can help them ,” Marinis says .
He ’ s helped grudge racer after grudge racer , and there ’ s barely a weekend that goes by where he isn ’ t tuning several people – either by phone or in person .
At the recent Shakedown Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park , he drove the Harry Pappas-owned , Pat Musi Racing Engines-powered Camaro – the same nitrous car he went a record-breaking 5.572-seconds in last year .
Meanwhile , he ’ s helping Pat Musi on Lizzy Musi ’ s Pro Mod car , making the tuning decisions on radial cars for the likes of Jack Greene and Ron Rhodes .
While he ’ s planning their runs , he ’ s focused on going fast in the car he ’ s driving , a plethora of responsibilities and decisions wrapped up in one dizzying weekend .
MARINIS HAS ENJOYED IMMENSE SUCCESS IN THE X275 MUSTANG HE STILL DRIVES AND TUNES .
But as the chase for perfection continues , it ’ s the type of organized chaos that Marinis loves . His ability to process , make adjustments and see immediate improvements is uncanny , if only because Marinis ’ mind never stops working .
“ Sometimes you just wake up in the middle of the night with an idea or a thought , or you ’ re just so excited to get to the office to help someone ,” Marinis says . “ I ’ m always ready to go , looking at weather conditions , maybe making converter decisions and changes , and figuring out other ways to go faster .”
It ’ s why Marinis is aptly named “ Mr . Perfect ” by a close friend and in all actuality , he may have experienced the closest thing a racer or tuner can come to perfection .
Maybe it was a run from NHRA Pro Mod standout Chad Green , who Marinis tuned to his first career NHRA Pro Mod victory a month .
Perhaps it was during the series of big races he won on the drag radial circuit , when he drove the striking orange nitrous-assisted Mustang to the winner ’ s circle at the likes of Lights Out and No Mercy – and every other major X275 race .
And the closest anyone has come to perfection in a nitrous car certainly came with Marinis
72 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 160