Karamesines grew up in the United States and enlisted in the army at age 16, serving in Germany during World War II and remaining there until 1951. His posting included duty during the Nuremberg Trials. It was in Germany that he first discovered his aptitude for mechanical work — while driving a tank, he identified and repaired a fault in one of its twin Cadillac engines. He returned to the US in 1951 and shortly after turned to drag racing as a vocation.
Beginning with roadsters and transitioning into dragsters, Karamesines built a signature series of machines he called "ChiZler." One early configuration used two engines joined together to create a single powerplant. By the late 1950s he was a regular on the AHRA (American Hot Rod Association) circuit, winning the AHRA championship in 1959. The following year he recorded what many consider the first 200 mph pass in drag racing history, at the Alton Dragstrip in Alton, Illinois — a run unofficial by NHRA standards but widely acknowledged in the sport.
He made his NHRA debut at the 1964 Winternationals with his ChiZler dragster, and reached his first NHRA career final round in 1965 at Bristol. Through the remainder of the 1960s he raced across NHRA, AHRA, and IHRA.
In 1972, Karamesines won events in both IHRA and AHRA, but an NHRA victory remained elusive. In 1975, he made a brief switch to Funny Car before returning to Top Fuel the following year. His primary sponsor through much of this era was Strange Engineering, which covered operating costs but could not sustain a top-tier program. In 1985, he won an ADRA event in Seattle. Through the latter 1980s, mechanical failures and the demands of an all-volunteer crew made qualifying increasingly difficult.
The 1990 season marked a significant resurgence. With a new 300-inch wheelbase dragster and crew chief Lance Larson, Karamesines qualified fourth at the Le Grandnational in Montreal — his strongest qualifying position in years. He defeated Lori Johns and Joe Amato to reach the final, where he lost to Gary Ormsby. Weeks later in Sonoma he again defeated Amato before falling to Ormsby. At the Seafair Nationals in Seattle, he defeated three-time Top Fuel champion Shirley Muldowney and Frank Hawley to reach the final, where an engine explosion ended his run.
Following the 1993 season, Karamesines stepped back from NHRA to support his son-in-law Bobby Baldwin's Top Fuel career. He returned in 1999.
In 2001, Karamesines broke into the four-second bracket and exceeded 300 mph for the first time, significant personal milestones. That same year, his son-in-law Bobby Baldwin passed away unexpectedly at age 54. In 2006, Karamesines was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame as a special case — normally requiring five years of retirement — in recognition of his 50-year career. In 2009, new 1,000-foot rules introduced following Scott Kalitta's death allowed him to record a career-best elapsed time at the season finale in Pomona. He set a career-best speed in 2010.
By 2011, Karamesines was the oldest active driver in NHRA's top ranks. At the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee, he defeated number-four qualifier Doug Kalitta in the first round — his first round win since 1990. In 2012, Lucas Oil founder Forest Lucas agreed to fully sponsor his dragster for as long as he chose to race, the first major primary sponsor of Karamesines' career. In 2013 at Brainerd he defeated top qualifier Tony Schumacher. In 2014 at Bristol he knocked out number-one qualifier Brittany Force.
In 2018, before returning from hip replacement surgery, Karamesines ran over 300 mph at Brainerd at 86 years old, setting the record for the oldest NHRA driver ever to record a 300 mph pass. He continued a partial schedule in 2019, qualifying for three events and battling bladder cancer that went into remission during 2020.
When the 2020 season resumed after a COVID-19 suspension, Karamesines returned at Gateway before announcing his retirement at the Las Vegas season finale. He had driven in NHRA competition for 63 years. His granddaughter Krista Baldwin took over the wheel of his Top Fuel dragster for the 2021 season, with Strange Engineering and Lucas Oil continuing their sponsorship of the team.
Karamesines represented a nearly unbroken thread from drag racing's formative years through the modern NHRA era. His ChiZler dragsters were among the sport's earliest branded machines, his 1960 claimed 200 mph pass predated the official barrier, and his active competition into his mid-eighties established records for longevity that may never be equalled. The "Golden Greek" name endured across six decades as a mark of respect from competitors, sponsors, and fans alike.