Semifinal finish for Mia Tedesco has CARS Protection Plus Top Alcohol team feeling good

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 5) -- A strong semifinal run at the 62nd annual U.S. Nationals in her CARS Protection Plus/Schepel Motors/NGK/Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster has Mia Tredesco and her teammates feeling pretty good about themselves. Sure they would have liked to win the sport's biggest race, but getting down to the final four in a superstar field of drivers is quite an accomplishment.

"A semifinal finish at Indy, the U.S. Nationals, that's a pretty big deal," Tedesco said. "It's probably way better than we could have hoped for coming in, but at the same time we had the quickest car in qualifying, so you're always a little disappointed when you don't close it out."

After beating Ken Perry and world champ Chris Demke in the first two rounds of eliminations of Sunday, Tedesco faced Dan Page early Sunday afternoon with a berth in the final on the line. Although she ran a quicker elapsed time -- 5.343 at 272.45 mph to Page's 5.356 at 272.06 mph -- Tedesco came up just short thanks to Page's .031-second reaction-time advantage at the starting line.

"I'm disappointed that I let my team down, but it is what it is," Tedesco said. "The car made a good run and we figured some things out this weekend, so overall we can be happy, but whenever you get beat on a holeshot it stings a little.

"We've just to work as a team and keep doing what we're doing. I think we got a lot of stuff figured out this weekend, and I feel good going into Charlotte now after this performance."

Tedesco and crew will take a weekend off before heading to the ninth annual NHRA Carolina Nationals, Sept. 16-18, at zMax Dragway in the Charlotte suburb of Concord, N.C.

A strong semifinal run at the U.S. Nationals in her CARS Protection Plus/Schepel Motors/NGK/Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster has Mia Tredesco and her team feeling pretty good about themselves.

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Star in the making Mia Tedesco two rounds away from U.S. Nationals glory

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 4) -- To be the best, you have to beat the best, and Top Alcohol Dragster upstart Mia Tedesco did exactly that Sunday afternoon, taking out 2014 world champion Chris Demke in the second round of eliminations to advance to the final four of the 62nd annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals.

Needing a big pass after a pedestrian opening-round clocking of just 5.565 against Ken Perry, which gave Demke lane choice in the quarterfinals, Tedesco responded with a massive .108-second reaction-time advantage that helped her lead the champ from start to finish. Her 5.289 at 273.72 mph in the CARS Protection Plus/Schepel Motors/NGK/Lucas Oil injected dragster sealed the deal ahead of Demke's 5.345 at 273.16 mph.

"Chris Demke is one of the best out there and he's always going to make a good run," said Tedesco, who had never beaten Demke in three previous matchups. "He's usually going to kill the Tree and they rarely make mistakes with their setup, so to get by someone like him is a real honor.

"We knew we needed to make a good run, we knew we needed to go after it, and that's what we did. Thankfully it worked and we advanced."

As the No. 1 qualifier, Tedesco faced Perry in Round 1 and was given the win on a red-light foul by her opponent. Perry was a .098-second early while Tedesco cruised to a leisurely 5.565 at 253.28 mph.

"In that first-round race we put a hole (cylinder) out at the step, and it felt like it wasn't running really good at all," said Tedesco, only the second woman in history to qualify No. 1 in TAD at this event. "Thankfully he went red, so it didn't really matter. We got by Ken, brought the car back, tried to get everything fixed, and got it put together in time to come up with a new game plan against Chris."

Tedesco will now face Dan Page, who ran a 5.334 at 272.17 mph in his quarterfinal win over Bill Litton. Tedesco will have lane choice in her race against Page.

"We're going to keep taking it one round at a time and really we are only running ourselves," she said. "If we can make a good, solid lap, that should do it. That's the game plan. Just go up there, make good laps every run, try to do the best that we can, and if the win light comes on, then it was meant to be our day."

In Super Gas action, Tedesco raced her CARS Protection Plus/VP Racing Fuels Chevrolet Cavalier to Round 4 before losing a razor-close race to Alan Bush. Both drivers left with identical .016-second reaction times and stayed side by side all the way down the quarter-mile, but Tedesco arrived one-thousandth of a second ahead of the 9.90 index, handing the victory to Bush, who posted a 9.904 at 163.31 mph.

"I'm not hanging my head at all," Tedesco said. "That run against Alan wins the majority of races. We're both .016 on the Tree, I take 5 thou, breakout by a thou. That's just racing, nothing to be upset about. If I do that every round, I would normally win. You know, Alan Bush is such a good competitor and he always makes good runs and I knew that going in. It was just a good race."

Top Alcohol Dragster upstart Mia Tedesco took out 2014 world champion Chris Demke in the second round of eliminations to advance to the final four of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals.

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Mia Tedesco charges to the top of Top Alcohol class at drag racing's premier race

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 3) -- It only took Mia Tedesco 5.244 seconds to make her mark at the 62nd annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals when she roared down Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis at a top speed of 276.75 mph to assume the No. 1 qualifier spot in Top Alcohol Dragster.

It was a true zero-to-hero moment for the upstart driver from Pittsburgh, who was literally last on the timing sheet heading into the fourth and final time trial, but her Dave Hirata-tuned CARS Protection Plus/Schepel Motors/NGK/Lucas Oil dragster was flawless in her last pass, sending a loud and clear message to the rest of the field.

"I'm definitely happy with that run," Tedesco said. "We've been working on some stuff, trying to work out some bugs that have been popping up. We found something yesterday but didn't have the greatest of runs yesterday or this morning.

"Round 4 we came out and knew we had to swing for the fence because everyone was going pretty quick this morning and that's exactly what we did. It's the U.S. Nationals. You can't really baby it. You have to go for it every round and in Q4 it worked out, so it was a good day."

Tedesco remains alive in both categories she's racing at Indy, as her CARS Protection Plus/VP Racing Fuels Chevrolet Cavalier has already carried her to three elimination round-wins in Super Gas.

"I feel good in both cars," she said. "I feel good in the Super Gas car and in the alcohol dragster. I'm just trying to stay relaxed and do what I know to do and have fun doing it."

Super Gas could continue as early at 8 a.m., Sunday, with Top Alcohol Dragster eliminations beginning at 9:45 a.m. Round 2 of TAD is slated for 2:30 p.m.

"The game plan is to just go round by round," Tedesco said. "We plan to do whatever we have to do to win, and that means getting the cars to go down under power and make good runs. We actually had to change motors today because in the earlier qualifying run we blew one up. So we'll have a new motor tomorrow, new everything, and start the day out fresh. Like I said, I'm just going to go round by round, be smart, and just try to get down the track."

Mia Tedesco ran a 5.244 with her CARS Protection Plus/Schepel Motors/NGK/Lucas Oil dragster to assume the No. 1 qualifier spot in Top Alcohol Dragster at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals.

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Sportsman star Mia Tedesco has two chances at U.S. Nationals glory

INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 30) -- Sportsman star Mia Tedesco is doing her best to contain her excitement for racing in the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals this weekend at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.

That's because the 22-year-old driver knows she has a shot at winning the prestigious race -- perhaps even two chances.

Tedesco has won twice with her CARS Protection Plus/Schepel Motors/NGK/Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster and twice with her CARS Protection Plus/VP Racing Fuels Super Gas Chevrolet Cavalier over the last couple of months, and she has entered both cars in Indianapolis.

"That's probably the coolest race to win," Tedesco said. "It's one of the biggest accomplishments you could have. Winning it is definitely something to think about, but I try not to think about it too much and get too psyched up about it. I just try to treat it like a normal race, do my best, and see how that goes."

Tedesco's success in 2016 is evident by her high ranking in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series points standings. She's sixth in the national Top Alcohol Dragster standings and leads the points in TAD in the North Central Region. Plus, she's first nationally and in Division 3 in Super Gas.

And now, she gets to race at the U.S. Nationals.

"I'm really excited to go there, especially after the year we've been having," Tedesco said. "It's been so successful so far. I was talking to my guys the other day about how good it's been.

"We've already had such a good year, and we have good momentum. I just had a semifinal in Bowling Green (Ky.), so we've been going rounds. My car has been good, and I've been driving pretty good. It feels good going into the biggest race of the year."

And while most drivers are satisfied with a chance to win in Indianapolis, Tedesco has two shots at a Wally.

"Two chances to win the U.S. Nationals," Tedesco said. "We'll see what we can do."

Mia Tedesco will race her CARS Protection Plus/Schepel Motors/NGK/Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster and CARS Protection Plus/VP Racing Fuels Super Gas Cavalier at this weekend's Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals.

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Sportsman star Mia Tedesco on a roll heading into Brainerd

BRAINERD, Minn. (Aug. 17) -- The summer months have been kind to emerging Sportsman superstar Mia Tedesco.

Dating back to early June, Tedesco has walked away with four victories, including a win at her most recent race in her Top Alcohol Dragster.

This weekend, Tedesco will look to keep her winning ways going when she races her CARS Protection Plus/Schepel Motors/NGK/Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster and CARS Protection Plus/VP Racing Fuels Super Comp Chevrolet Cavalier in the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.

"It's been a pretty amazing month, month and a half," Tedesco said. "Even going back to winning Super Gas at the Chicago divisional in June, from there on out it's been pretty incredible in both classes. Our confidence level is pretty high right now. Everything is working really well, and we're at a good point."

After that Division 3 Super Gas win, Tedesco followed with a Super Gas victory at the Chicago national event on July 10 and back-to-back Top Alcohol Dragster victories at National Trail Raceway on July 24 and at Gateway Motorsports Park on Aug. 6.

"Everything is working really well with pretty much every aspect of our race team," Tedesco said. "The Alcohol car is running well, and everyone is working together well. The Super Gas car has been doing awesome. This weekend, I am running my Cavalier in Super Comp, so that will be different and fun."

And though Tedesco carries a lot of confidence from her winning streak, she doesn't simply expect to show up and win.

"I feel like when you expect to win, you're almost guaranteed to lose," Tedesco said. "That's how it's been in my experience. I just try to throw it away and pretend it never happened. But it definitely helps with confidence."

This weekend's race is a national event, but the 22-year-old Tedesco has learned not to get too excited about performing in front of NHRA's pros.

"I try to treat every race exactly the same," Tedesco said. "That way, I can perform the same."

CARS Protection Plus racer Mia Tedesco enters this weekend's Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., with four victories dating back to early June.

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Track-record run powers Mia Tedesco to Division 3 Top Alcohol Dragster win

MADISON, Ill. (Aug. 7) -- Mia Tedesco had to wait a while before celebrating her NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series victory Saturday night at Gateway Motorsports Park.

That's because after earning the Wally for winning the Division 3 race in Top Alcohol Dragster with her CARS Protection Plus/Schepel Motors/NGK/Lucas Oil car, Tedesco had to go jump in her Super Gas car.

Tedesco ended up falling in the semifinals with her CARS Protection Plus/VP Racing Fuels Super Gas Chevrolet, but a win and a semifinal appearance is a stellar weekend.

"After I won in the dragster, I ran the fifth round in Super Gas and then lost in the sixth round," Tedesco said. "It's something that I'm actually a little used to now. The first time, it was really hard because you want to race, but you're jacked up. Now, I don't let myself accept that I've won and I don't celebrate or anything."

She tried to treat her Super Gas quarterfinal and semifinal races like any other round, not celebrating her TAD win until much later in the night -- or, rather, early the next morning.

"I celebrated at 2:30 a.m.," Tedesco said. "It was really late, and my original flight (home) was at 6:50 in the morning. It was a long day but well worth it, for sure. It was awesome."

Tedesco qualified No. 2 in TAD and beat Jared Dreher in the first round with a run of 5.438 seconds at 251.11 mph. In Round 2, the semifinals, Tedesco left first again (with a .056-second reaction time) and then made a run of 5.364 at 262.03 mph to beat Rachel Meyer's 5.761 at 254.90 mph.

In an all-female final, Tedesco beat Megan Meyer with a .034-second reaction time and a track-record pass of 5.230 seconds at 269.46 mph.

"The Alcohol car ran good," Tedesco said. "It ran good in the first qualifier, not so good in the second, and we pretty much got lucky in the first round, got lucky in the second round, and then the car ran good in the final.

"Then, I made it to three cars in Super Gas, so it was definitely a good weekend."

Tedesco ended up falling in the Super Gas semifinal despite a better reaction time (.010 to .017). Joe Fisher ran closer to the 9.90 index and ended beating Tedesco by about 18 inches (.006-second).

Still, Tedesco was then able to celebrate her Top Alcohol Dragster victory.

"Heck yeah, it was a good weekend," Tedesco said. "Definitely an ideal weekend."

Mia Tedesco drover her CARS Protection Plus/Schepel Motors/NGK/Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster to victory at the Division 3 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Gateway Motorsports Park.

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Winning is on Mia Tedesco's mind for Division 3 race at Gateway

MADISON, Ill. (Aug. 2) -- A superb 2016 season has NHRA Sportsman driver Mia Tedesco sitting in a lofty perch in two separate points standings, but heading into the NAPA All-American Hot Rod Showdown, a Division 3 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series race this weekend at Gateway Motorsports Park, points aren't anywhere on the 22-year-old's mind.

"It's still early to even start worrying about that," Tedesco said. "We're not really focused on points, divisionally or nationally. We're just trying to go win races and go rounds and have some fun."

Tedesco is in second place in the North Central Region Top Alcohol Dragster standings as her CARS Protection Plus/Schepel Motors/NGK/Lucas Oil car is one point out of the lead, and her CARS Protection Plus/VP Racing Fuels Super Gas Chevrolet is second in the Division 3 standings.

Tedesco will race both cars at Gateway, and she is bringing plenty of momentum. She won in Super Gas at the NHRA national event in Chicago on July 10 and followed that up with a win in Top Alcohol Dragster two weeks later at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio.

Conditions should be steamy in the St. Louis area this weekend, but Tedesco and her family team are ready for it.

"It's probably going to be hot, and we're probably going to have a lot of night racing since it's only a Friday-Saturday race," Tedesco said. "I think it'll be good. The track should be fine. It was good last year. We won't worry too much about it."

Sportsman racing can sometimes continue well into the nighttime and even in the early morning, but Tedesco has raced enough to handle anything.

"We know we're probably going to be racing at night, which doesn't really bother me at all. I'm used to racing at night with bracket races. They tend to get done at night, sometimes as late as 5 in the morning, so we'll be ready for anything."

CARS Protection Plus/Schepel Motors/NGK/Lucas Oil driver Mia Tedesco will race in Top Alcohol Dragster and Super Gas at the NAPA All-American Hot Rod Showdown at Gateway Motorsports Park.

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