With the temperature and humidity rising Sunday for the NHRA Carolina Nationals, teams had to face a recalcitrant racetrack, and many, including some of the top pros, had trouble making good runs. Tedesco's was no different, and it didn't help that her CARS Protection Plus/Schepel Motors/NGK/Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster was a little down on power in her second-round race Sunday.
"It's tough out there," Tedesco said after falling to Duane Shields. "You see all the Top Fuel guys going out there smoking the tires, not able to make it down. To see all that and know that it's hot and it's not ideal conditions, you try to compensate for that, but it's hard sometimes. We did the best that we could, and we'll try to get them next time."
Tedesco left first against Shields, but she knew immediately something was amiss. Her pass of 5.544 seconds at 267.85 mph wasn't enough to hold off Shields' 5.365-second run at 274.50 mph despite a .047-second advantage on the Christmas Tree.
"I felt like when it left I knew it had at least a hole out because it didn't really want to move," Tedesco said. "I felt like I hit the Tree, too, and that's exactly what happened. It had a hole out at the hit, didn't leave, and he made a good run. I beat him on the Tree but it wasn't enough that time. It just wasn't a good run."
Tedesco had scored her first holeshot victory in TAD in a first-round victory, and she drove well in all three rounds of Super Gas this weekend. Her CARS Protection Plus/VP Racing Fuels Super Gas Chevrolet Cavalier eventually broke out in a third-round race late Saturday night.
"We were close on the Tree, and I broke out," Tedesco said. "I was going faster than I thought I was and it was just a good race. We're happy with that, and we were having fun. We're going to keep on racing and try to go rounds next time."
Tedesco and Ray Miller III had nearly identical reaction times (.013 for Miller and .019 for Tedesco), but she was .012 under the 9.9-second Super Gas index, giving Miller the win. His package was good, as he made a 9.910-second pass to advance to the fourth round.
Tedesco and her team will take a weekend off before racing at the national event at Maple Grove Raceway, Sept. 29-Oct. 2.
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| Mia Tedesco's CARS Protection Plus/Schepel Motors/NGK/Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster was a little down on power in her second-round race Sunday at the NHRA Carolina Nationals. |
