POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 9) – The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag
Racing Series is coming to a close, but Sportsman star Mia Tedesco will race in
the Auto Club NHRA Finals this weekend at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona confident
in the knowledge that she's already a champion.
Tedesco secured the Super Gas national championship
last weekend in Las Vegas, becoming the first woman in the ultra-competitive
class to do so. She'll return to the seat of her CARS Protection Plus/VP Racing
Fuels Super Gas Chevrolet Cavalier this weekend, driving it and her Super Comp
dragster at Pomona.
"No, it hasn't sunk in yet," Tedesco said of
her championship. "I didn't go to Vegas and win the race – and then win
the championship because I won the race. We won the title because we did well
all year, and then last weekend, everybody who was in the title race got taken
out.
"It's kinda weird to leave a race after not
winning it – and you're the world champ. But I'm not complaining by any means.
It just hasn't quite sunk in yet."
Tedesco won't change the way she races simply because
she won a championship. She never raced for titles anyway, but rather for race
wins.
"I don't think it'll be any different than any
other weekend," Tedesco said. "It didn't affect me last week when I
had to continue going rounds after I clinched it."
Tedesco, in fact, won her Super Gas round moments
after she learned she had clinched the title in Las Vegas. Once the helmet
visor goes down, Tedesco simply focuses on the task at hand: Winning that
round.
"I think it'll be pretty relaxing and fun,"
Tedesco said of Pomona. "I'll be able to enjoy myself and not have to
worry about anything and just do what I have to do. I'll just try to go out and
win the race. I don't think it'll be different in a competitive standpoint at
all.
"I stopped claiming points in national events a
few months ago, so every national event I went to, it was kind of weird just
going to race, but I'm pretty used to it now. I'll just have fun and try to win
the race. It doesn't matter to us if we're racing for $2,000 or a Wally or
$20,000 – we always try to win, no matter what."
In addition to the Super Gas national title, Tedesco
also won the Division 3 Super Gas championship, as well as the North Central
Region title with her CARS Protection Plus/Schepel Motors/NGK/Lucas Oil Top
Alcohol Dragster.
Pomona will not be Tedesco's final race of 2017. She'll compete in the
Dashing Through the Dough bracket race at GALOT Motorsports Park in Dunn, N.C.,
on Dec. 1-4.
