Mia Tedesco looks to extend personal winning streak

PITTSBURGH, PA – Mia Tedesco’s star continues to rise after winning back-to-back races for the first time in her young career.

Now, the CARS Protection Plus/VP Racing Fuels driver will go for another achievement: Win at her home track.

Tedesco followed up a victory in Super Gas at the NHRA national event in Chicago with a win in Top Alcohol Dragster last weekend at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio.

This weekend, Tedesco will race her dragster in a $10,000-to-win bracket race at Keystone Raceway Park in New Alexandria, Pa., near her hometown. Winning three consecutive races would be a big accomplishment for the 22-year-old.

“That would be awesome,” Tedesco said. “I’ve actually never won at my own track, so I’d love to check that off the bucket list. I go and win a $20,000 bracket race somewhere else, but I haven’t won at my local track. It’s crazy.”

Crazy would describe her victory at the NHRA Buckeye Fuel Wars last weekend at National Trail, especially her final-round win. Poor weather was rolling in, so officials rushed Tedesco and her team to the starting line.

“The final round was kind of hectic,” Tedesco said. “Storms were rolling in, and everybody thought it was going to pour. We were trying to fly up and just get it done. It was such a long day, and we didn’t want to drag it on to another race.

“We got up there and got ready, and it started sprinkling a little bit. It happened so fast, and before I knew it my win light came on.”

Tedesco made a pass of 5.518 seconds at 260.76 mph to beat Jared Dreher, whose run was 5.607 seconds at 255.39 mph. She was able to handle the pressure because, well, she’s always in hectic situations.

“I don’t really know how to function without craziness,” Tedesco said. “Our pits are always crazy; there are people everywhere. My dad is meeting and greeting people, and there are a thousand things going on. It’s the craziness that keeps me sane because I’m not thinking about racing. I know I do better when I’m not thinking about racing. I’m used to moving 100,000 different directions at a time.”

Tedesco had a bracket car of sorts during eliminations, repeating 5.5-second runs.

“It was a crazy weekend,” Tedesco said. “It was so hot it was almost miserable. Going into it, I knew for Super Gas and Alcohol it would be tough just to get down the track, especially the Alcohol car. We went 5.50 the first and second round and 5.51 the third round, and those times don’t normally win races.

“It was definitely a different way to win. It was just better than the guy in the other lane, that type of story. That’s what it takes sometimes, just to be better than the other lane.”