Every drag racer has milestone moments in their career - the first time they win a national event, for example. Those moments usually don't coincide with their worst moment. For Top Alcohol Dragster newcomer Taylor Vetter, both moments occurred within seconds of each other at the Auto Club NHRA Finals last month.

"I'm still pretty emotional about the whole thing," said Vetter. "Just waking up and knowing that we were getting to race on Sunday was huge for us. When that win light came on in the semis, it was almost like disbelief. The guys were just so stoked, and it was awesome to see how excited they were. Because without them, I wouldn't be there. They work so hard, and they are such a fun group of guys."

The "guys" Vetter refers to - Nick Januik, Nick Shultzman, Cody Crubaugh, Jeremy Kilby, and Brian Stevenson - didn't have much time to celebrate. They had to hustle to get ready for the final round of competition.

In only the second national event final round of her burgeoning Top Alcohol Dragster career, Vetter faced Joey Severance for the last match of the entire season. In front of thousands of fans at the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Vetter knew she had to bring it if she were to stand a chance at taking down the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series world champion.

As Vetter powered her blown TAD down the track, she edged past Severance despite his slight starting line advantage. She began to veer toward the wall and then back toward the center of the track as she crossed the finish line. The temperamental machine then careened onto its side as it skidded into the wall before sliding to a stop.

"I suited up, and everything felt normal - normal burnout, normal backup. It was all normal until it wasn't," said Vetter. "I'm still super disappointed in myself. I'm not a perfectionist, but it just shouldn't have gotten to that point. It took off and started to go to the wall. I knew I was close, but I didn't know how close. It didn't even process in my mind to lift. And all of a sudden, it was too late. I knew I had crashed."

Vetter exited the dragster under her own power moments later to a collective sigh and then raucous applause from the crowd. Then, she realized her win light was glowing against the California dusk. Vetter was the event champion. A whirl of emotions hit her at once, the juxtaposition of the wrecked race car beneath the illuminated win light not lost on her.

In the movie Steel Magnolias, Dolly Parton's character, Truvy, says, "Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion." This may be the best way to describe Vetter's emotions as she processed what had just happened.

"I remember getting out, and all of the safety people were there," she recalled. "And it was just so different. They were all trying to check me out, and then suddenly, I looked up and thought, 'Wait, is my win light on? Did I win? There's no way.'"

Indeed, there was a question as to the validity of Vetter's win light, but thanks to the magic of instant replay, it was clear that the vehicle passed through the finish line while remaining in its lane. Taylor Vetter had officially crashed onto the Top Alcohol Dragster scene.

She's already determined to ensure this moment doesn't overshadow those milestones to come. Vetter will debut a new Top Alcohol Dragster in 2023, a plan already in motion before this incident. Still, the timing feels serendipitous as it will give her a bit of a hard reset as she prepares to race a full schedule in the new machine. The Las Vegas native hopes to have time to test the new car at her home track before she begins competition at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., next year. Her sponsors - Torco Race Fuels, NGK, CP Carillo, Goodyear, and Permatex - will all have a spot on her new ride.

"I don't think I'll be nervous getting back into the car, but we won't know for sure until it happens," said the tenacious young driver. "I'm going to be learning it all over again since we'll have a new car as well. I say I'm not nervous right now, but I'm also going to have four months out of a car. And I've always been kind of nervous to get in the car anyway because I'm still learning. So I guess it's better to say I don't think I will be any more nervous to get behind the wheel. Because that's what normal feels like for me."

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