Chicago Super Gas victory a career highlight for emerging star Mia Tedesco

A week later and Mia Tedesco is still smiling.

Tedesco's, a Top Alcohol Dragster who also races in the highly competitive Super Gas division, is awfully proud of her NHRA K&N Filters Route 66 Nationals Super Gas victory. 
 
As decorated of a driver as she is, winning in the 9.90 division had eluded her. 
 
"This is way up there," said Tedesco, who also has a national event win in the Top Alcohol Dragster division. "I've won a few bracket races, divisionals, and one national event in the alcohol car, but when I won in Super Gas, it's because I did everything right. The car was good all day, we all made good decisions, and I drove well."
 
Tedesco secured the monumental victory by beating Gabriel Torres in the final round. Tedesco had a .008-second reaction time to go with a 9.926-second pass on the 9.90 index to beat Torres, who had a .059 light and broke out.
 
"It's cool to think back on how awesome of a weekend it really was and to finally accomplish something I've been working for so long," Tedesco said. "Everything ran so smoothly as a whole. There weren't any real hiccups, and the car ran good all weekend. We were pretty confident going into Chicago because I won the divisional there a few weeks ago. Going back there for the national event, we felt pretty good about our car and our combination."
 
Tedesco began racing in Super Gas in 2012, finishing in the runner-up spot twice that year. She has run a variety of cars since, including the Top Alcohol Dragster, with which she won a national event in Charlotte in 2015.
 
Tedesco, though, had struggled in the Super Gas car the last couple of seasons, as switching back and forth may have taken more of a toll than she realized.
 
"It was hard going back and forth," Tedesco said. "Looking back, I can see how bad I struggled."
 
The dragster uses a clutch and a hand brake while the Super Gas car uses a transbrake. After the 2015 season, though, Tedesco used her simulator to practice going back and forth and became comfortable with the process.
 
"Pretty much all winter I had the mindset that I wasn't going to let anything affect me," Tedesco said. "I was just going to have a good time and do what I love to do. This year has been like that. 
 
"Coming out this year, I've felt the most comfortable I've felt by far. I don't have to think about anything. It's natural, and it doesn't matter what car I'm in."
 
Tedesco proved that in Chicago, where she left first on her final four opponents.
 
"To win in a class where it's 'all right, it's all on you' is pretty awesome," Tedesco said.