InsideTopAlcohol

There's a popular saying in the NHRA drag racing pit areas - "It's never a bad day when you're at the race track." For 2016 Super Gas world champion and Top Alcohol championship contender Mia Tedesco that saying holds even more consolation after her surprisingly quick exit from competition at the world's biggest and most prestigious drag racing event, the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis.

Competing in NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman racing in her CARS Vehicle Service Contracts/Schepel Motors/NGK/Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster and her CARS Vehicle Service Contracts/VP Racing Fuels Super Gas Chevrolet Cavalier, Tedesco is not only a fan favorite, she's also a favorite to win everywhere she races.

After becoming the first female Super Gas world champion last year and winning the previous two Divisional events in her Top Alcohol Dragster in Indianapolis and Bowling Green, Ky., all eyes were focused on Tedesco to have a high probability to "double-up" at the "Big Go", but the frustrating side of racing altered her fortunes.

Tedesco lost in the first round of eliminations in both of her race cars in Indy.

"Of course, we hoped this weekend would have gone better," Tedesco said. "It's the biggest race of the season and one everyone looks forward to all year long. However, no matter what race we are at I want to win it just as bad.

"I thought we had good momentum heading into Indy with back to back wins in the alcohol car. We made okay runs in qualifying and just couldn't get it done first round. It was a good race against an awesome driver."

Tedesco qualified her CARS Vehicle Service Contracts/Schepel Motors/NGK/Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster in the middle of the field in the No. 8 spot. In the opening round of eliminations, she battled one of the class's best, Marty Thacker. The two racers put on a great side-by-side race, but Tedesco came in second at the finish line stripe, 5.356 seconds, 270.92 mph to 5.304, 268.49.
Despite a...

The No. 1 on the side of Mia Tedesco's Super Gas signifies she's the reigning world champion in the category, and therefore an automatic contender for the title of this weekend's 63rd annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. But considering she's won two Top Alcohol Dragster races in a row, Tedesco seems to be an even bigger threat in her "second" car.

"We are running really well in the dragster, no doubt," Tedesco said. "I mean, it's Indy, so you know the very best in the world will be there, but it certainly gives you a lot of confidence knowing you're coming off back-to-back wins.

"The guys have this thing running very consistently, which is huge in drag racing. We're trying very hard to get away from the occasional weird pass where something goes wrong. If you can get down the track under power every time, your chances of winning go way up."

Tedesco routinely drives both her CARS Vehicle Service Contracts/Schepel Motors/NGK/Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster and her CARS Vehicle Service Contracts/VP Racing Fuels Super Gas Chevrolet Cavalier at the national and divisional races she enters.

In the last two weeks Tedesco has won Top Alcohol Dragster races in Indianapolis and Bowling Green, Ky. Her recent surge has lifted her to the North Central Region points lead and fourth place in the national rankings.

Aside from her TAD victory two weeks ago at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, Tedesco also won the class during the Spring Spectacle of Speed in 2015.

As for defending her Super Gas world title, Tedesco remains a scrappy competitor. She's ranked in the top five in Division 3 and in the top 20 in the national points.

"Super Gas is such a tough class," Tedesco said. "We're doing all the same stuff we did last year, just not getting the same results. We are staying at it. No need to change anything. Eventually, things will turn back our way. I've definitely learned that fact in my time in drag racing. You can do the exact same thing every weekend and...

Top Alcohol Funny Car driver John Lombardo Jr. amplifies the magnitude of the most prestigious race of the year by helping worthy causes and offering kids “A Day at the Races.”

Indianapolis, August 28, 2017 – Labor Day Weekend annually marks the most prestigious event of the season for racers in the National Hot Rod Association. The Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway Park in Indianapolis is often referred to as “the Big Go” or “the granddaddy of them all,” the race that every driver dreams of winning. For Jackson Lombardo Racing, the event goes even deeper.

For the third consecutive year, driver John Lombardo Jr., car owner Rick Jackson, and the entire NAPA Filters/Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Funny Car team raise funds for Hoosier Burn Camp and the Racers for Christ Kids Program with an online auction (HERE) and by accepting donations. On Saturday, Sept. 2, they provide “A Day at the Races,” a program bringing children from Hoosier Burn Camp to the track for a fun-filled day at no expense to their families.

Other races from the Mello Yello and Lucas Oil ranks participate in “A Day at the Races” to give the children an experience they won’t soon forget. Drivers slated to join Lombardo in interacting with the special guests, signing autographs, and playing games are Jack Beckman, Angelle Sampey, Cory Reed, Allen Johnson, Megan Meyer, Ashley Sanford, John Force Racing drivers, and many more. The driver meet and great will begin at 11 a.m.

"How do you make the U.S. Nationals – the largest and most prestigious NHRA drag race of the year – even more special? You share it with a group of kids that have overcome challenges most of us can't fathom," said Lombardo. "Saturday at the ‘Big Go,’ we look forward to welcoming families from the Hoosier Burn Camp of Indiana and sharing our passion for drag racing with them. It means a lot to us that we will have the opportunity to spend the day with some great...