Dirt
Mind on the Money
Past Super Gas world champion
Mia Tedesco focusing on the
challenge of big-money bracket races
By Josh Hachat
M
ia Tedesco had carved out a
successful path in the sportsman
ranks, racking up the 2016 NHRA
Super Gas world championship.
But as she started to mix that with bracket rac-
ing, one thing became clear: she was going to
have to choose one or the other. The rising star
put her focus on bracket racing in 2018 and she
hasn’t looked back.
“I found I do perform my best when I focus
on one thing, and I decided if we’re going to give
this a go, we’re going to go all in,” Tedesco says.
“I do miss all three of those class (Super Gas,
Top Alcohol Dragster and Super Comp), but I’m
getting to make so many more runs, you get to
race a lot and you get to make money. I’m really
excited about it and I think this is going to be a
good year.”
Tedesco proved early in her career she was a
force to be reckoned with, and it’s something she’s
ready to display in the bracket racing world driv-
ing her Race Tech dragster and ’68 Camaro, which
originally belonged to her uncle. It’s a throwback
to Tedesco’s early racing days, but a stark shift
from where she had been thriving.
The lure of competing for big money on bracket
racing’s biggest stages was
simply too much to pass up.
She is slated to run all the
major races this year, includ-
ing the two races where $1
million is guaranteed to
the winner.
“To see how far it’s come,
it’s mind-blowing,” Tedesco
says. “When we really start-
ed, it was beginning to blow
up, and having these big rac-
es got me super interested in
it. It’s almost hard to wrap
your head around it.”
That aspect can certainly
get the better of drivers, try-
ing to perform with a major
check on the line. Tedesco is
searching for that massive
win, but she’s certainly not
undaunted by the challenge.
“I’ve learned to be patient
and learned how to not get
rattled. It’s really a matter of trying to stay even-
keel the entire weekend,” says Tedesco, who wel-
comed Moser Engineering as a partner in 2020,
joining Hoosier Tires, Abruzzi Transmission and
Converters, and Wilkerson Racing Engines. “I’m
used to so many different scenarios, it takes lot
to rattle me. We’re super focused and I think it’s
going to be a successful year.”
Tedesco’s influence continues to be felt on mul-
tiple levels as well. Close friend Megan Meyer
leaned on her for advice as Meyer battled for her
first NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster world cham-
pionship last year, while Tedesco welcomes the
chance to steer young, aspiring drivers in the
right direction.
It comes with a different spotlight in bracket
racing, but being a positive role model has always
brought out the best in Tedesco.
“That’s definitely an awesome feeling,” Tedesco
says. “If there’s kids at the races, I always try to
talk with them, and it’s nice to have a positive in-
fluence on them. For me, racing is a fun challenge
because you know you’re going to get the best out
of people. But that’s the cool thing. Anybody can
win the race, and sometimes it’s between you and
800 other people. That’s what makes this such a
fun and diverse sport.”
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I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
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