MILEE MEDEISIS ( formerly Ballard ) is an up-and-coming driver and builder in the drag-and-drive scene . It ’ s an area that ’ s mainly dominated by men , but she doesn ’ t let that intimidate her .

As a matter of fact , she wants to be a beacon of encouragement to show other women that they can do this as well .

“ I definitely have a lot of room to grow ,” Medeisis answers . “ I think that as long as you have a good group of people by you that are willing to help you learn and grow with you , that ’ s key . I think that a lot of females need to dive in and not be scared .”

Medeisis was first introduced to drag racing through her dad but admitted that she wasn ’ t ready to start racing herself at first .

“[ My dad ] actually wanted to put me in a Jr . Dragster , and when we went to go purchase it , I sat in it . We started it up ,” recounts Medeisis . “ I didn ’ t cry or get afraid of it . I just didn ’ t like it . I ’ m going to assume I was probably just feeling claustrophobic .”

The experience didn ’ t deter her , though , from going to the track and helping her dad while he was competing . After her 2014 high school

graduation , Medeisis ’ dad surprised her with a 1968 Camaro that she still owns .

“ I bracket raced with him for a couple of years , and then I met Cody , who was building his truck for Drag Week ,” she explains , referring to her now husband , 2016 30 Under 30 honoree Cody Medeisis . “ I went and spectated that , and I fell in love with that side of racing , more of the headsup , the LS stuff , than just a regular bracket car .”

Cody saw her enthusiasm and put together a budget-friendly engine so Emilee could begin racing in the new-to-her style of competition . After two years of competing , in 2019 , she and Cody rebuilt her car “ from scratch ,” and it ’ s evolved into what the 27-year-old is fielding today – an 8-second , supercharged 1968 Camaro .

“ My husband did a lot of the bodywork , but I was at the shop every night with him , helping wherever I could , and I ’ ll be honest , I ’ m not a fan of wet sanding ,” she chuckles . “ Now I realize how much time and energy goes into it , but it ’ s all a part of it . We have also built the engines in our garage here at home together .”

Then , in 2022 , right before HOT ROD Drag Week , she took the car out for testing and blew up the engine . So , back to the home garage she and Cody went to rebuild Labor Day weekend . “ That was like a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me to be so hands-on with it and just a bonding moment for us ,” she says .

After putting everything back together , Medeisis made Drag Week and finished fifth in her class with an 8.569 average .

When she ’ s not on the road , Emilee is competing at her local track .

“ What I ’ m doing now is a lot of heads-up , notime racing . There ’ s actually a series , the Central Illinois Streetcar Shootout , that I ran this year , and they created a new class called the Blue Collar Street , and of the two events , we took home the win in both of those so that was very exciting to start the year off with ,” Medeisis explains .

She had planned on attending Drag Week this year ; however , she opted to withdraw because of the timing of the event and her wedding , plus a delay on parts . Instead , Emilee entered the final Central Illinois Streetcar Shootout .

“ We took the win home , and following that , we did the NHRA 8.60 exhibition [ during the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway ], which we also took the win home in ,” she says . “ This year is the first year that I ’ ve ever won an event , so to win every time we ’ ve gone out was just something that I can ’ t even begin to explain . To go from not winning an event to winning every event that you go to is just a really good feeling .”

Medeisis acknowledged that she wouldn ’ t have been afforded these opportunities if it weren ’ t for her support system around her .

“ I want to say thank you to my husband for teaching me over the years this side of racing , my parents for not only introducing me to the sport but getting me into it , and to all of my sponsors ,” says Medeisis . “ My program is where it is today with the help of everybody , and I couldn ’ t do it without all of them .” – KAYLA ZADEL DI

144 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 185