---
title: "Heartwarming: Watch a Chevy S-10 Blazer Beat a Tesla Model 3 in a One-Lap Race"
description: "The Tesla Model 3's instant electric torque wasn't enough to overcome the Chevy S10's braver, more skilled driver."
date: "2022-07-18"
modified: "2022-07-18"
authors:
  - name: "James Gilboy"
    job_title: "Contributing Writer"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/james-gilboy"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/heartwarming-watch-a-chevy-s-10-blazer-beat-a-tesla-model-3-in-a-one-lap-race"
categories:
  - "Chevrolet News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "blazer"
  - "Chevrolet"
---

# Heartwarming: Watch a Chevy S-10 Blazer Beat a Tesla Model 3 in a One-Lap Race

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/18/S10-Blazer-Hero.jpg>)
*\<em\>@tberg.media via Instagram\</em\>*

A quick car is nothing without an equally quick driver. So demonstrated the wheelman of the Chevrolet S-10 Blazer that dominated a [Tesla Model 3](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/that-viral-v8-swapped-tesla-model-3-is-fake>) in a one-lap race that was caught on camera, earning their 15 minutes of fame in a video that has since gone viral. It takes a lot of gusto to drive the car you pay for extremely hard, especially in a wheel-to-wheel setting, but it was nothing for this guy.

This all took place at the Independence Day Thrill Show Spectator Drags at Seekonk Speedway, a one-third-mile short oval in Seekonk, Massachusetts. The spectacle was at it sounds; a run-what-you-brung event where the public can [enter their road cars](<https://www.seekonkspeedway.com/uploads/1/3/0/4/130439230/2022_spectator_drags.pdf>) in brief, one-lap races sometimes called circle drags. This type of race generates eclectic fields and unusual matchups, like this one, between an electric Tesla and an old-school [Chevy S-10](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/27597/buy-this-244-mph-five-second-chevrolet-s10-drag-racing-pickup-truck-and-live-your-best-life>) Blazer driven by one Charlie Guardino.

The video below should be cued in to start at the right time, but if not, skip to 29:00.

https://youtu.be/GVYMLZoOhYY?t=1741

All we know for certain about Guardino's Blazer is that it's powered by a "[built LQ9](<https://www.instagram.com/p/CgIuGNVDnS8/>)," indicating the 6.0-liter Vortec V8 probably generates more than the 345 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque it was [originally rated at](<https://www.onallcylinders.com/2018/02/02/lq9-engine-specs-performance-bore-stroke-cylinder-heads-cam-specs/#:~:text=The%20LQ9%20is%20a%206.0,Vortec%20HO%206000%20or%20VortecMAX.>). Even so, it had its work cut out for it to beat the [reported](<https://evcompare.io/cars/tesla/tesla_model_3_long_range_awd/>) 346 horsepower and 389 pound-feet of the Tesla, which [come on instantly](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/37737/porsche-taycan-shows-off-that-instant-torque-in-disastrous-parking-fail>) through all four wheels. For that reason, the Model 3 rockets ahead at the start of the race, making the win look like a done deal for the EV.

But Guardino gave it everything he had, sliding through the first corner before taking a wider exit to carry more speed into turn three. By the time he made a lunge for the inside, it was all but over. Guardino clung to the inside line, traveling a shorter distance to ultimately take the checkered flag.

As usual, victory wasn't so much a matter of *what* was driven, but *how*. Had the roles been reversed, one imagines things could've ended differently.

*Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: james@thedrive.com*

## Author
James is a former staff writer for The Drive. He has changed the conversation around electrification, debunked misinformation online, and become a prominent hunter of what he calls "automotive cryptids."

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/jamesgilboy>)