2021 Thunder Valley Champion Eyes Another Victory at One of Her Favorite Tracks on Tour

BRISTOL, TN — Alexis DeJoria has a complicated and rewarding relationship with Bristol Dragway. Her first career Funny Car final round happened there in 2012. Her most recent victory came there in 2021. And now, with her John Force Racing Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car clicking on all cylinders, she’s heading back to Thunder Valley with eyes on another Wally.

DeJoria arrives at the SUPERGRIP NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, June 12-14 at Bristol Dragway, carrying genuine momentum. She enters with two runner-up finishes, a Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win, and 11 round wins through eight events — one shy of matching her entire 2025 season total. At Epping, she qualified third and reached the quarterfinals before falling to Ron Capps.

“I’m really excited to go back to Bristol this year coming off these two back-to-back races in Maryland and Epping,” DeJoria said. “It can’t come soon enough. We’ve had some good success, and our car has come together really well. It seems like everything just clicked this last weekend.”
Continue reading →

EPPING, NH – While she was just inches short of advancing to the semifinals on race day at the NHRA New England Nationals, it was abundantly clear that Alexis DeJoria and the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car team have found their rhythm, and with the Bristol, Tenn. event just days away, DeJoria appears to be on the brink of her first win with her new John Force Racing team.

Led by crew chiefs Mike Neff and Jonnie Lindberg, DeJoria and the Bandero Café team made three clean and quick passes out of four during qualifying. A 3.929-second at 312.42 mph run on Friday night placed them on the provisional pole to earn the event’s No. 1 Clawifier Award, which came with a lobster dinner for the team. DeJoria maintained her top-seeded position throughout Saturday’s first session, and clocked a 3.934 E.T. in Q4, which held up to be the third-quickest pass of the round, but her JFR teammates outpaced her Q2 pass in that final session to place her third heading into Sunday’s eliminations.
Continue reading →

EPPING, NH — Alexis DeJoria heads to New England Dragway this weekend for the NHRA New England Nationals Presented by bproauto with extra motivation — the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car driver considers Epping one of her home tracks, with much of her family based in nearby Rhode Island.
DeJoria joined the 24-time championship-winning John Force Racing organization ahead of the 2026 season and has been knocking on the door of her first victory with the team. Through seven races she has two runner-up finishes and a Mission #2Fast2Tasty win, but the elusive first Wally with JFR remains the target heading into the weekend.
“I’m really charged to go back to Epping. I consider that one of my home tracks because half my family is from Rhode Island. This is the race that they all get to go to, and I’ve had some good runs there in the past,” said DeJoria. “I’ll be happy to see them out at the track, and they’re excited to come and support the team.”
Continue reading →

MECHANICSVILLE, MD – Fresh off their second runner-up appearance through the first six events, Alexis DeJoria and the Bandero Café Funny Car team continued to run with the top of the class when the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series made its debut appearance at Maryland International Raceway for the NHRA Potomac Nationals. Aboard her 12,000-horsepower Chevrolet SS, DeJoria was solid throughout qualifying at the inaugural event, picking up five bonus points en route to securing a qualifying position in the top half of the field. A tough first-round match against Ron Capps awaited in the opening round of eliminations, and although DeJoria made another consistent pass, it wasn’t enough to outpace the points leader, ending her day earlier than she had hoped.

The Bandero Café team’s first-ever run down the MIR track was a stout 4.025-second pass at 318.32 mph, placing DeJoria in the provisional No. 2 spot after Friday’s first round of qualifying. Traction issues followed in the second and third qualifying sessions, but crew chiefs Mike Neff and Jonnie Lindberg turned up the wick in the final qualifier, tuning DeJoria to a session-best 3.997 E.T. at 326.16 mph, which held up to be the only three-second run of the round. For their efforts, they were rewarded with three bonus points, bringing DeJoria’s total for the weekend to five overall, and placing her seventh on the Funny Car ladder to secure the advantage of lane choice over Capps.
Continue reading →

John Force Racing Bandero Café Funny Car driver eyes back-to-back Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge wins at Maryland International Raceway

MECHANICSVILLE, MD — Alexis DeJoria heads to the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals Presented by JEGS at Maryland International Raceway this weekend on the strength of a runner-up finish and a Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory at the Route 66 Nationals near Chicago, looking to carry that momentum to new territory.

DeJoria, who pilots the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car for the 24-time championship-winning John Force Racing team, posted her second runner-up finish of the six-race season in Joliet after advancing past Spencer Hyde, Dave Richards, and Matt Hagan before falling to Chad Green in the final. She also claimed her first #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win of the season at that event, and by advancing beyond the semifinals, earned her spot in this weekend’s Challenge for a shot at back-to-back victories.

Through six races in 2026, DeJoria has two runner-up finishes and one #2Fast2Tasty win to her credit.
Continue reading →

JOLIET, IL – For the second time in the first six races of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, Alexis DeJoria drove her John Force Racing Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car to the final round Sunday afternoon at the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK. It was a rematch of the final round at the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals, with DeJoria losing a close race to Chad Green. Between a Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win on Saturday and a runner-up finish on Sunday, DeJoria is proud of what her team accomplished at Route 66 Raceway. She maintained her No. 6 position in the Funny Car points.

DeJoria kicked off Friday qualifying on a promising note as she recorded a 4.014-second pass at 326.08 mph to take the No. 6 spot. She improved to a 3.994 E.T. at 329.42 mph in Q2 to wrap up Friday in the No. 10 position. In the third qualifying session on Saturday, which was also the first round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, DeJoria posted a consistent 4.015 E.T. at 323.35 mph to defeat J.R. Todd. She then scored her second career #2Fast2Tasty title when John Force Racing teammate Jordan Vandergriff encountered mechanical issues and couldn’t stage his car for the final round.
Continue reading →

Alexis DeJoria Races To First Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge Win of the Season in Chicago

JOLIET, IL – Alexis DeJoria, the driver of the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car, earned a victory for John Force Racing (JFR) today at the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK. DeJoria won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, a specialty race that takes place during qualifying on Saturday. DeJoria defeated J.R. Todd and her teammate Jordan Vandergriff on her way to victory.

This is DeJoria’s first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win this season and her second overall.

DeJoria’s qualifying pass of 3.994 seconds at 329.42 mph on Friday secured her place in the field so the talented Funny Car pilot could turn her focus to competition on Saturday. In a repeat of the semifinals two weeks ago in Georgia, DeJoria lined up against Todd. Track conditions were tricky but crew chiefs Mike Neff and Jonnie Lindberg expertly tuned the Bandero Café Funny Car to a pass of 4.015 at 323.35 to turn on the win light while Todd ran into tire smoke early in the other lane.
Continue reading →

Bandero Café Funny Car Team Carries Semifinal Momentum into Joliet, May 15–17

BROWNSBURG, IN — Alexis DeJoria and the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car team head to Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., for the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK (May 15–17) with a semifinal finish from the Southern Nationals fueling their confidence. With the season now 25 percent complete, crew chiefs Mike Neff and Jonnie Lindberg have the car dialed in and DeJoria sees Chicago as the ideal moment to take that next step forward.

2026 FUNNY CAR STANDINGS (After 5 of 20 Races)

DeJoria sits sixth with 297 points, keeping a close eye on the competition ahead. Full standings:
Continue reading →

JFR Funny Car Driver Eyes First Win of 2026 in Chicago, May 15–17

BROWNSBURG, IN — Alexis DeJoria and the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car team arrive at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., for the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK (May 15–17) carrying fresh confidence from a strong semifinal run at the previous event in Valdosta, Ga. With sponsor PEAK calling Joliet home turf, DeJoria is motivated to reward her partners with a deep run — and her first Wally of the 2026 season.

ROUTE 66 IS PEAK’S HOME TRACK

The Route 66 Nationals carries extra significance for the Bandero Café team this weekend, as title sponsor PEAK will have a strong presence in the pits. DeJoria recently filmed a segment for PEAK’s “State of the Build” series alongside host Emily Reeves, taking a deep dive into her ’67 Chevelle. The episode dropped earlier this week. DeJoria is eager to show her appreciation for the PEAK team on their home turf.

2026 SEASON & RECENT FORM
Continue reading →

ADEL, GA – Alexis DeJoria continued her consistent start to the 2026 season Sunday at the NHRA Southern Nationals, guiding the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car to a semifinal finish at South Georgia Motorsports Park. At the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series’ debut event at the facility, DeJoria navigated tricky track conditions to advance to the semifinals for the second time this season while holding onto sixth in the championship standings for John Force Racing.

DeJoria, who previously raced at South Georgia when she competed in Top Alcohol Funny Car, started Friday qualifying in the No. 8 spot after the first session. In the quicker second session, she improved her numbers with a 3.968-second pass at 326.63 mph. DeJoria’s machine then went up in tire smoke early on her third qualifying attempt and secured the No. 10 position on the ladder for race day.

In the first round of eliminations, DeJoria was the first of just two drivers to win out of the tricky left lane. She left the starting line a tick ahead of past world champion Cruz Pedregon and charged to a weekend-best 3.946 E.T. at 325.61 mph to get the win and gain lane choice for the next round. Lined up against four-time world champion Matt Hagan in the second round, DeJoria wheeled the Bandero Café Funny Car to a winning 4.016-second pass at 314.68 mph.
Continue reading →