POMONA, CA – Alexis DeJoria powered her Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota GR Supra to a semifinal finish at the 2022 NHRA Camping World Series’ final event on Sunday afternoon. By advancing deep into Sunday’s elimination rounds, DeJoria moved up one position in the Funny Car standings to clinch the No. 7 spot to finish the year.

At the 2022 season-opener in February, DeJoria had the honor of earning the first win light in the new Toyota Supra Funny Car for Toyota Gazoo Racing when she defeated Jim Campbell in round one of eliminations, and at this weekend’s NHRA Finals, she notched another memorable moment when she reset her career-best E.T. on Saturday evening during the final qualifying session. Aboard her 11,000-horsepower machine, DeJoria clocked a blistering 3.862-second at 333.00-mph pass to best her personal E.T. record, and secure the No. 6 qualifying spot.

DeJoria drew Jim Campbell as her first-round opponent on Sunday morning. Her machine dropped a cylinder and started shoving her hard toward the centerline. She wrangled it back over and outpaced Campbell for the win to set up a quarterfinal contest with Steven Densham where she clocked a 3.914 E.T. to outrun her opponent’s 4.065-second effort. In the semifinals, DeJoria faced eventual race winner Cruz Pedregon. The two Top 10-ranked drivers were nearly even leaving the starting line and charged hard side-by-side down the track, but Pedregon edged past as they approached the finish line for the win.

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Pomona, CA – DeJoria, who powered to a runner-up finish at last year’s event, begins the weekend ranked eighth in points. The six-time Funny Car winner is looking to match or better her best finish (sixth, 2021)DeJoria is 36 points behind No. 6-ranked J.R. Todd, and trailing seventh-ranked Tim Wilkerson by two points. A 132-point deficit separates DeJoria from No. 5 Bob Tasca.

At the 2022 season opener in Pomona, DeJoria had the honor of earning the first win light in the new Toyota Supra Funny Car for Toyota Gazoo Racing when she defeated Jim Campbell in round one of eliminations.

“Heading into the final race of the season, we are definitely looking to finish strong at this race, and hopefully close out the year with a win, and/or finish higher in the points than we did last year. We’re pouring the coals to it this weekend. We’re definitely not going easy, and we’ll be hoping for the best but in all honesty, I feel like this season has been a big test session for what’s to come. We’ve enjoyed getting acquainted with the Toyota GR Supra body this season, and while there’s been a bit of a learning curve, we absolutely love this new body style, and are looking forward to future success. I want to thank all of our partners, at all levels, for their continued support. It is very much appreciated.” explained Alexis.

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LAS VEGAS – Alexis DeJoria and the Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota Funny Car team clocked quick and consistent passes throughout the NHRA Nevada Nationals race weekend, and continue to appear to be on the verge of breaking through for a win in 2022. DeJoria has enjoyed a string of successes in Las Vegas, including two event wins and a No. 1 qualifier at the 2021 Fall event, and was hoping ‘The Strip’ would be the scene of the team’s first win of the year.

DeJoria posted three sub-four-second runs during qualifying, including powering to the second-quickest pass of the second session to earn two bonus points before posting a 3.919 E.T. in Q3, followed by a 3.917-second run in Q4. Unfortunately, during the final qualifying session, DeJoria’s machine shoved her hard toward the middle of the track past the finish line, and she was docked 15 points for crossing over the centerline stripe ahead of the 1,320-foot marker.

Starting race day from eighth out of a 19-car entry list, DeJoria had lane choice over Paul Lee, her first-round opponent. She was straight down the groove, powering to a 3.906 E.T. to easily defeat Lee’s early tire smoker. In round two, she faced championship contender Robert Hight in a close nail-biter of a race. The two charged hard down the track, but Hight held a slight lead from start to finish, which helped propel him through the finish line beams first, ending DeJoria’s day after the quarterfinals.

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Las Vegas – DeJoria, who powered the Bandero GR Supra to a runner-up finish during the second of six Countdown events (Charlotte), occupies the No. 7 spot in the Camping World Series rankings. Nine points (less than one round) separates DeJoria from No. 6 Tim Wilkerson, and there is a 93-point margin between DeJoria and No. 5 Bob Tasca.

DeJoria’s career-best Countdown finish is sixth place, and she is seeking her first ‘top five’ ranking to close out the season.

Alexis talks about 2022, “As drivers, we start each season with a certain set of goals and benchmarks we hope to achieve throughout the year and you adjust along the way. Our Bandero GR Supra is a strong-running car. We have two events left to achieve our goal of parking our car in the winner’s circle before the year is up. And for me personally, I really want to finish the season ranked in the top five. To move into fifth is a bit of a tall order, with 93 points separating us from Tasca, but it’s doable. Thankfully, Pomona features a points-and-a-half format, so while it’s not out of reach, it’s imperative we go rounds this weekend if we want to have a shot.”

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ENNIS, TX – Alexis DeJoria placed the Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car in the No. 12 position to start race day at the Texas NHRA FallNationals, qualifying on the strength of her 3.976-second pass from the third session. The Austin, Texas resident started the weekend ranked sixth in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship points standings, and was looking to make up some ground on Sunday at the event where she made her Funny Car debut in 2011.

DeJoria drew No. 5 qualifier Blake Alexander as her first-round competitor and was seeking to extend her 6 – 1 round-win lead over her opponent on a rain-delayed race day. She scored the slight starting line advantage but her machine encountered issues early and started spinning the tires while Alexander made a clean pass for the win. During that session, Tim Wilkerson also advanced and the round-win allowed him to move ahead of DeJoria in the point standings, bumping her back one spot.

“Disappointing weekend for the DC Motorsports Funny Car team,” said DeJoria, who recently powered the Bandero GR Supra to the final round in Charlotte at the NHRA Carolina Nationals, the second of six Countdown events. “We struggled in qualifying. Got down one run and made a good pass but didn’t have the best qualifying position going into race day and that set us back. First round, we went up there, I had an okay light, and the car started moving toward the right and smoking the tires, and that was it. We’ll regroup and head to Vegas, and see what happens out there.”

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Ennis, TX – As a resident of Austin, DeJoria considers the Texas Motorplex to be her home track.  DeJoria, who recently powered the Bandero GR Supra to its first final-round appearance of the season in Charlotte, occupies the No. 6 spot in the Camping World Series rankings. She is looking to secure her first ‘top five’ finish in the Countdown in 2022.

Alexis talks about the Motorplex, “We’re headed back to my home track, and we’ve got these three races left to make up some ground. We’re currently ranked sixth in the standings, and we’ve got to go rounds this weekend. My best finish at Dallas so far has been in the quarterfinals, and that’s something I need to overcome. We get four qualifying rounds this weekend, which is a nice change, so hopefully, we’ll get ourselves safely into the show during Q1, which will allow us the opportunity to throw down a big number in what will likely be the field-setting session during Q2. If we can do that on Friday, then we can establish a baseline and consistency on Saturday, which should set us up for a long day of going rounds on race day.”

Countdown to the Championship Ranking: 6th

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MADISON, IL – Following last weekend’s runner-up finish at the NHRA Carolina Nationals near Charlotte, Top 10-ranked Funny Car competitor Alexis DeJoria was looking to carry that momentum into another long Sunday of going rounds at the NHRA Midwest Nationals, the third of six Countdown to the Championship playoff events.

The Bandero Premium Tequila team struggled to get their footing through the first two rounds of qualifying at World Wide Technology Raceway, but in the final session, DeJoria stepped up big time when she powered her Toyota GR Supra Funny Car to a 3.914 E.T. and launched from 15th up to the No. 7 qualifying position. DeJoria drew her fellow Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate, J.R. Todd, as her first opponent in what NHRA had selected to be their Funny Car ‘marquee match-up.’ DeJoria carried a 3-0 record in 2022 against Todd, including her most recent round-win versus her opponent when she defeated him in the opening session at last week’s Charlotte event. Aboard their GR Supras, the two drivers clocked identical 3.928 E.T.s but Todd’s slight starting line advantage helped propel him to the win against DeJoria for the first time this year, ending her day after the first round.

“Coming off of a strong showing in Charlotte, we had high hopes for this weekend in St. Louis, but unfortunately, we lost first round,” said DeJoria, a six-time Funny Car event champion. “We’ve got a great car, a strong team, and it’s not over yet. On the bright side, we’re still leaving here in the No. 6 spot in points going into Dallas.”

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Madison, IL – DeJoria powered the Bandero GR Supra to its first final round appearance of the season last weekend in Charlotte. The runner-up finish propelled DeJoria up three spots in the standings to sixth place and has her feeling re-energized heading into St. Louis.

“We’re heading to St. Louis coming off of a very successful weekend in Charlotte. Even though we didn’t get the win, a lot of the little changes that we’ve made over the last few races have really come together, and we feel like we have a car that can go out there and compete with the best of them. With that comes confidence in myself, and our car, and we’re all feeling really good right now. Plus, it was really awesome to be a part of an all-Toyota final. I had four very strong opponents on race day; each one of them are champions. For the first three rounds, we outperformed the car and team in the other lane heads-up racing, we didn’t get any ‘gimmes.’ We worked extra hard for each of those round wins, and I’m just really proud of Del (Worsham), Nicky (Boninfante), and our entire team.

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CONCORD, NC – A runner-up finish at the second race of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals, has Alexis DeJoria reenergized and ready for more late-season success with her Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car. The six-time event winner moved up to sixth in the Countdown points after bowing out in the final round to fellow Toyota Gazoo Racing driver Ron Capps Sunday afternoon at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte.

“We had a great day today,” said DeJoria, who celebrated her birthday on Saturday. “We didn’t get the win, but we went to a final round and got some good points. Most of all, I’m very pleased with the consistency of our race car right now.”

DeJoria qualified ninth, but the Del Worsham and Nicky Boninfante-tuned DC Motorsports entry transformed overnight into one of the quickest and fastest cars on the property. DeJoria opened eliminations with one of the quickest runs of her career, a 3.878, at a career-best speed of 334.73 to knock out fellow Toyota Gazoo Racing driver J.R. Todd.

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Concord, NC – Having never won at zMAX Dragway, Alexis thinks that would be a great way to spend her birthday weekend!  DeJoria will be celebrating a birthday on Saturday, Sept. 24

“We’re headed to zMAX this weekend for stop No. 2 of the Countdown, a track where I’ve had success in the past. I’ve been the No. 1 qualifier there before, and have had quite a few long Sundays of going rounds, but have yet to bring home the hardware in Charlotte. I’m celebrating a birthday on Saturday and would love nothing more than to deliver the gift of a Wally trophy for my team on Sunday.

“We stumbled a bit in Reading; didn’t qualify how we had hoped and went out in the first round on Sunday. That’s certainly not how we wanted to start our Countdown but the good news is, there is still plenty of racing left. We stayed behind in Maple Grove and tested on Monday and feel well-prepared heading into this weekend. The weather is supposed to cool off quite a bit on Friday, and we know a successful outing in Charlotte starts with making sure we throwdown in that Friday night field-setting run. After that, we’ll focus on being consistent and taking it one round at a time, and hopefully, we can begin to narrow the points gap and climb back up on the leaderboard.” explained Dejoria

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