READING, PA – NHRA Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria leaves Maple Grove Raceway with her Top 10 position intact following a first-round exit Sunday morning at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals. DeJoria and her DC Motorsports team are now shifting their focus to the second race of the six-race Countdown to the Championship.

DeJoria, a six-time Funny Car event winner, qualified her Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota GR Supra tenth with a 3.966 E.T. at 301.47 MPH recorded in the second of three qualifying sessions. That set up a first-round matchup with fellow Countdown contender Tim Wilkerson, who qualified No. 7. A tense side-by-side battle followed, with DeJoria and tuners Del Worsham and Nicky Boninfante firing off a solid 3.924 at 330.31-mph pass, but it wasn’t quite enough to capture the win as Wilkerson was able to edge past with his slightly-quicker 3.922 E.T.

“Unfortunate first-round loss at the first race of the Countdown to the Championship,” said DeJoria, who’s appearing in her fifth Countdown. “We’ve made some progress this weekend with our car, but we’re going to stay and test because we want to get a little bit more information on what we found this weekend, and get ourselves ready for Charlotte.”

Continue reading →

Reading, PA – DeJoria will be making her fifth Countdown to the Championship appearance in 2022.  “I’m very excited to be a part of the Countdown and have a fresh slate starting in Maple Grove. The points are reset and it’s time to step it up. The guys have been hard at work getting everything prepped for this three-race swing, and I’ve been practicing on my end.

“Our Bandero GR Supra has been running well, and while we haven’t visited the winner’s circle yet this year, I know that our team is capable. We just need everything to come to together at the right time, and this is the time when it really counts.” explained Alexis.

Countdown to the Championship Ranking: 7th

2021 Reading Recap: Qualified eighth; First round exit (defeated by J.R. Todd in E1)

Continue reading →

INDIANAPOLIS – When the 2022 NHRA Camping World Series Countdown to the Championship kicks off in Reading, Penn. in less than two weeks, Alexis DeJoria and the DC Motorsports team will begin their playoff campaign as the No. 7 seed.

DeJoria secured the seventh-place ranking during the NHRA U.S. Nationals, an event which she won in 2014. The six-time winner qualified the Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car tenth to begin race day at Indianapolis Raceway Park. On Monday morning, DeJoria lined up opposite Matt Hagan, who had selected DeJoria to be his round-one competitor during Sunday’s Pep Boys All-Star Call Out event earlier in the weekend. Hagan defeated DeJoria in the first round of the All-Star event the day before, and she was looking to even the score during Monday’s final elimination rounds, but a red light start cost DeJoria her chances at a second U.S. Nationals Wally trophy.

“Well, I never lost twice in the same race weekend,” said DeJoria, a six-time Funny Car event champ. “First-round loss in the Pep Boys Call Out yesterday, and then a first-round loss to Matt Hagan again today on race day. It’s disappointing, obviously. We have a really good car, and I’ve just gotten out of sync. Red lights have plagued me this year, so I’m going to start working with Frank Hawley, who is going to help me get back on track.

Continue reading →

Indianapolis, IN – DeJoria enters the race weekend ranked seventh in the standings and is within striking distance of No. 6 ranked J.R. Todd. A mere 14 points (less than one round) separates DeJoria from her TGRNA teammate. While she is still angling for the best playoff starting position, DeJoria officially clinched a berth for the 2022 championship chase during the Brainerd event, and will add her name to the Countdown to the Championship board on Monday morning during pre-race ceremonies.

The U.S. Nationals will feature the Pep Boys All-Star Call Out, a specialty shootout race. DeJoria and the Bandero GR Supra Funny Car team solidified their spot during the Topeka event, and will start from the No. 7 seed as they vie for the $80K purse.

“We’re starting the Indy weekend seventh, and we have a really good chance of improving upon our spot in the Countdown. I’m really excited to be a part of the Pep Boys Call Out race. I’ve missed the ones that we used to do back in the day with Traxxas, so thank you to Pep Boys for bringing back a shootout at Indy. They’re offering up a nice purse for the winner, and I know my team has their eyes on the prize. It’s a big score. Indy is a track that has been incredible to me, and we’ve all had good success there – me, Del (Worsham), Nicky (Boninfante), Matt (Bynum), so I’m excited.” explained Alexis.

Continue reading →

BRAINERD, MN – With the NHRA Brainerd Nationals marking the second-to-last event before the Countdown to the Championship standings are set, 2017 Brainerd Funny Car event champ Alexis DeJoria was looking to make a move in the points after steadily occupying the No. 8 position for the last five events.

DeJoria qualified in the top half of the field for Sunday’s elimination show at Brainerd International Raceway and drew Blake Alexander as her first-round competitor. She took the Bandero Premium Tequila GR Supra to the stripe in 3.967 seconds to get the win light over a tire-smoking Alexander, and by earning the round win, DeJoria moved ahead of Cruz Pedregon in the standings up to seventh.

In round two, DeJoria went head-to-head with Matt Hagan, and the two drivers engaged in a nail-biter of a pedalfest to battle for the round win. DeJoria was masterful on the throttle, using her pedaling skills to score the victory and earn a bid to the semifinals. In her fourth semifinal appearance of the season, DeJoria faced reigning world champion, Ron Capps. Eager to advance to her first final of the year, DeJoria was amped up to race Capps but ended up standing on the gas too early and activating the red light.

Continue reading →

Brainerd, MN – With two races remaining before Countdown positions are set, DeJoria is looking to make a move this weekend in Brainerd. She currently sits in eighth and is six points behind the No. 7 ranked driver, and less than two rounds behind J.R. Todd, who occupies the No. 6 position.

Alexis has enjoy great performance in the past at Brainerd.  During the 2014 event, DeJoria became the first Funny Car pilot to clock a sub-four second run on the BIR track (3.998 E.T. during round two of eliminations).

“I’ve been in Brainerd since Tuesday, and got to spend a much needed rest-and-relaxation day with my team out on the lake yesterday. It’s been a grind lately, especially for my guys. We went straight from the Western Swing to Norwalk, got that big Night Under Fire win, and from there, it was off to Topeka and then we were headed north to Minnesota. We all desperately needed a day off yesterday, and now we’re feeling refreshed and recharged and ready for the race weekend.

Continue reading →

TOPEKA, KS – Following her ‘Night Under Fire’ victory in Norwalk, Ohio last weekend, Alexis DeJoria and the DC Motorsports team were looking to capitalize on their momentum and score their first NHRA triumph of the season at the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor in Topeka, Kansas. DeJoria began her weekend at Heartland Motorsports Park by taking the Bandero Premium Tequila on a 3.983-second at 295.66-mph ride on Friday night to earn the No. 7 qualifying position and the advantage of lane choice versus her Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate, J.R. Todd, in the first round of eliminations.

Knowing her opponent is one of the strongest ‘leavers’ in the category, DeJoria was determined to make sure she and her team had every advantage possible, and was aiming for an uber-fast reaction time. Unfortunately, she was a bit too revved up and inadvertently stood on the throttle a tick too early, activating the red light. Shortly after DeJoria and the team returned to the pit following their round-one loss, they were informed that Todd’s run had been disqualified after being evaluated in a post-race tech inspection, and DeJoria’s run had been reinstated. The team quickly regrouped and raced to get their Bandero GR Supra prepared for round two where DeJoria would square off against Funny Car points leader, Robert Hight. Against Hight, DeJoria snagged the slight starting line advantage but her opponent had reclaimed the lead by the time they passed the tree and never trailed for the win, ending the DC Motorsports team’s day after the quarterfinals.

Continue reading →

Topeka, KS – During the ‘off weekend’ between the NHRA Seattle and Topeka events, Alexis DeJoria and the DC Motorsports team traveled to Norwalk, Ohio to compete in the annual Night Under Fire match race where DeJoria defeated John Force to win the event. It was DeJoria’s first Norwalk victory.

“We just came off of a win at the Night Under Fire match race in Norwalk, Ohio, and we’re feeling good. Over these last several weeks, our performance has really turned a corner. Our Toyota GR Supra is running really well, and we’ve found a good clutch setup. I believe Sonoma was our turning point. We made some really good, consistent runs there and then had a strong outing in Seattle, and of course, had success at the Night Under Fire event last weekend.

“The Friday night session at Topeka is typically one which you can expect some record-setting runs, but looking at the forecast, it’s going to be hot, so while we may not see any big numbers, I feel confident knowing Del (Worsham) and Nicky (Boninfante) have a good handle on our hot weather tune-up. This is really a crucial time in our season where we need to focus on the points and making sure we’re doing everything we can to secure a high Countdown spot. These next few races are imperative to performing well and gathering as many points as we can. We’re pushing our Bandero GR Supra really hard right now. We’ve got a great set up, and we’re going to keep chipping away at it.” explained Alexis.

Continue reading →

KENT, WA – Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria returned to Pacific Raceways for the first time since 2017 and enjoyed a strong start to the NHRA Northwest Nationals race weekend. While other teams struggled to adapt to the hot and tricky track conditions on Friday and Saturday, the DC Motorsports team never missed a beat. Right out of the gate, DeJoria impressed. She was the first driver on the Kent, Wash. property to clock a three-second pass when she unleashed with a 3.994 E.T., which held up to be one of only three sub-four-second passes during the weekend’s qualifying rounds.

Starting from the No. 2 seed, DeJoria faced Jim Campbell in the opening round of eliminations on race day where she used her starting line advantage coupled with a 3.964-second pass to take the early lead, and never trailed for the win versus her opponent. In round two, DeJoria lined up opposite Funny Car point leader Robert Hight who made a clean pass for the win while DeJoria’s machine lost traction near the 330-marker. While DeJoria would have preferred a long day of going rounds, she is pleased with the team’s overall performance on the grueling three-race Western Swing.

“Another Western Swing in the books for our DC Motorsports team,” said DeJoria who had found previous success at the Pacific Northwest facility when she raced to the winner’s circle in 2011 while competing in the Top Alcohol Funny Car category. “We gained some good points this weekend, and our car was consistent. We qualified in the top half of the field at all three events and went to the semis last weekend in Sonoma, and to the quarterfinals here in Seattle today. This is the time of the year when you really have to start going rounds. Of course, we would have loved to have walked away with a trophy, but going rounds is key and we want to be as high up in the standings as possible by the time Indy wraps and we’re battling it out in the Countdown.

Continue reading →

Kent, WA – Alexis has not competed at the Seattle event since 2017.  At the end of the 2017 season she opted to take time off from the sport so she could re-center her life.

“It’s been a while since we’ve raced in Seattle, and for me, it’s been an especially long time since I didn’t compete during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. I’ve had success at Pacific Raceways in the past, having won in Top Alcohol Funny Car, and we’ve done alright there in the fuel ranks but haven’t had a win there yet. Our car has been running really well as of late. We had a successful weekend in Sonoma, and we’re looking to build off of what we have right now. We plan to throw down some big numbers on Friday night to put us in a good qualifying spot, and hopefully, get some more round wins on Sunday,” Explained Alexis.

Noteworthy: DeJoria returns to Pacific Raceways this weekend for the first time since 2017

The six-time Funny Car winner previously competed in the Top Alcohol Funny Car category and successfully nabbed a TAFC Wally trophy at the 2011 Seattle event before moving into the professional ranks later that year

Continue reading →