DALLAS – The upcoming Stampede of Speed event, in advance of the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals, October 7-10, at the Texas Motorplex is on pace to be one of the biggest races of recent memory, but for Alexis DeJoria and the Bandero Tequila ROKiT Toyota Camry team it is simply another opportunity to show their capabilities on the biggest stage in drag racing. All season the team has been on the cusp of breaking through but with four races remaining in the 2021 Countdown DeJoria knows getting a win at the track where her career starting in 2011 would hold a special meaning.

“I made my professional debut in Dallas at the Texas Motorplex over ten years ago,” said DeJoria. “We have won a few races since then but this season we want to add to that total. We have been so close I would be lying if I said we all weren’t frustrated, but we have to put that away and just focus on qualifying well and then getting win lights on Sunday.”

The veteran driver built an incredibly competitive and strong team led by crew chiefs Del Worsham and Nicky Bonifante. They consistently qualify in the top half of the field and this year alone have over half a dozen top three qualifiers under their belts. They have also experienced race day success reaching the final round at the Mile-High Nationals as well as five semifinals. They qualified for the Countdown as a Top Ten team and the Fall Nationals could prove to be a pivotal race for their championship aspirations.

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ST. LOUIS – A grueling four race stretch of NHRA national events will come to a close this weekend at the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway outside of St. Louis. Alexis DeJoria and the Bandero Premium Tequila ROKiT Toyota Camry might be one of the few teams that would like to keep the racing streak alive on the heels of their strong performance at the DeWalt NHRA Carolina Nationals last weekend. The five-time national event winner raced to the semifinals and while they did not get the trophy, the improved performance numbers across the board has the entire team ready for the final five races of the NHRA Countdown.

“Luckily, our next race is at St. Louis, we’ve had some good luck there, but we’ve also had some problems,” said DeJoria. “It’s a good track and we’re excited to get back on it. We’re closing the gap and the finals will be here before you know it and, hopefully, we can get a win before the end of the season.”

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CHARLOTTE – Alexis DeJoria and the Bandero Premium Tequila/ROKiT took full advantage of great racing conditions to race to the semifinals at the DeWalt NHRA Carolina Nationals. Through three qualifying sessions on Friday and Saturday that saw the five-time Funny Car winner post consistently quick elapsed times, the team moved into race day as the No. 7 qualifier.

“This weekend really felt like it was our weekend to win,” said DeJoria. “We qualified seventh, which wasn’t the best, but no matter what we’re making good consistent runs in qualifying. We had a good run in the first round against a tough opponent in Blake Alexander. In the second round against Terry Haddock we made a really good run and I had a good light. My reaction times kept getting better each round.”

DeJoria took care of business in the first round with a wire-to-wire win over Blake Alexander. The Bandero Tequila Toyota Camry Funny Car was first off the line and got to the finish line first with a winning 3.913 second pass at 324.98 mph. It was the team’s second quickest run of the weekend but a strong run in the heat of the day.

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CHARLOTTE, NC – Six races remain in the 2021 NHRA Countdown and this weekend’s DeWalt NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway will be nine-time Funny Car finalist Alexis DeJoria’s chance to close the gap on the points leader. The Bandero Premium Tequila ROKiT Toyota Camry Funny Car team closed out the 2020 season on a strong run and recreating that successful run is doable for this experienced team. This season DeJoria’s Funny Car has posted some of the quickest times in qualifying and has raced to the final round at the Mile-High Nationals in Denver as well as five semifinals.

“There is no doubt our Funny Car can run with anyone,” said DeJoria. “This Bandero ROKiT Toyota Camry gives me a lot of confidence when it rolls up to the starting line. We have been talking about it for a couple races, but we just need to make some of our own luck. There are six races left in the playoffs and that is plenty of time to start getting wins and moving up in the points.”

This weekend will be DeJoria’s seventh appearance at the Carolina Nationals. In two of her previous three races at the track located in the heart of NASCAR country she advanced to the semifinals. In 2014 she scored her second career No. 1 qualifier at the Bruton Smith owned racetrack. From 2013-2017 she started as the No. 5 qualifier twice as well as No. 4 and No. 1 qualifier once each.

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READING, PA – The goal for Alexis DeJoria has not changed since she returned to the Camping World Drag Racing Series at the beginning of last season. The veteran driver who has won at every level in drag racing, including five professional Funny Car national events, is chasing her dream of winning the NHRA Funny Car world championship. With the Countdown starting this weekend at Maple Grove Raceway outside of Reading, Pennsylvania, DeJoria and her Bandero Premium Tequila/ ROKiT Toyota Camry Funny Car team have seven races to write their names into the record books.

“Reading is going to be crucial,” said DeJoria. “We definitely need to gain some points there. We’re a very good team. It’s just getting everything aligned at the right time. Now it’s crunch time and everything is coming together.”

DeJoria will start the playoffs as the No. 7 seed and will face a very manageable 70-point deficit behind the No. 1 seed Ron Capps. Since the institution of the Countdown in 2007 drivers have won championships from a wide variety of seeding positions, including Robert Hight moving from the No. 10 seed to the championship in 2009. Additionally, Funny Car championships have been captured from the No. 5 and No. 4 seeds multiple times.

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Today Alexis DeJoria and the Bandero Premium Tequila/ROKiT raced to the semifinals at the biggest race of the season, the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, from the No. 7 qualifier position. After only one qualifying run DeJoria and her Bandero ROKiT Toyota team knew they would have to be at the top of their game and race in completely different conditions to earn another U.S. Nationals title. She previously won the event’s 60th edition in 2014.

“We only got one run in qualifying and ended up seventh with a good pass,” said DeJoria. “Going into race day, it was completely different conditions, but my guys always give me a good Bandero Camry. We had Blake Alexander, who beat us at the last race at Brainerd, so I wanted to redeem myself and luckily, we did. We went out there and got a little out of the groove and pedaled it a little bit and we got the win.”

The first-round match-up with Alexander went DeJoria’s way when she drove around him after he got loose and lost traction. She was able to get her Camry Funny Car out in front and hold on for the win even as she pedaled her car at the top end.

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – In 2014 Alexis DeJoria captured the biggest win of her young career winning the 60th annual U.S. Nationals. This year DeJoria will bring even more experience and another strong team led by crew chief Del Worsham to Indianapolis looking to become a multiple time winner of the biggest race of the season. The Bandero Premium Tequila/ROKiT Toyota Camry Funny Car has been one of the quickest race cars all season and DeJoria knows it is just a matter of time before all the pieces fall into place on race day.

“We have been running really well all season in qualifying and we just need to string together four solid runs on race day,” said DeJoria, a five-time Funny Car national event winner. “Indy is the biggest stage for our sport. There will be a big field of Funny Cars and I am pumped to get to the track and see what this Bandero Tequila/ROKiT Toyota team can do.”

This season DeJoria has qualified in the top three at seven events and she has used that qualifying advantage to race to a final round at the Mile-High Nationals and multiple semifinal finishes, most recently at the Sonoma Nationals. Over the past six races, leading up to the all-important U.S. Nationals and start of the NHRA Countdown, DeJoria has advanced to the quarterfinals five times.

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BRAINERD, MN – Alexis DeJoria will return this weekend to Brainerd International Raceway, the site of her most recent Funny Car victory, a 2017 triumph over veteran driver Tommy Johnson Jr. It was her fifth career Funny Car national event win and she took out four competitors including Tim Wilkerson, Cruz Pedregon, John Force and eventually the No. 5 qualifier Johnson Jr., from the No. 10 qualifying position to take the Wally. This weekend DeJoria will bring her Bandero Premium Tequila/ROKiT Toyota Camry to the NHRA Brainerd Nationals with an eye on making this event a repeat winner for the racer from Austin, Texas.

“That win was a big one for us and we want to add to that total,” said DeJoria. “We have a great race car and we have been close to getting a win this season. We have all the pieces in place and we just need to get everything to come together on race day.”

This season the Bandero Tequila/ROKiT Toyota Camry has been all-conquering in qualifying posting seven top three qualifiers including two No. 2 qualifiers in the 3.89 range during the last three races. In Topeka DeJoria was narrowly edged out of the top spot by Toyota teammate J.R. Todd. Only one other driver has more 3.8 second runs in qualifying and that consistency has been the key to the nine-time career Funny Car finalist’s success.

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TOPEKA, KS – With a quarterfinal finish today at the NHRA Topeka Nationals Alexis DeJoria secured her fourth career playoff start for the 2021 NHRA Countdown to the Championship. Ten Funny Car drivers will be eligible to race for the championship when the points are restructured following the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Labor Day weekend. Once again DeJoria set herself up for race day success qualifying No. 2 with a blistering 3.894 second pass on Friday night in her Bandero Premium Tequila/ROKiT Toyota Camry Funny Car.

“With everything we’ve accomplished so far this year I knew coming into this race we were going to do something and right out of the box we ran a 3.89,” said DeJoria, who has qualified top three or better seven times this season. ”We weren’t expecting it. We thought we were going to run a 3.92. It’s our sixth number two qualifier of the season. I’ll take that.”

On race day DeJoria drew rookie Chris King who was making his second start on the NHRA tour at this event. DeJoria got the jump off the starting line and was pulling away as her race car was dropping cylinders and started moving towards the centerline. King lost traction immediately and DeJoria was able to keep her Toyota Funny Car in her lane for the win.

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TOPEKA, KS – With three races remaining in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series regular season Alexis DeJoria and her ROKiT/Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota Camry Funny Car are riding a wave of momentum after a solid western swing. DeJoria raced to two semifinals and a quarterfinal with a race car that was near the top of the class at every event with low elapsed times and consistent performance. Heading into this weekend’s NHRA Topeka Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park DeJoria and her team are looking to add to their round win totals.

“We have a great race car with this ROKiT/Bandero Tequila Toyota Funny Car,” said DeJoria. “We went a lot of rounds on the western swing and I think we will be able to continue to have success in Topeka this weekend. It will be another hot race and we made some good runs in the heat in Pomona.”

DeJoria is sitting seventh in the Funny Car points but the competition is tight and she is just 66 points out of third place with points and a half available at the U.S. Nationals, Labor Day weekend. The five-time national event winner is hitting tracks where she has had success with wins in Brainerd in 2017 and Indianapolis in 2014. Heartland Motorsports Park has been a challenge in her previous five appearances but the strength of her runs in Pomona on a track that reached temperatures over 140 degrees could assist her this weekend.

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