Maynard Family Racing
Ida Zetterstrom Returns for the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals
Madison, IL – The NHRA Midwest Nationals was recently added to Zetterström’s 2025 schedule. She is also expected to compete at the 
upcoming Dallas race with the remainder of her schedule to be announced.
“I’m super stoked to be adding another race to our schedule, especially here in the Countdown. Originally, we were planning on Dallas being our next event, so as of now, this sets us up to run three races to close out the year. I want to make these three races count as much as possible and really enjoy the end of the season and finish it out on a good note. Every time we add an extra race that wasn’t already on the schedule it makes it feel like a great bonus, and it gives us an opportunity to come out there and really swing for the fences and try to make the most out of it. I raced in St. Louis last year and I’m looking forward to being back there. We tested after Indy and we found some good performance, so we’re excited to have the opportunity to be able to show out on the track this weekend,” explained Ida.
2024 NHRA Midwest Nationals Event Recap: Qualified ninth; First round exit (defeated by Steve Torrence in E1)
Last Event (Indianapolis): Qualified 15th; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Jordan Vandergriff in E1; defeated by Tony Stewart in E2)
DeJoria Looking for Consistency at the NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals
Concord, NC – Alexis enters the second of six playoff races ranked ninth in the Funny Car standings. DeJoria brings a history of “four-
across” success to the sport’s first four-wide Countdown race.
She advanced to the final elimination quad earlier this season at the Charlotte four-wide in April of this year. Additionally she powered to a runner-up finish at the 2023 Charlotte four-wide race and advanced to the final elimination quad at the 2022 Las Vegas event and 2021 Charlotte event.
“The pressure is on at each and every Countdown race, especially the earlier ones where it’s still wide open and everyone is maneuvering their spot in the standings, but this weekend’s Charlotte race adds an extra level with it being the first-ever four-wide playoff event,” explained Alexis. “Coming out of Reading, we’re feeling pretty good. We didn’t go as far as we had wanted on Sunday, but we made some good runs, and we were consistent. For me personally, I have a good track record with four-wide events. Continue reading
Alexis DeJoria Advances to Quarterfinals at First Race of NHRA Countdown
READING, PA – NHRA Countdown to the Championship-challenger Alexis DeJoria advanced into the quarterfinals on race day at the NHRA 
Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish. Coming off a strong semifinal finish at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, DeJoria and her first-year JCM Racing Funny Car team continued to impress at the first of six playoff races. While she had hoped for a longer Sunday at Maple Grove Raceway, DeJoria has nothing but confidence as she and the team prepare for the upcoming NHRA Four-Wide Carolina Nationals next weekend.
Aboard the Bandero Café Funny Car, DeJoria opened qualifying with a 4.007 effort on Friday afternoon before powering to a 3.948 E.T. at 329.36 mph in the second round to place her in the provisional No. 10 spot after day one. DeJoria encountered traction issues in the third session, but closed out qualifying with a 3.983-second pass.
Starting from 10th, DeJoria faced No. 7 qualifier Daniel Wilkerson in round one of eliminations. DeJoria moved first and powered to a 3.955 E.T. versus Wilkerson’s 3.953-second effort to score the holeshot win and advance into round two, where she faced Paul Lee. Crew chiefs Mike ‘Zippy’ Neff and Todd Smith tuned the Bandero Café machine to another stout pass of 3.958 seconds, which held up to be the quickest run of the quarterfinals, but this time it was DeJoria’s opponent who came out on top thanks to his quicker reaction time, ending her day sooner than she had hoped. Continue reading
DeJoria Heads to start the Countdown at the NHRA Reading Nationals
Mohnton, PA – The first-year JCM Racing Bandero Café Funny Car team starts the 2025 NHRA Countdown to the Championship from the 
No. 8 position following a strong showing in Indianapolis where DeJoria advanced to her fifth semifinal finish of the year.
DeJoria has eight prior playoff appearances with her best finish coming from the 2021 season where she placed sixth. She will compete in her 250th Funny Car event this weekend.
“We had a strong showing in Indy; the car ran great, we made it to the semifinals, gained some good points, and solidified our spot in the top 10, and for that, I’m very proud. We didn’t just make it into the Countdown based on our participation; we earned our way in based on merit. We’re starting from the No. 8 spot and there’s something to be said for that considering there are 14 Funny Cars competing in this year’s playoffs,” stated Alexis.
“Our Bandero Café team has worked incredibly hard to get where we’re at. We’ve really bonded over these first 14 races and I’m excited to see what the future holds. Heading into these last few months of the season, I have a very positive attitude and a great mental outlook.” Continue reading
Ida Zetterström Battles Tough Draw at NHRA U.S. Nationals
INDIANAPOLIS – Making her second NHRA U.S. Nationals appearance, Swedish speedster-turned-Indianapolis resident Ida Zetterström 
was hoping to add to her round-win total at Indianapolis Raceway Park, her new home track since relocating to the Indianapolis area in early 2024 to drive for the Brownsburg-based JCM Racing team. Unfortunately for Zetterström, a first-round matchup versus the fastest team in the sport proved to be a tough draw for the part-time Top Fuel team, ending their day early on Monday at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
The JCM Racing team struggled throughout the first three qualifying sessions and went into Sunday sitting on the bump spot in 16th and without yet having made a full pass. They pulled through for the final two qualifying rounds, clocking a 3.824 E.T. at 325.30 mph in Q4, and a 3.828 at 320.81 mph in Q5. Their 3.824-second pass was enough to solidify their position in the Indianapolis field and placed Zetterström in the No. 16 spot to start race day.
Zetterström, a multi-time European drag racing champion, faced Brittany Force, a past NHRA champion, in the first round of eliminations on Monday morning. Against Force, Zetterström clocked a 0.060-second reaction time, but started to lose traction while Force ran the fastest pass in NHRA history and low E.T. of the round in the opposite lane to advance. Continue reading
Alexis DeJoria Motivated By Semifinal Finish at Prestigious NHRA U.S. Nationals
INDIANAPOLIS – Building on a solid outing at Brainerd, Alexis DeJoria charged to a semifinal finish at the NHRA U.S. Nationals behind 
the wheel of her Bandero Café Funny Car Monday afternoon at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The 2014 U.S. Nationals winner earned bonus points in qualifying with class-leading performances, qualified No. 4 in a loaded Funny Car field, and turned on win lights on race day at the biggest race of the year. The overall weekend performance sent DeJoria’s confidence soaring as she prepares to represent JCM Racing in the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship.
In the first of five qualifying sessions, DeJoria rocketed to a 3.891-second blast at 329.02 mph to take the provisional No. 3 position on Friday evening. She made the quickest pass of the second session on Saturday, a 3.929 E.T. at 330.88 mph, to earn four bonus points. She hazed the tires in the third session, but ended Saturday still in the No. 3 spot. DeJoria lost traction again in the fourth session before capping off qualifying with a 3.948 E.T. at 329.18 mph, the second-quickest pass of the fifth session, to take another three bonus points.
Racing out of the No. 4 position, DeJoria faced second-generation racer Bobby Bode in the first round of eliminations on Monday morning. Tuned by crew chiefs Mike ‘Zippy’ Neff and Todd Smith, DeJoria charged to a 3.901-second pass at 333.16 mph to get the win over a tire-smoking Bode. In a battle between two of the closest matched cars in qualifying, DeJoria left the line ahead of No. 5 qualifier Matt Hagan and led wire-to-wire with a 3.935 E.T. at 331.85 mph. Making her fifth semifinal appearance of the season, DeJoria lined up against No. 1 qualifier Jack Beckman, and while the Bandero Café Funny Car launched hard, it went into tire smoke around the 330-foot mark. Continue reading
DeJoria Has Won Indy before, Her and the Team are Ready for #2
Indianapolis – Winner of the 60th anniversary 2014 U.S. Nationals, Alexia understands what it takes to take home the Wally. She begins the 
weekend ranked ninth in the Funny Car standings and will look to improve upon or maintain her position at the unique points-and-a-half race, the final event of NHRA’s regular season.
“We ran our best numbers in Brainerd, getting down into the 80s on race day. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to test between last race and now due to being rained out. It seems like all our scheduled test sessions have ended up being canceled for one reason or another lately but even though we haven’t been able to get those extra runs in, what we’ve been doing during the race weekends shows that we’re on the right track, and Brainerd was proof of that.
“We’re starting the weekend in ninth. The points are very tight. Just over 100 points separate the seventh from the No. 12 ranked drivers so there is definitely room to improve our standing, but on the flipside, we definitely don’t want to lose any ground either, so it’s imperative that we start qualifying well right out of the gate and get ourselves positioned to go rounds and make the most of the points-and-a-half scenario on race day. We’ve had four semifinal finishes this year and I believe we’re right there on the cusp. Mike Neff and Todd Smith know how to win, I know how to win; I’ve been in the Indy winner’s circle before and there’d be nothing better than to find our way back there this weekend.” Continue reading
Maynard Family Racing and Ida Zetterström Ready for Indy
Indianapolis – This is year 2 for Zetterström competing at the U.S. Nationals. Her first Big GO was in 2024. Last year’s Indianapolis race was 
Zetterström’s second NHRA event after making her American Top Fuel debut with JCM Racing in Brainerd, Minn. where she advanced to the semifinals
The Indianapolis event is a home race for Zetterström, who relocated to the area from Finland in early 2024 to be near the Brownsburg-based JCM Racing team
“Excited for the biggest race of the year. Last year, it was a big accomplishment for us to qualify in one of the toughest fields ever and then we went on to win first round. We’re hoping to do at least that this year; we need a good bounce back weekend,” explained Ida.
“We’ll have several sponsors in the house, including Leatherwood Distillery and Bourbon City Golf Carts, and that’s always fun. We hope to put on a good show for them. We’re kicking off the festivities with an autograph signing at Cruz Pedregon’s Open House Thursday night, and then ready for a long weekend and some win lights on Monday.” Continue reading
Ida Zetterström Eyes Indy Reset After Early Brainerd Exit
Brainerd, MN – Heading into the weekend of the one-year anniversary of her American Top Fuel debut, multi-time European drag racing 
champion Ida Zetterström was looking to repeat the success of her 2024 Brainerd, Minn. outing, which saw her advance to the semifinals. Unfortunately for Zetterström, the JCM Racing dragster shook the tires early during the first round of eliminations on Sunday at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals while her opponent clocked his best pass of the weekend in the opposite lane to advance, ending her anniversary weekend much earlier than she had hoped.
Zetterström’s outing at Brainerd International Raceway began with a 3.877-second pass to place her third on the timing sheets after the first round of qualifying. She lost traction during Friday’s evening session, but bounced back on Saturday with a 3.829 at 325.40 mph run. A loss of traction followed in Q4, and Zetterström eventually settled into the No. 11 spot on the Brainerd Top Fuel ladder, pitting her against a tough opponent in Billy Torrence during Sunday’s first round of eliminations. Against the elder Torrence, Zetterström’s machine overpowered the track early. Her years of driving experience came into play as she successfully pedaled her red, white, and blue dragster, which sported a throwback livery from her ’24 campaign, but unfortunately for Zetterström, Torrence made a quick and clean pass in the opposite lane. Despite getting her car to quickly hook back up, Zetterström wasn’t able to chase him down as he crossed the finish line beams in 3.706 seconds to her 6.7-second pass. Continue reading
Alexis DeJoria and Bandero Café Funny Car Team Continue to Post Quick and Consistent Numbers in Brainerd
BRAINERD, MN – At the facility where she powered to victory 2017 and became the first drag racer to record the track’s first sub-four-second 
Funny Car pass in 2014, Alexis DeJoria was eager to return to Brainerd International Raceway in hopes of turning on more win lights and breaking through with her first victory of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. She and her Mike Neff-led team were strong throughout qualifying at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals to earn a spot in the top half of the field and carried that momentum into race day, but were outpaced to the finish line in a tight side-by-side race during the opening round of eliminations.
With four semifinal finishes to-date, the first-year JCM Racing Bandero Café Funny Car team appears to be right on the cusp of reaching their first final round together and despite the early exit, continued to show more of that promise this weekend in Brainerd, Minn. While DeJoria’s machine was up in smoke during the first qualifying round, she quickly rebounded with three stout passes in the remaining sessions. In Q2, she clocked a 3.942 E.T. to place sixth on the timing sheet. During Saturday’s first round, she was straight down the groove in 3.913 seconds at 332.51 mph, which held up to be the third-quickest run of the session. Continue reading
