Maynard Family Racing
ZETTERSTRÖM Driver of the JCM Racing Top Fuel Dragster Heads to Northwest Nationals
Kent, WA – Ida returns to the seat of the JCM Racing Top Fuel dragster for the first time since the Bristol event in early June. This year’s 
event marks the first time Zetterström will compete at Pacific Raceways.
The multi-time European champion is competing on a limited schedule due to insufficient funding and is actively seeking partners for 2025 and beyond.
“Once again, I am super stoked to have added another race to our schedule that we hadn’t originally planned on. That’s what we have been working really hard all year to be able to do. The fact that it’s back-to-back races once again, it makes me extra excited as a driver since I am out of the seat for a big part of the season. Having back-to-back events really allows us the opportunity to gain momentum,” said Zetterström. Continue reading
Alexis DeJoria and Bandero Café Funny Car Team Show Promise at Norwalk Nationals
NORWALK, OH – As the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series hits its midway mark, Funny Car standout Alexis DeJoria continues to 
demonstrate consistency and resilience behind the wheel of her Bandero Café Funny Car. At the NHRA Norwalk Nationals this weekend in Norwalk, Ohio, the JCM Racing driver qualified in the top half of a stacked Funny Car field for the sixth time this season, adding to an already strong campaign that includes three semifinal finishes. While an early exit on race day wasn’t the result the team had hoped for, DeJoria remains focused on growth, confident in the team’s momentum and the direction they’re heading.
DeJoria opened qualifying on Friday with a strong lap of 4.065 seconds at 321.65 mph. That evening, under the lights of Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, DeJoria lit up the sky with brilliant header flames to record a run of 3.960 seconds at 327.11 mph. After a phenomenal Friday qualifying effort, DeJoria ran into tire smoke in both Saturday sessions. Her fast Friday night pass held strong and put her in the No. 6 qualifier position going into eliminations.
DeJoria faced No. 11 qualifier Dave Richards in the first round of competition on Sunday. The duo left the starting line within two-thousandths of each other and DeJoria took over the lead by the time they passed the Christmas Tree. Soon after, however, the Bandero Café Funny Car encountered tire smoke. Richards started dropping cylinders toward the finish line as DeJoria worked to pedal her way back into the lead, but she ran out of track before she could outpace him. Continue reading
DeJoria and Team Head to NHRA Norwalk Nationals Looking for Consistency
Norwalk, OH – Alexos is no stranger to hard work and victory in Norwalk. She won the 2022 Norwalk Night Under Fire annual match race by 
defeating John Force to claim her first victory at the Norwalk, Ohio facility.
“This is the last of four races in five weeks and we’re looking to close out June on a strong note after going out in the first round in Richmond and Bristol. We started the month with a semifinal finish in Epping, and we’d like to go at least that far again this weekend so we can start to chip away at the points deficit before the Countdown fields are set. Indy feels like it’s so far away, but the reality is, including this weekend in Norwalk, there are only four races between now and the U.S. Nationals so we need to make sure we’re making the most of any opportunity to put more points on the board. Plus, we’d love to get back into the Mission Foods Challenge when we get to Seattle,” explained DeJoria
“I’ve always loved racing at Norwalk. The Bader family does a great job in promoting the event and making sure the fans have a great experience. Between the Friday night fireworks, the ice cream, and all the different exhibition classes that run, there’s such a nostalgic air about this event that’s unlike anywhere else we race on tour.” Continue reading
Hot Conditions Challenge the Bandero Café Team on Race Day in Richmond
NORTH DINWIDDIE, VA – JCM Racing Funny Car pilot Alexis DeJoria started race day at the Virginia NHRA Nationals from the top half of 
the field, but a loss of traction during the first round of eliminations ended her day early on Sunday at Virginia Motorsports Park.
Aboard the Bandero Café Funny Car, DeJoria made her best run of the two-day event during Saturday’s second qualifying session where she clocked the third-quickest run of the pack – a 4.050 E.T. at 317.79 mph – to earn a bonus point and move into the No. 7 spot on the timing sheet. The team had an air bottle issue in the first round and was unable to get DeJoria’s car to fire, leaving them with only two qualifying opportunities to prepare for Sunday’s elimination rounds. After their strong Q2 pass, DeJoria and the Mike Neff/Todd Smith-guided team returned to the line for the third and final session, where DeJoria made another good run of 4.068 seconds in the grueling mid-Atlantic heat, which saw temperatures soar into the 90s all weekend long. With qualifying wrapped up on Saturday, DeJoria settled into the No. 8 spot on the ladder and with lane choice over No. 9 qualifier Paul Lee. During her first-round match, DeJoria’s machine started to lose traction early and made a move toward the centerline before she clicked it off while her opponent made his quickest run of the weekend to advance. Continue reading
DeJoria and Maynard Family Racing Head to the American Rebel Light Beer Virginia NHRA Nationals
North Dinwiddie, VA – DeJoria secured her best starting position (2nd) since joining JCM Racing during the Thunder Valley Nationals, the 
most recent event on tour. This has invigorated the team to work even harder on their next race in Virginia.
The newly assembled Top 10-ranked team also has three semifinal finishes to date.
“This Bandero Café team continues to make strides, and earning that No. 2 qualifying position in Bristol is just another example of how the changes and work we’re doing behind-the-scenes is starting to pay off on the race track. Our goal is always to qualify well and place ourselves in the top half of the field; ideally in the top five. Unfortunately, we went out first round on Sunday but that is not an indication of what we’re capable of. I think, like so many others in Bristol, we were victims of a very tricky track. Sometimes you’re on the good side and sometimes you’re on the losing side, but we look forward to redeeming ourselves this weekend in Richmond,” explained Alexis. Continue reading
Ida Zetterström Battles Weather, Track Conditions in First Bristol Appearance
Bristol, TN – Coming off a major first-round win at the NHRA New England Nationals, Ida Zetterström went into the Super Grip NHRA 
Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway looking to continue building momentum in her JCM Racing Top Fuel dragster. In her Bristol Dragway debut, the 2023 FIA European Top Fuel champion qualified No. 8 before falling to two-time world champion Brittany Force in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday.
Inclement weather made track conditions tricky to navigate and the Top Fuel category only got one qualifying session in the books on Friday. Returning to qualifying action on Saturday, Zetterström made a strong statement when she clocked a sharp run of 3.904 seconds at 322.88 mph to put her in the No. 8 spot on the final qualifying order. That netted Zetterström a first-round match against Force in an international battle between women who’ve won Top Fuel titles on two different continents.
Zetterström and Force rolled under the iconic Bristol Dragway tower as the first pair of Top Fuel dragsters on Sunday race day. They were the two most evenly matched drivers based on qualifying, and NHRA deemed it the Marquee Matchup for Top Fuel. Zetterström left the starting line just a tick behind Force, and while she attempted to pedal the car when it went into early tire smoke, she backed off when she saw Force power past her for the win.
“It’s been a tricky weekend,” Zetterstrom said. “Big change from what we had in Epping – the track conditions were completely different. We went into Sunday No. 8, which should be lane choice since we’re top half of the field, but it was only 14 cars here, which means that it’s not. We had to race No. 7 and we were on the losing end of that. We were the first pair out and we did not get lane choice, which proved to be crucial in the first round of eliminations here. Obviously it’s anybody’s game, but nobody really made it down in the right lane and we struggled with the same thing as most of the others.”
Bristol was the second consecutive race for Zetterström, who added the recent NHRA New England Nationals to her limited schedule at the last minute and capitalized on the opportunity with a first-round win. Now, she’ll wait until late July to race again as she continues to find the funding to run more races with JCM Racing.
“I feel like we have built up great momentum,” Zetterström said. “It’s really sad because Bristol is a home race for our team with JCM being based in Tennessee, so we really wanted to do well for all the JCM employees in the house and all the families here. It’s just one of those weekends where it doesn’t feel great. I wish we would’ve had a better performance. The tough part is we won’t be out again until Sonoma, so we have about two months off, which is a long time out of the seat.”
The next planned race for Zetterstrom and the JCM Racing Top Fuel team is the NHRA Sonoma Nationals, July 25-27, at Sonoma Raceway in the heart of California wine country.
Qualified: No. 8 (3.904 E.T. at 322.88 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 6.840 E.T. at 88.90 MPH defeated by Brittany Force 3.811 E.T. at 330.39 MPH
Alexis DeJoria Continues Gaining Momentum with JCM Racing
BRISTOL, TN – Bristol Dragway has always held a special significance for Alexis DeJoria, who has earned more round wins at the iconic track 
than at any other venue on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour. At this year’s Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, the Bandero Café Funny Car driver continued her strong connection to the Tennessee facility by qualifying No. 2—her best starting position since joining JCM Racing.
With new asphalt on the surface of the track at Bristol Dragway, DeJoria’s tires spun on her initial qualifying effort on Friday. In the second hit of the day, she powered her Mike ‘Zippy’ Neff and Todd Smith-tuned Bandero Café Charger to the fastest pass of the session with a 3.948-second run at 328.14 mph, earning the provisional pole and three valuable bonus points. The weather continued causing delays and touchy track conditions throughout the weekend, but DeJoria’s powerful Friday evening run held strong to keep her in the No. 2 spot on the ladder for eliminations, her best qualifying position of the season thus far.
On race day, DeJoria began eliminations facing No. 15 qualifier Dave Richards. While her impressive qualifying position gave her lane choice, the talented Funny Car driver knew from experience that both lanes could be challenging. Continue reading
Alexis DeJoria Lands Provisional Pole at NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals
BRISTOL, TN – Alexis DeJoria, the driver of the Bandero Café Funny Car, powered her way to the provisional No. 1 qualifier spot today at the 
Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. The JCM Racing team snagged the highly coveted position in the second NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying session of the day, just moments before rain brought racing action to a close at Bristol Dragway.
With rain and humidity complicating track conditions throughout the day, DeJoria’s first pass put her in the 10th spot on the qualifying sheet. In the second session, her Bandero Café Funny Car team, led by Mike Neff and Todd Smith, expertly tuned the 12,000-horsepower hot rod, and DeJoria roared down the track to record a run of 3.948 seconds at 328.14 mph, earning three valuable bonus points with the fastest pass of the session.
“Making the fastest pass of the day; it really raises the bar and the momentum for our team,” said DeJoria. “The team spirit is great. Everybody is happy and smiling. It just feels good. Who knows if it’s going to hold? If it does, great. If it doesn’t, who cares? Today we have the No. 1 and that’s important. It says a lot about our new team. This track has always been good to me, and this is JCM Racing’s home event, so that makes it really special for our team owner, Joe (Maynard), as well.” Continue reading
Alexis DeJoria and the Bandero Café Funny Car Ready to Thunder in the Valley!
Bristol, TN – Alexis DeJoria enters the Bristol race after advancing to the semifinals for the third time in the first seven events. Her strong Epping, 
N.H. outing helped propel her from outside the Funny Car top 10 to No. 8 in the point standings.
By advancing into the semifinals, DeJoria earned a chance to compete in the Bristol running of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Funny Car Challenge. DeJoria’s career-first final round occurred during the 2012 Bristol event.
“We are pumped for Thunder Valley,” exclaimed Alexis. “Morale is high and everyone is looking forward to getting right back at it after our outing in Epping. These back-to-back races are really helpful for teams when it comes to getting into a rhythm, and even more so for us being such a new team. We’ve really jelled in such a short period of time, and everyone is working well together. Having the opportunity to get back on track just a few days later will only continue to build on that. Not to mention, we’re all going into this race on such a high note after reaching our third semifinal last weekend. We get another shot at the Mission Foods Challenge on Saturday, which is always great to be able to switch gears and get into race mode a day early. Continue reading
Ida Zetterstrom Ready for Bristol
Bristol, TN – Ida is making her Bristol Dragway debut in 2025. Zetterström recently attended the NASCAR Bristol event where she served as 
an NHRA ambassador, including appearing on the Bristol FOX broadcast.
A last-minute schedule add led to Zetterström and the JCM Racing Top Fuel team competing in Epping, N.H. last weekend where they scored their first round win of the season and reset their career-best E.T. (3.720 seconds).
Ida talks about Bristol, “I’m very excited to get to Bristol. It’s probably the track I’ve been looking forward to trying out the most. It’s such a scenic track and I love the vibe. I was there last year with my team where they had great success. Coming back this year, I’ve already been there once with the NASCAR event and actually got to go to the dragstrip and see the new things they have been working on. So, I’m super excited to see how the track is going to feel this weekend. It’ll be very cool to run there for the first time. Continue reading
