Alexis Dejoria to make history with 100th career NHRA start

Season kickoff at Pomona will be big for Kalitta Motorsports star

Alexis DeJoria is poised to make history this weekend at the 56th annual Circle K NHRA WinterNationals in Pomona, California, where she will become the first female to enter 100 Funny Car events.

 

With 99 professional events under her belt, DeJoria is a proven force on the track. Along the road to 100, DeJoria has picked up three national event wins, including the prestigious 60th annual U.S. National in Indianapolis, became the first female to break the three-second Funny Car barrier, and earned three No. 1 qualifiers. Over the past two years DeJoria has finished in the top ten in the Funny Car points standings.

 

DeJoria enters her fifth season at the controls of the Tequila Patrón Toyota Camry Funny Car this weekend.

 

She began her NHRA career in 2005, competing first in the Super Gas category before transitioning to a rear-engine Super Comp dragster. Within eight months of her NHRA entrance, DeJoria had advanced to two final-rounds and went on to win the Sportsman Nationals in Fontana, California. From there DeJoria spent nearly six years behind the wheel of a Top Alcohol Funny Car (TAFC), even owning her own team at one point.

 

In 2011, she continued to compete in the TAFC class while spending her off-weekends making test passes in her future Kalitta Motorsports teammate’s Funny Car. She went on to win the 2011 NHRA Northwest Nationals in the TAFC category before joining Kalitta Motorsports and making her highly anticipated Funny Car debut at the 2011 Texas NHRA FallNationals. DeJoria went on to compete in the final three Funny Car races of the 2011 calendar before embarking on her official rookie season in 2012.

 

As she gears up for this weekend’s 2016 NHRA season-opener, DeJoria reflects on her journey to this milestone.

 

“When I found out that Pomona would be my 100th race, it kind of took me back. I just can’t believe I’ve already competed 99 times in a Funny Car. It went by pretty fast,” said DeJoria, who joins Shirley Muldowney, Erica Enders and Angelle Sampey, among other female NHRA drivers in the ‘100 club.’  

 

“I’ve learned so much over these first 99 races and I think it really does take about 100 races before you feel settled in that race car. When there are things that come up -- and there always will be -- I feel much more acclimated to my race car, to my team, and to my series. It’s been a short but long journey, and I’m really proud to be in this position and say that after this weekend, I’ve been able to compete in 100 NHRA Funny Car events.”

 

Alexis DeJoria’s history making weekend kicks off on Feb. 12 as she and the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrón Toyota Camry Funny Car team begin qualifying for the 56th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California.

2016 NHRA: Three-Time Funny Car Winner Alexis Dejoria Looking To Add Another Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals Victory

The 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season opener at Pomona marked the 100th career Funny Car race for Alexis DeJoria, and as she heads into her fifth full season, the three-time winner feels more comfortable than ever behind the wheel of her 10,000-horsepower Tequila Patrόn Toyota Camry. The improvements have been noticeable throughout her career, but DeJoria appears poised for her best Funny Car finish yet heading into this weekend’s CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park.

DeJoria, who finished a career-best seventh in 2014 and won the event that same season, had a strong pre-season testing session at the facility this year - something she feels has already benefited her Kalitta Motorsports team. 

"Off-season testing is very important," said DeJoria, who went winless in 2015. "We will never skip another winter test session again. We didn’t test prior to the season in 2015 and I honestly feel like last year, I was trying to play catch up to all the changes that were made on the car that made it react differently. That’s not the case this year. We came out very strong. Our Patrón Toyota Camry is set up very well and it’s getting down the track consistently." 

Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car) and Rodger Brogdon (Pro Stock) were last year’s winners of the race. For fans watching at home, the race will be televised nationally on Fox Sports 1 (FS1), including Saturday qualifying coverage as well as live coverage of Sunday’s finals at 5 p.m. (ET). The race is the second of 24 during the 2016 season and not having to play catch up already has DeJoria thinking big. 

She qualified fourth in Pomona with an impressive 3.942-second sprint at 324.59 mph, picking up a round win in the process, and she continues to grow more comfortable at each event, even as adjustments are made to her Camry. 

"I’ve acclimated to the changes that were made at the end of last season," DeJoria said. "The way we have our Patrón Toyota Camry set up now, it wants to take you out of the groove more so than it ever did. The thrust is a lot heavier with the new headers and various other changes. Now with 100 professional Funny Car races under my belt, I feel more solid and more comfortable in my Tequila Patrón Toyota Camry." 

DeJoria is also motivated after watching Kalitta Motorsports teammate Del Worsham’s championship run in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship a year ago. Already a close-knit group, DeJoria, who has continually praised the camaraderie and unity of the two Top Fuel and two Funny Car teams, learned a number of valuable lessons as Worsham clinched his first Funny Car world championship. 

It’s pushed her and the team, led by crew chief Tommy DeLago, to constantly improve and strive to do better. It’s also given DeJoria, who advanced to the Countdown for a second straight year and finished eighth in 2015, a new list of goals to shoot for during the 2016 campaign. 

"It’s incredibly motivating for not only myself, but for the entire team," DeJoria said. "It gives us a new outlook on the possibilities. We know we have the goods to win races. We have a great team. It’s just a matter of building on the consistency that we’ve started the season with. Towards the end of the year, that’s when it all truly counts and that’s what the DHL team did. They built on the consistency that they had at the beginning of the season and charged hard to the very end. That’s definitely something we can learn from. 

"Also, having that communication between our two Funny Car teams and with Del as a driver is helpful. Del had all the new changes implemented on his Camry before I did. He experienced those changes and shared that information with me so I knew what to expect. Obviously you don’t know exactly what to expect until you experience it yourself, but it’s nice to have someone let you know what to look out for. Del has always been very generous with sharing information. He’s my mentor and has always been very helpful. I really appreciate that and I think it’ll help me perform better this year." 

While DeJoria already feels ahead of the game as compared to 2015, she’ll have to deal with a star-studded Funny Car field in Phoenix as she goes after a second win at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. 

Along with Worsham, DeJoria will face a strong lineup of challengers, including national record holder and seven-time 2015 winner Jack Beckman, 16-time world champ and eight-time Phoenix winner John Force, Tommy Johnson Jr., Ron Capps, who won the opener in Pomona, defending event winner Hagan, Courtney Force, Cruz Pedregon and Robert Hight. 

"Returning to a track where we’ve been successful absolutely lifts our spirits," DeJoria said. "Do I think because we’ve won in Phoenix before that it will make it easier for us to win again? No, not necessarily, but our spirits are definitely higher going back to a track where we have had success in the past." 

In Top Fuel, defending world champ and three-time Phoenix winner Antron Brown will battle against a tough field of contenders including U.S. Army dragster pilot Schumacher, the defending and five-time CARQUEST Nationals winner. Other challengers include talented Aussie Richie Crampton, Brittany Force, Doug Kalitta, Shawn Langdon, Steve Torrence, who won the season-opening race in Pomona, J.R. Todd and Quaker State dragster driver Leah Pritchett. 

Competition is expected to be fierce in the new-look NHRA Pro Stock category and two-time defending world champ Erica Enders and her new Dodge Dart teammate, five-time world champ Jeg Coughlin, are both past winners at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. Others expected to challenge for the victory in the 200-mph factory hot rod class include last year's top rookie, Drew Skillman, tough Texan Chris McGaha, Shane Gray, Vincent Nobile, Bo Butner and veteran racers Allen Johnson, Greg Anderson, who won in Pomona, Jason Line, Larry Morgan and V. Gaines. The sleek new Pro Stock cars will feature fuel-injected engines, shorter wheelie bars, flat hoods and a 10,500 RPM rev-limiter. 

As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers. 

The event also will feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 1:30 and 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 26 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Feb. 27, also at 1:30 and 4 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 28. To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call (800) 884-NHRA (6472) or visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. Kids 12 and under are free in general admission areas with a paid adult.