NHRA NEWS: Early Day in Pomona for Team Patrόn

After qualifying in the No. 10 spot on the competitive Funny Car ladder, Alexis DeJoria and the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrόn Toyota Camry Funny Car team was positioned to square off against Johnny Gray in round one of eliminations today at the 53^rd Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries in Pomona, Calif.

Team Patrόn was feeling good going into their first matchup of the season this morning, but unfortunately the black and green machine smoked the tires at half-track, allowing Gray to capture the round win.

“A lot of guys were struggling out there today, but we just didn’t do a good enough job,” said crew chief Tommy DeLago. According to the veteran tuner, “We’re still learning the combination that we have, and making some tweaks here and there, but overall, it was good to get in the show at this first event. It was a tough weekend with one of our crew guys having to go to the hospital for a health scare, but it’s just stuff we have to get through. Now it’s on to the next race, and we have a good plan in place to make sure we don’t repeat today’s mistake.”

Says DeJoria, a Los Angeles native, “That run shook pretty hard- I gave it a good pedal job, but he [Gray] was way ahead, so it was pointless. Going into Phoenix, we have nothing to be ashamed about. We had some issues this weekend, but we figured out what they were and we’re moving forward and progressing as a team.”

Alexis DeJoria and the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrόn Toyota Camry Funny Car team compete next at the 29^th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals in Phoenix, Arizona. Prior to the weekend, DeJoria will be making an appearance at Loco Patrόn Mexican Grill in Tempe, Arizona on Thursday, February 21^st, 5PM-6:30PM. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, please visit www.alexisdejoriaracing.com

NHRA NEWS: Alexis DeJoria Racing Looking Forward to a Stellar Sophomore Season

For NHRA Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria, February 14^th can’t come soon enough. DeJoria, a Southern California native, will return to the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the legendary track where she first fell in love with the sport of drag racing. Under the direction of crew chief Tommy DeLago and co-crew chief Glen Huszar, DeJoria and the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrόn Toyota Camry Funny Car team feel optimistic going into the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and are looking to the 53^rd Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries, the 24-race series opener, to set the tone for what is sure to be a successful second season. 

Shortly after the 2012 NHRA season came to a close, it was announced that DeLago and Huszar would take over the Patrόn Funny Car team as crew chief and co-crew chief. The newly implemented duo wasted no time getting to work on a winning strategy with Team Patrόn working around the clock until Winter Warmup, the unofficial week-long test session in West Palm Beach, Fla. in mid-January. Despite the fact that it was the first time ever sending their 10,000 horsepower 2013 Toyota Camry down the track with DeLago and Huszar calling the shots, the test session was a success. According to DeLago, a world-class champion tuner who brings nearly 20 years’ experience working on an NHRA team to the Patrόn pit, “I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves and try and guess how we’ll perform in Pomona, but overall testing was a success and we accomplished what we set out to do. Everything was consistent, which says a lot about this crew. I don’t necessarily have the performance I want at this point, but I know over the course of the season, we’ll be able to improve upon that. Right now, the most important thing is making sure the car is consistent and we’re doing that, so I think we’re on the right path.”

Early in the 2012 season, the strategy was to have the two Kalitta Motorsports Funny Cars set up mechanically almost identically to one another, and 2013 will be no different. “The cars are fairly close to each other,” says DeLago. “That takes a lot of work and communication throughout the year. Each one of us has to try different things to progress- to go quicker and faster. So far, working with Del [Worsham, driver of the Kalitta Motorsports DHL Funny Car], Nicky and Jon O [Boninfante and Oberhofer, DHL co-crew chiefs] the communication level has been very strong. As we went along in testing, the two cars kept getting closer and closer and closer to running like each other, so I think that shows pretty good promise of how good our communication level is thus far.”

Funny Car pilot DeJoria, now in her sophomore season, also feels confident going into this week’s kickoff event after testing showed so much promise. “I feel good about where we’re at right now- Tommy and Glen are trying to establish the right baseline and then from there, focusing on making the car faster. We have a ton of brain power in our camp, and this is going to be a really great year for Team Patrόn. I’m not a rookie anymore; I’m taking everything I learned from my first professional season and look forward to applying it to this year. We’re ready for 2013 and ready to be a strong contender in this ultra-competitive class.” 

Alexis DeJoria and the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrόn Toyota Camry Funny Car team will compete this weekend, February 14^th-17^th, 2012, at the 53^rd Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona, Calif. Funny Car qualifying begins at 2:30 PM PST on Thursday. Immediately following the conclusion of Funny Car/Top Fuel qualifying on Thursday, DeJoria will join her Kalitta Motorsports teammates for a Tequila Patrón autograph session at the Finish Line Sports Grill, located on the Auto Club Raceway premises at Gate 12.

NHRA Driver Alexis DeJoria Hoping History will Repeat Itself in Seattle

NHRA superstar Alexis “La Patrόna” DeJoria, driver of the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrόn Toyota Camry Funny Car, is looking forward to returning to Pacific Raceways this weekend, the very spot where she had her first ever National event win in the Top Alcohol Funny Car class one year prior. As she comes off of one of her best qualifying weekends of her rookie career, DeJoria is hoping history will repeat itself as she prepares to make her Seattle Nitro Funny Car debut at the 25^th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Northwest Nationals, the final stop of the infamous Western Swing.

“All the stars are aligned for it to be a successful weekend for Team Patrόn,” said Jim Oberhofer, VP of Kalitta Motorsports. “The Patrόn Toyota Camry has been very consistent and we ran some great numbers in Sonoma. Both of our Funny Cars have been working well off of each other and Alexis has been doing a great job with her reaction times.”

The black-and-green team, led by crew chief Del Worsham, who also won at this event last year in the Top Fuel class, is continuing on with their proven strategy of working together with the DHL Funny Car team, which has also seen success this season.

“I’m feeling really good about this weekend,” said the Rookie of the Year candidate, who’s already been to a final and semifinal round this year and has held her own in several instances, taking out seasoned veterans such as John Force, Ron Capps, and Jack Beckman. “Winning here last year was so awesome and such an incredible experience. Obviously, this is one of my favorite tracks for that very reason, so I’ve been looking forward to coming back here for the first time in my Nitro Funny Car all season long.”

“We’re coming off of a good outing in Sonoma, and I’m happy to be going back to another familiar track where I’ve had great success. I’m headed into town early to do an NHRA press conference and a Tequila Patrόn Bottle Signing at the BevMo in Tacoma. My daughter is joining me on this trip and we’re both looking forward to seeing the sites in downtown Seattle, including the famous Pikes Place fish market. This should be a great weekend and I’m really looking forward to racing again back in Seattle.”

Alexis DeJoria and the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrόn Toyota Camry Funny Car team compete this weekend August 3^rd-5^th at the 25^thAnnual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Northwest Nationals. Qualifying begins at 2:30PM on Friday.

HIGH-PROFILE FUNNY CAR ROOKIES ALEXIS DEJORIA AND COURTNEY FORCE EXCITED TO RETURN TO PACIFIC RACEWAYS

The battle between rookie Funny Car drivers Alexis DeJoria and Courtney Force is heating up as the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads to the Northwest for the 25th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries at Pacific Raceways near Seattle, the third and final stop of the grueling Western Swing.

In addition to bragging rights in the pits, both are leading candidates for the prestigious Auto Club Road to the Future Award, presented each season to the top rookie driver at the season-ending awards ceremony.

Both drivers have experienced some growing pains throughout their rookie campaign, however each have had plenty of moments to shine as well.

Force has reached two final rounds behind the wheel of her Traxxas Ford Mustang this season, but has also learned how difficult the 7,000-horspeower nitro-burning machines can be to drive when she brushed the wall at high-speed early in the season.

DeJoria has also reached a final round, in Bristol, Tenn., but the Tequila Patron Toyota Camry team has learned what it’s like to be on the sidelines Sunday morning after posting DNQs at races in Denver and Norwalk, Ohio.

Following Sonoma, Force is seventh in the points standings and has qualified for each of the 14 races.

“There have definitely been some ups and downs during my rookie season in Funny Car,” Force said. “I have learned a lot so far this season, and will continue learning each time I'm in the seat and every pass down the racetrack I am learning something new. Overall, I'm very excited with how this season is going.”

DeJoria is 13th overall in the series standings and will need to make a move at the next three events if she is going to join Force in the top 10 and qualify for the Countdown to the Championship. However, no matter the outcome, she’s pleased with how her team, which is led by former driver Del Worsham, has performed this season.

“If I had to grade my personal performance, I’d give myself a seven out of 10,” DeJoria said. “I think I’ve overcome a lot and I’ve done pretty well this season. I always strive to do better and am constantly pushing myself to do better.”

As the tour heads to Seattle, both drivers are looking forward to returning to the track where they each earned their first Wally trophies in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. DeJoria won in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the event last season and Force claimed a Top Alcohol Dragster victory at the scenic facility in 2009.

“I'm so excited to be back in Seattle being that I earned my first ever national event Wally at this race track when I was competing in Top Alcohol Dragster,” Force said. “I'm really hoping this is my lucky track and I'll be able to do just as well in the Funny Car class this weekend.”

Said DeJoria: “It’s very exciting to go back to the place where I won last season in Top Alcohol Funny Car. You can’t help but feel confident going back to a place where you’ve had such great success.”

They are two of the most high-profile rookies to enter NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series competition in many seasons, so ultimately there is quite a bit of pressure for both drivers to not only perform on the track, but also off the track as ambassadors for the sport of NHRA Drag Racing and their respective sponsors.

“Taking on the role of an ambassador and role model is something that I value very much,” said DeJoria, daughter of famed entrepreneur John Paul DeJoria. “I’m very passionate about what I do, which makes it very easy for me to talk so openly about it. I have a daughter myself so it’s important for me and if I can be a positive role model to not only my daughter, but any other young girl seeking someone to look up to, I feel as if I’ve done my job.”

The 24-year-old Force is the daughter of 15-time NHRA Funny Car world champ John Force. Racing has been a part of her life for as long as she can remember.

“I love what I do for a living,” Force said. “It has always been a dream of mine to race professionally in the NHRA so it is an amazing feeling to also have the opportunity to fulfill the duty of representing my favorite sport, the NHRA. As far as being a role model, I just hope I can be represented as a symbol of what young girls are capable of doing when they grow up, and that if they stick to their dream, they can make it happen with enough motivation, drive, and a positive attitude.”

As much as DeJoria and Force hope to earn their first career Funny Car victories at Pacific Raceways, there are many other drivers in the category who will be battling them for the title. That includes three-time defending event Funny Car winner Tim Wilkerson, who is fighting for a spot in the top 10.

Reigning Funny Car world champ Matt Hagan is coming off his first final round of the season and hoping to build upon that success in Seattle with hopes of passing Wilkerson in 11th and John Force in 10th, so he can earn a playoff berth.

In Top Fuel, Don Schumacher Racing has dominated all season long with Antron Brown and Spencer Massey tied atop to the point standings and Tony Schumacher is in third right behind his teammates. The battle is brewing between Clay Millican and Bob Vandergriff  for the 10th and final spot in the Countdown. Millican is four points out of 10th with just three races left until the Countdown begins.

Allen Johnson and his Mopar Dodge Avenger took over the points lead in Denver and extended it with a win over Greg Anderson at the most recent NHRA event in Sonoma, Calif. The battle at the top is tight, but so is the battle for the 9th and 10th spots, between Ron Krisher, Jeg Coughlin, V. Gaines and Larry Morgan. With only three races left before the Countdown to the Championship, the battle for the final top 10 spots in all of the classes kicks into high gear starting at Seattle.

Team Patrόn Counts First Round Loss as Positive Learning Experience

Although the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrόn Toyota Camry Funny Car team lost in the first round of eliminations to Ron Capps today, they’re chalking up their inaugural Denver appearance as a learning experience.

Alexis DeJoria, driver of the Tequila Patrόn-sponsored Toyota Camry, and Capps have squared off twice before, with the Rookie of the Year candidate taking out the veteran driver early on in Chicago’s eliminations after he beat her in the final round at Bristol, Tenn. the race prior.

While the black-and-green Toyota Camry was off to a good start early on during round one of eliminations, the rookie driver got out of the groove at about 100-ft and lost traction, ending their day.

Said DeJoria, “It was disappointing that we were out after the first round, but at the end of the day, I’m just happy that we qualified at this race considering that we struggled to make it down the track in tough conditions all weekend long. This race is so different from any other that we’ve been to thus far and any other we will visit this season. Competing in this high altitude at these extreme temperatures was a learning experience for the whole team. As a new team, it’s important to gain as much information as you can at every stop on the tour, and I think we accomplished that this weekend.” 

“All in all, I’ve enjoyed my time out in Colorado. We had a chance to see some great areas up here. I’ve never really hung out in the Denver area before. I’ve come out to Colorado plenty of times to snowboard, but never had a chance to really explore this area and all of its cool places. Even though we were out early today, I’m just happy that we qualified, and of course now I’m really looking forward to going to Sonoma where we can tune this puppy back up again and run fast numbers at sea level.”

Alexis DeJoria and the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrόn Toyota Camry Funny Car team will compete next at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals in Sonoma, California, July 27^th-29^th.

Team Patrόn Has their Sights Set on Going Rounds in Norwalk on this Holiday Weekend

The Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrόn Toyota Camry Funny Car team has been riding a wave of success and heads into Norwalk, OH with a great feeling of accomplishment and looking to keep the momentum going this weekend at the 6^th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. In the past three races, Team Patrόn, led by ESPY nominated crew chief Del Worsham, has set a 2012 Rookie record, made final and semi-final round appearances, and beat 15-time NHRA Funny Car champion, John Force.

The team’s driver, Alexis “La Patrόna” DeJoria visited neighboring Cleveland, Ohio last month for a media tour and has been looking forward to coming back to compete in the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals ever since. “I’ve been here several times in my Alcohol [Funny] car, but never in my Nitro car. Bill Bader and his family operate a great facility and I can’t wait to hit the track for the first time in my Patrόn Toyota Camry,” she said, speaking of the Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.

“We’ve done so well lately. Our team has come so far in such a short period of time,” said the Rookie of the Year candidate who visits Ohio with her family as they extend their ‘4^th of July’ celebration, taking advantage of the nearby amusement parks. “I made a couple of mistakes this past weekend, but we still managed to get to the semis. Our car is running really good and my teammate [Jeff Arend] won the race, which is awesome, so all is well for Team Kalitta!” she said, referring to last week’s NHRA Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, Illinois.

Norwalk is a big race for Kalitta Motorsports, as it is the team’s ‘home track’ so friends and family will be out at the Ohio drag strip in full effect this weekend. Team Patrόn hopes to put on an exciting show for all their fans and drag racing first-timers making the trip over to Norwalk.

The 8,000 horsepower black-and-green stunner has been running excellent lately, but with another hot weekend coming up, Team Patrόn will have to overcome the challenge of what could be tricky track conditions. “Racing is always a little complicated there because it’s the middle of the summer, and the temperatures are supposed to be in the nineties [degrees] this weekend, which will make for a really tricky race track. Just like last weekend, our main focus going into the race is to really put it all out there during that Friday night qualifying session. If you don’t run well in that session, you’ll be in trouble the rest of the weekend as far as how you’re positioned,” said VP of Kalitta Motorsports’ Jim Oberhofer, referring to how the teams are paired up in Sunday’s eliminations.

“Looking at Chicago, the team deal is really starting to payoff. The two Toyota Camry Funny Cars [the Patrόn and DHL cars] were doing the exact same thing on every run, and with Jeff’s win and Alexis making it to the semis, it just shows how much stronger the team is getting,” he explained of the Kalitta Motorsports Funny Car strategy of having both cars tuned exactly the same. “Hopefully this week, we’ll keep going down the track, go rounds and make another final round appearance.”

The Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrόn Toyota Camry Funny Car team currently sits in eleventh place on the points ladder, just 83 points away from the ‘Top Ten.’ They hope to continue to climb the rankings this weekend, July 6^th-8^th, at the 6th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio. Funny Car qualifying begins at 4PM on Friday afternoon.

As Temperatures Creep Towards the Nineties,’ Team Patrόn Looks to Continue their ‘Hot Streak’ in Chicago

With temperatures threatening to break into the nineties,’ it’s looking like a hot weekend at the 15th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, IL for the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrόn Toyota Camry Funny Car team.

Coming off of their two best race weekends to date, Team Patrόn travels to Chicago feeling confident and looking to keep the momentum going strong. Prior to this weekend’s race, the black-and-green team made their first-ever Final round appearance at the Thunder Valley Nationals, a huge accomplishment for the young team. At the May Toyota Supernationals in Englishtown, Team Patrόn broke into the 4.0-seconds elapsed time bracket for the first time. Their 4.040-second pass during Friday night’s qualifying session landed team driver Alexis “La Patrόna” DeJoria the right to claim the title of the second quickest rookie ever in the Nitro Funny Car class.

“Our car is running well and it’s consistent. We’re moving in the right direction. I’m really proud of how well our team has performed these past few weeks,” said DeJoria, a top Rookie of the Year contender. “Del [Worsham, the team’s crew chief] has done really well in Chicago in the past- he knows how to win,” she said, speaking of Worsham’s 2011 Route 66 Nationals Top Fuel win- one of four victories at that track for her award-winning crew chief during his successful Top Fuel career.

“I’ve raced in Chicago in the past with my Alcohol [Funny] car. It’s a great facility, and it’ll be nice to go back to a familiar race track in my Nitro car. Before we head out there, I’m going to spend some time in the city with my family seeing the sites and doing some press. Chicago is an awesome town and I’m looking forward to sharing it with my daughter.”

Jim Oberhofer, Vice President of Kalitta Motorsports, shares DeJoria’s view of the Midwestern tour stop. “Chicago is a nice track and the fans are always great. Historically, we [Kalitta Motorsports] have had a lot of success there. Of course, things are a little trickier these days now that this race falls during the summer, and both Friday and Saturday are evening qualifying sessions, but we know our car is good,” Oberhofer added, “With all four qualifying runs taking place at night, we’re not going to have much information for race day, but our strategy going into this weekend is to take advantage of both night sessions, run hard, and position ourselves in the ladder as best we can. That way, come race day, we’re not stuck going up against someone that’s very, very competitive.”

“This race is a funny thing, because you could show up on Sunday  in the number sixteen spot and race the guy in the number one qualifying spot, and you’re both pretty much on equal footing because neither of you have any information. When you’re doing laps in the evening all weekend long, you really aren’t sure of what to expect come race day when you’re starting off at 11AM. The sun is more intense, the track gets hotter, the rubber gets slicker- it’s a whole different animal. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a lot of upsets this weekend.”

Alexis DeJoria and the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrόn Toyota Camry Funny Car team are currently ranked 13th and are looking to add some more points this weekend at the 15th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, IL. Funny Car qualifying begins at 5PM on Friday.

Kalitta and DeJoria Post Runner-Up Nitro Finishes in Bristol

Team Kalitta teammates Doug Kalitta, driver of the Kalitta Air Top Fuel dragster, and Rookie of the Year contender Alexis DeJoria, driver of the Tequila Patrón Toyota Camry Funny Car, both raced to runner-up finishes in Sunday’s final eliminations of the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway in Bristol, Tenn.

Kalitta, a 47-year old resident of Ann Arbor, Mich. and three-time Top Fuel champion at Bristol Dragway (2006, 2005 and 2001), qualified his 8,000-horsepower, 320+mph dragster in a season-high No. 4 (3.835 seconds, 321.81 mph) starting position for today’s eliminations. He defeated Khalid alBalooshi and Bruce Litton en route to a semi-final match up with Antron Brown. For the fourth consecutive event, Kalitta defeated Brown, 3.831 sec., 320.51 mph to 3.842 sec., 322.88 mph.

The final round was a rematch of the 2009 and 2001 Top Fuel finals of Kalitta versus Tony Schumacher. Schumacher won in 2009 and Kalitta won in 2001. In this year’s version, Kalitta got away from the starting line with a very good .065-second reaction time, but Schumacher used an almost-psychic .023-second start to get a close win over Kalitta on a holeshot, 3.802 sec., (not valid data for speed) to 3.819 sec., 324.28 mph.

Kalitta’s trip to the final today was his first trip to the “money round” of the 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and his first since a runner-up posting at the fall event in Charlotte in 2010.

Kalitta has 32 wins in 65 final round appearances in his career.

Kalitta remains in the No. 6 position in Full Throttle Top Fuel championship points.

With 2011 Top Fuel World Champion Del Worsham at the helm of the Tequila Patrón flopper as crew chief, DeJoria reached the first final round of her inaugural season at the controls of a nitro-fueled Funny Car.

DeJoria qualified in the No. 15 (4.156 sec., 300 mph) spot for Sunday’s Funny Car eliminations. She upset Mike Neff, Kalitta Motorsports teammate Jeff Arend, and Jack Beckman to get to the final round to race Ron Capps.

In the final, the Tequila Patrón Toyota Camry Funny Car, launched great but faded behind before half track when it lost traction and allowed Capps to get the win, 5.232 sec., 144.15 mph to 4.076 sec., 312.35 mph.

DeJoria moves up to 13th place in Full Throttle Funny Car championship points.

Native Canadian Arend, a 49-year old resident of San Dimas, Calif., qualified the DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car in the No. 7 position for eliminations. He defeated Jim Head in the first round before having his day ended early by DeJoria in round two in a stunningly close race, 4.182 sec., 301.67 mph to 4.172 sec., 302.35 mph. The margin of victory at the finish line was a scant .001 seconds.

Arend and the DHL “Yella Fellas” have reached two semifinals so far in 2012 (Atlanta and Houston). They remain in 10th place in Full Throttle Funny Car points.

Native Australian Grubnic, a 49-year old resident of Bozeman, Mont., raced the special-edition Rocky Boots “Rocky Rocket” Top Fueler in Bristol. He qualified in the No. 10 (3.856 sec., 316.30 mph) spot for Top Fuel eliminations. He was defeated by No. 7 qualifier Spencer Massey in the first round, 6.331 sec., 96.46 mph to 3.824 sec., 324.98 mph.

Grubnic has one win so far in 2012 (Topeka, Kan.) and remains in ninth place in Full Throttle Top Fuel points.

ALEXIS DEJORIA AND THE TEQUILA PATRÓN TOYOTA CAMRY FUNNY CAR TEAM MAKE THEIR BRISTOL NHRA DEBUT

NHRA Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria and the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrón Toyota Camry Funny Car team is back in Bristol, TN for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. Not her first time to Bristol, DeJoria was the guest of honor last March at the NASCAR Food City 500 where she had an exciting and jam packed weekend, and expects even more of the same at this weekend’s race.

“I’ve been excited to race Bristol ever since my NASCAR appearance and saw the track for the very first time.  It’s so cool how the whole complex is built into the valley,” said the Rookie of the Year candidate, who never had the opportunity to race at Bristol back when she was making her rounds climbing the ranks in the Top Alcohol Funny Car circuit. “I wasn’t able to actually go down to the drag strip when we were there, but I could see it, and from what I hear, the surface is nice and smooth, and when the weather is right, you can put up some great numbers there.  I’ve also heard a lot of fans talk about the acoustics there and how they carry pretty well. Compared to the NASCAR cars, our cars are so loud, it’ll be neat to hear what it sounds like when we fire them up!”

Coming off their best race weekend to date, Team Patrón goes into the Bristol race armed with confidence and a car that has proven it can run top speeds. “Running that 4.040 really set the tone for the rest of the season,” said DeJoria of their career best run, achieved at the Englishtown Supernationals earlier this month. “We always knew we were capable of running those competitive numbers, but that pass proved it to everyone else, and gave us that extra kick of confidence that we needed.” 

Team Patrón said there are no plans to change anything mechanically in the suped-up supercharged Toyota Camry beforeBristol.  According to Jim Oberhofer, the VP of Kalitta Motorsports, “Our car was flawless all weekend long. We had that weird piston issue during eliminations, but that was an isolated incident, and we’ve since resolved it.”

Says DeJoria, “This should be a good weekend for us- our car has been consistent, our team is feeling good, and we have the excitement of racing at this track for the very first time. When we were here for the NASCAR race, we had the opportunity to meet the local fan base, and they were awesome! We were an NHRA team in NASCAR territory, but they embraced us with open arms.  I’m looking forward to going back in my Tequila Patrón Toyota Camry this weekend and putting on an exciting show for all our new Bristol friends.” 

Alexis DeJoria and the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrón Toyota Camry Funny Car team will compete this weekend at the12th Annual Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. Funny Car qualifying begins at 5:30PM on Friday. Prior, DeJoria will be signing autographs on Thursday, June 14th at Parkway Liquors in Bristol, TN, 3-4:30PM, and Pit Row Liquors in Bluff City, TN 5-6:30PM.

AN EMOTIONAL RETURN TO ENGLISHTOWN FOR ALEXIS DEJORIA

It’s been nearly two years since NHRA driver Alexis DeJoria’s infamous crash at the Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ, when she went barreling through the sand pits and safety nets after her brakes failed and her parachutes ripped off the back of her Top Alcohol Funny Car.  Although understandably shaken up by the incident, the tough-as-nails Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrόn Toyota Camry Funny Car driver hasn’t let fear keep her from fulfilling her dreams of racing professionally in a Nitro-fueled Funny Car.

Of returning to Englishtown, DeJoria said, “Obviously it’s an intense race and there are a lot of emotions flowing. It’s a tough weekend for a lot of people. We’ve seen so much sadness there, and I feel so grateful and blessed that I’m able to return to that track when others weren’t so fortunate,” she said, referring to the tragic deaths of Neal Parker and Scott Kalitta, son of legendary Top Fuel and Funny Car racer, and owner of Kalitta Motorsports, Connie Kalitta.

DeJoria’s violent crash is what initially sparked the relationship between her and the Kalitta family, which eventually led to her joining their team. “This weekend is especially emotional for me, but in a good way. It will be not only my first time visiting the track as a Nitro Funny Car driver, but also as a member of the Kalitta Motorsports team, so it’s almost like I’ve come full circle.  We’ve all been through a lot there, but I’m excited and honored to come back as part of such a wonderful organization.”

Historically, Englishtown has been a good track for DeJoria. “I’ve always done well there, and believe it or not, it’s my absolute favorite track. Even when I had my crash, I was running my ‘career best’ at the time, so I’m hoping we can run some good numbers this weekend, and go a few rounds on race day,” she said, adding, “I just want to stay very focused on doing my job and not get too wrapped up in the emotional side of it.”