SANTA MONICA, Calif. (January 31, 2015)— 2014 was a breakout year for NHRA Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria and the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrón Toyota Camry Funny Car team. Three wins, multiple track records, No. 1 qualifiers, and three-second runs highlighted the banner year for NHRA’s “Quickest Female Funny Car Driver.”
With the 2015 season opener, the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., just days away, DeJoria and team are eagerly awaiting that first moment when they roll their 10,000-horespower Toyota Camry to the starting line, showcasing a fiery new look.
DeJoria’s Toyota Camry Funny Car spent the majority of the 2014 season painted in purple and gold, representing Patrón XO Cafe. At the final race of the season, fans were treated to a bold, new look: a red flame-emblazoned hot rod, commemorating the launch of the newest brand in the XO Cafe line, Incendio, an innovative fiery-hot chile chocolate liqueur. The Incendio livery was intended for one weekend only, and plans to return to the XO Cafe purple and gold scheme for 2015 were already in place. While watching DeJoria zip down the track that weekend however, ultimately claiming the top qualifying spot, no one could deny that her car looked hot! And thus, plans were changed.
“Last year when we celebrated the launch of Patrón XO Cafe Incendio, our intention was to change the look of Alexis’ Patrón XO Cafe Toyota Camry Funny Car for just the NHRA World Finals in Pomona. However, when we saw how terrific those graphics looked- particularly racing down the track at 300-mph with the flames shooting out of the car- and when we heard the overwhelming reaction from fans, it didn’t take us long to make the decision to make it a permanent change for the 2015 season” said Lee Applbaum, Chief Marketing Officer at Patrón Spirits. “There’s really no better way to showcase fiery-hot Patrón XO Cafe Incendio than on a 10,000-horsepower race car driven by Alexis.”
Armed with a hot new image and hungry to add more Wallys to their collection, the Patrón XO Cafe Incendio Toyota Camry Funny Car team has their sights set on the ultimate goal heading into the Winternationals: the 2015 Funny Car series title.
“Coming out of last year, which was really our breakout year, we accomplished so much more than we had initially expected,” said DeJoria, an Austin resident, and only driver to be victorious in the Super Comp, Top Alcohol Funny Car, and Funny Car classes. “Being that close to Championship contention, it made us hungry for it.”
“We’re going to keep charging ahead. 2015 is going to be a very strong year for the Patrón XO Cafe Incendio team, and we’re proud Patrón has presented us with the opportunity to represent the newest brand in their XO Cafe line. Anything is possible- we’ve won races, ran in the three’s, set records, qualified in the top spot; we’ve conquered everything except the big picture. This year, we’re going for it full force. We’re all eager to get back out there and kick-off the season on a strong note.”
The NHRA Winternationals marks the first event of the 24-race NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Alexis DeJoria and the Patrón XO Cafe Incendio Toyota Camry Funny Car team begin qualifying for the NHRA Winternationals at 1PM PST on Friday, February 6. For more information, please visit www.alexisdejoria.com, Follow Us on Twitter @ADRnhra, or Like Us on Facebook Alexis DeJoria.
About Alexis DeJoria
Alexis DeJoria, daughter of the famed John Paul DeJoria, co-founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems and proud owner of Tequila Patrόn, is a professional NHRA racecar driver, competing in the nitro Funny Car class on the Kalitta Motorsports team. Alexis drives the Patrόn XO Café Incendio-sponsored 2015 Toyota Camry. Alexis, who had all the opportunity in the world to pursue any type of career, felt strongly about following her passion, and her need for adrenaline drove her to pursue the unlikely profession of auto-racing. The determination to ‘blaze her own trail’ continues to drive her and push her to higher levels in male dominated sport of drag racing.
About Kalitta Motorsports
Based in Ypsilanti, Mich., Kalitta Motorsports is a Top Fuel and Funny Car drag racing team in the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. The team was founded and is owned by drag racing icon Connie “the Bounty Hunter” Kalitta. For more than 50 years, Connie has been involved in the sport as a driver, tuner, and an owner. Kalitta Motorsports is one of the most successful teams in the history of auto racing with five world championships and over 50 national event titles in five different professional drag racing sanctioning bodies since it was established by Connie in 1959.
About Patrón XO Cafe Incendio
Recognizing a growing enthusiasm for intense taste and flavor, Patrón Spirits has introduced Patrón XO Cafe Incendio, an innovative fiery-hot chile chocolate liqueur.
Patrón XO Cafe Incendio combines the spicy, distinctive flavor of Mexican arbol chile with the rich, decadent essence of Criollo chocolate, brought together with the crisp, smooth taste of Patrón Silver tequila.
The Chile de arbol is a small and slender Mexican pepper typically found in the states of Jalisco, Chihuahua and Zacatecas. Thought to be derived from the cayenne pepper, arbol chile is characterized by its smoky and spicy complex flavor, and is the main component in many hot sauces. The high-quality Criollo variety chocolate in Patrón XO Cafe Incendio is produced in Mexico’s Tabasco region.
Perfect as a shot, or as the base for a high quality cocktail, Patrón XO Cafe Incendio is distilled at 30 percent alcohol by volume, 60 proof. Produced and bottled at the Hacienda Patrón distillery in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, Patrón XO Cafe Incendio is handcrafted with the same attention to detail and quality as all Patrón tequilas and liqueurs. It is available in 50ml, 375ml and 750ml sizes and packaged in the eye-catching handmade Patrón XO Cafe glass bottle, a frosted version of the iconic cork-closed Patrón tequila bottle. The red, yellow and black label features imagery evocative of smoke and fire.