POMONA, Calif. (February 8, 2014)— History was made at the 54th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals as Alexis DeJoria became the first woman ever to run in the three second zone in her 10,000 horsepower Kalitta Motorsports Patrón XO Cafe Toyota Camry Funny Car on Saturday at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
Now officially the quickest female ever to compete in the Funny Car category, DeJoria became the 9th Funny Car driver to join the coveted ‘three second club’ as she powered her XO Cafe hot rod down the 1,000-foot stretch in 3.997-seconds at 318.32-mph during the third qualifying session.
“It feels absolutely amazing to come out to the first race of the season in Pomona, California and make a three second run, and be a part of that exclusive ‘three second club.’ I always knew we had it in us; it was just a matter of time,” said DeJoria. “We’ve learned so much. We’ve got an awesome car, and everything has really come together. I’m so proud of my guys, and so excited we were able to make history in front of all of our family and friends, in our new car with our new colors. This definitely sets the tone for what is sure to be an awesome season.”
Out of 21 cars on the property, the 3.997-sec ET held up to be the low of the session, allowing DeJoria the advantage of three bonus points. DeJoria goes into Sunday’s eliminations qualified in the No.3 spot on the 16-car ladder, and will face Gary Densham in Round One of Eliminations.
Eliminations begin at 11AM PST on Sunday, February 9. For more information, please visit www.alexisdejoria.com, Follow Us on Twitter @ADR_Nitro771, or Like Us on Facebook Alexis DeJoria.
TV Schedule
Qualifying
February 8, 11PM-1AM EST
ESPN2
Eliminations
February 9, 8PM-11PM EST
ESPN
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 race car driver, competing in the nitro Funny Car class on the Kalitta Motorsports team. Alexis drives the Patrόn XO Cafe-sponsored 2014 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.