Alexis DeJoria might have been born with a silver spoon in her mouth but she soon traded it in for a wrench. The daughter of Patron and Paul Mitchell founder John Paul DeJoria has been addicted to high speeds since she tricked her father into buying her a GMC Typhoon as a teenager.
The Typhoon’s 14.1-second quarter mile time is slow compared what Alexis is used to these days. As the only female driver to ever break the 4-second barrier in Funny Car, Alexis routinely tops the 300-mph mark in her Kalitta Motorsports Patrón XO Cafe Toyota Camry.
With half of the current 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series and two victories in her rear view, Alexis is having her best season yet. Fresh off of a 2nd place finish at the New England Nationals, Alexis is currently ranked second in the standings, having recorded a personal best run of 3.997-seconds earlier this season at Pomona. See what makes this badass pro driver tick:
You’ve won a lot this season, Ashley Force won in Atlanta and Troxel won in Bristol. How do you feel about all the gender talk surrounding the sport?
I think it’s definitely something to talk about, yet I don’t think so much focus has to be made on it. We don’t separate ourselves from the guys out here- it’s an even playing field. The few of us females race side-by-side with our male competitors, and our racecars don’t know male from female. I never feel as if I’m at a disadvantage because of my gender. Complete Interview