Alexis DeJoria, driver of the Patrón XO Café Incendio Toyota Camry Funny Car, had a great Friday and Saturday. Tommy DeLago’s tune-up decisions were on-point, especially in their Friday evening effort. The 3.974 second run at 320.13 mph gave DeJoria new career-best numbers. While that was her best pass, DeJoria’s Toyota Camry went down the track in all four sessions to really give the team some great data heading into Sunday’s Sonoma Nationals.
Fellow Toyota Racing driver Cruz Pedregon would be first up. DeJoria watched as several pairs in front of her struggled to make it down Sonoma’s tricky conditions. However, DeJoria was prepared. She stepped to the line and delivered a .048 reaction time, which was by far the best in the nitro classes in the first session. The next closest was three hundredths behind. However, despite DeJoria’s efforts; it was not meant to be. Her Toyota Camry rattled the tires and one parachute deployed allowing Pedregon to sneak by.
“I know the entire team is pretty bummed right now,” said DeJoria. “We did really well in qualifying, but today featured tricky conditions. I was really stoked about my light. I was ready for that round, but we will move to the next race, do our best and see what happens.”
DeJoria retained her top ten points position. She holds over 50 points over the 11th position in the standings.
About Alexis DeJoria
Alexis DeJoria, daughter of the famed John Paul DeJoria, co-founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems andproud 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 Cafe 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.