ENNIS, Texas (September 21, 2014)— Alexis DeJoria, driver of the Kalitta Motorsports Patrón XO Cafe Toyota Camry Funny Car, fell to teammate Del Worsham in round two of eliminations at the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex on Sunday afternoon.
After putting up some of the best qualifying numbers of the weekend under the sweltering Texas sun, the Patrón XO Cafe team entered race day qualified in the No. 2 spot with their 4.041-second at 305.42-mph run from Q2, the second quickest run of the session earning them two qualifying bonus points. They were also awarded one bonus point from their Q4 effort- a 4.194-sec pass, the third quickest of the round, achieved in the heat of the day on Saturday afternoon.
Sunday was another scorcher, with temperatures nearing the nineties. The XO Cafe team, confident in their hot weather tune-up and pleased with their qualifying position, felt confident going into race day and hoped to improve their ranking in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship points ladder. They started the day in fifth with 2,144 points, and would ultimately end the day with 2,164 points, tied for fifth with Ron Capps.
After defeating No. 15 qualifier Jeff Diehl with a 4.171, versus Diehl’s tire smoking 6.424-sec run in round one, they found themselves squaring off against teammate Del Worsham in the second round of eliminations. In the battle of Toyota versus Toyota, DeJoria had the early lead on Worsham until about half track, when the XO Cafe Toyota dropped a cylinder and the DHL car was able to pull ahead and take the win, ending DeJoria’s chances of winning the Texas FallNationals.
“Man I really wish we would’ve gone one more round, at least,” said DeJoria, a resident of nearby Austin, who not only made her Funny Car debut at the Texas FallNationals in 2011, but was also licensed in fuel Funny Car at the Ennis track the year prior. “On the bright side, one of the Kalitta Funny Cars went to the semis. It wasn’t us, and I really wish it was, but hey we got some good points this weekend in qualifying. We went a round, and no matter what happens in the finals, we will leave here tied in the No. 5 spot. There are four races left and we’re still in the hunt. Del is in the finals right now, and hopefully he’ll pull it off and bring home another Funny Car Wally for Team Kalitta.”
Alexis DeJoria and the Kalitta Motorsports Patrón XO Cafe Toyota Camry Funny Car team compete next at the 3rd annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis, September 26-28. For more information, please visit www.alexisdejoria.com, Follow Us on Twitter @ADR_Nitro771, 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 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.