Alexis de Joria LATEST Rookie of the Year Contenders Alexis DeJoria and Danica Patrick Meet in Bristol!   Bio Snippets News Alexis DeJoria to Make Highly-Anticipated Jump from Top Alcohol Funny Car to Nitro Funny Car at Texas Heiress taking unusual career path in NHRA Results Schedule Related Issue: Women Racers Directory, Women in Racing, Women Racers, More Women in Racing, Race Schedules, Notable Women Contact: alexisdejoria.com | E-Mail Direct short-cut to this site: http://bit.ly/oTj4UU Check out Father/Daughter Video the first "Lifestyle Features" Bio Driver: Alexis De Joria Los Angeles Boca Raton, FL Class/Registration: TAFC/710D Hometown: Bronson, FL Top Alcohol Funny Car, Nitro Funny Car Alexis DeJoria has spent the majority of her life fascinated by speed. From fighter jets to street machines, Alexis has always wanted to go fast and live life to its fullest, but it was when she first saw a Nitro Funny Car in action that she realized where she wanted to be. Born with a drive to succeed, Alexis knew she had to pursue drag racing and began her career with a plan to develop her driving skills in the sportsman categories and continually move up the ranks in quicker, more powerful machines. Alexis began her racing career in a 1963 Corvette Roadster in the Super Gas category and then quickly moved into a rear engine Super Comp dragster scoring a runner-up finish at a divisional race and also winning the coveted Sportsman Nationals in Fontana, CA all within the first eight months of her debut. Always looking to go faster and feeling comfortable with her success, Alexis was presented an opportunity to drive a Top Alcohol Funny Car and spent a couple of years with a two-car team and competed primarily on the west coast. Alexis adjusted well to the 3,000 horsepower alcohol burning funny car and continued to improve her skills. In 2009 Alexis made a major commitment in her racing career by moving east and building her own team, StealthMotorsports, from scratch. The 2009 Patrón Tequila sponsored Mustang is Alexis’s current and most favorite hot rod as she has set her career best elapse time and speed with an 5.55 @ 260 miles per hour. Never one to look back, Alexis is focused on competing at the highest level in the Top Alcohol Funny Car. After a mid-season crash in Englishtown, NJ, Alexis and the Patrón Team returned to competition with a new 2009 Mustang at the coveted Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. After making two final round appearances in a row at Ennis, TX and Las Vegas, NV, as well as, winning the Division Two event in Reynolds, GA, Alexis and the Patrón Team finished 11th in championship points. Alexis is currently the second woman to win a race in the Top Alcohol Funny Car category. Born with a passion to succeed with speed, Alexis has made the commitment to make NHRA Drag Racing her career. Having the support of Patron Tequila and John Paul Pet products have helped Alexis continue to live her dream of competing at the highest level and help drive her appetite for success as a professional drag racer. As she continues to gain experience with every pass down the quarter mile and plans on one day moving into the professional funny car ranks as a contender, fulfilling her dream of competing at the highest level of the sport. De Joria, 29, whose father, John Paul De Joria, founded both Patrón Spirits Company and Paul Mitchell Hair Care Products, has made laps at Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School behind the wheel of their school TAFC and finished her license last weekend in testing at Firebird International Raceway in Phoenix. She will start the season in a Camaro-bodied machine until her new Murf McKinney 2007 Mustang is completed. Her tenure in Top Alcohol Funny Car will be to prepare her for a future ride in the nitro Funny Car ranks. "I'm really looking forward to racing in Top Alcohol Funny Car," said De Joria. "Ever since I saw my first Top Fuel run as a teenager at Pomona, I've been hooked. When I felt the power, saw the flames at night and the speed, I was like, sign me up. I've always been drawn to the Funny Cars; I have a real affinity for them. My ultimate goal is to move into nitro Funny Car. They're just bad ass, they're harder to drive and that really appeals to me. Right now, I just want to learn as much as I can in the Top Alcohol Funny Car. Jack has assembled a great team to learn with. I can't wait to get this Tequila Patrón Funny Car in competition!" News Rookie of the Year Contenders Alexis DeJoria and Danica Patrick Meet in Bristol! The Tequila Patron Toyota Camry Funny Car team took a break from their usual stomping grounds of the drag strip to visit the oval track in Bristol, TN this past weekend for the Food City 500 NASCAR races at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Tequila Patron NHRA team made the trip down to the land of country music, Funny Car in tow, for a jam-packed ‘NHRA Meets NASCAR’ weekend, and what the team considered an exciting introduction to the NASCAR crowd. Down in Tennessee, they were greeted with open arms by NASCAR fans and media alike. For Team Patron’s driver, Alexis DeJoria, it was especially exciting as it was her first time ever attending a NASCAR event. Alexis presenting Danica with a bottle of Patron Platinum Tequila The Friday through Sunday event was filled with numerous appearances each day, including multiple events on various stages in front of thousands, media interviews, fan Q & A sessions, autograph signings, and a chance for what many would consider to be the two reigning queens of NASCAR and NHRA- Danica Patrick and DeJoria- to meet in person for the very first time. The two swapped racing stories, wished each other luck in their run for rookie of the year. The two-motorsport fan-favorites’ are both vying for the prestigious Rookie of the Year title in their respective sports this year. DeJoria presented Patrick with a bottle of Patron Tequila Platinum. Perhaps the girls can share a toast together at the end of successful rookie seasons! During the weekend DeJoria signed autographs alongside the 40+ NASCAR drivers at the Food City Race Night fan event where her car was also on display; she was introduced to the crowds at both the Toyota and NASCAR VIP/Season Ticket Holders pavilions throughout the weekend; was invited to attend the pre-race Drivers Meeting on both Saturday and Sunday where she was introduced to the drivers, and moments prior to Sunday’s main event, she was invited to do a NASCAR drivers ride around in the outside of a truck waving to fans alongside the other drivers during the official NASCAR driver introductions. Alexis and Crew Chief Del Worsham talk to the media Team Patron was scheduled to start the 8000 hp car on Sunday morning prior to the Sprint Cup race in front of the over one hundreds thousand in attendance, but unfortunately, all pre-race activities were cancelled due to heavy rain, which also prohibited DeJoria from riding in the pace car. On a sunnier note, Team Patron was able to start the Funny Car for tens of thousands of fans and received a response of overwhelming excitement by the crowds. DeJoria and her crew chief, NHRA Top Fuel World Champion Del Worsham also had the opportunity to take part in a special media event held at the NASCAR drivers’ media center where they sat side-by-side for a media Q & A session. Source: femaleracingnews.com/circle_track/rookie-of-the-year-contenders-alexis-dejoria-and-danica-patrick-meet-in-bristol The Alexis DeJoria Racing Team Wraps Up Successful but Short 2011 Season; Sights Set on 2012 Rookie Season Although the 2011 NHRA season has come to an end, the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patr?n Toyota Camry Funny Car team is already looking ahead with high hopes for the 2012 season. In their fourth professional showing, Team Patr?n left the Pomona, CA track feeling pleased with their overall performance this past weekend. At what she considers her ‘home track,’ Team Patr?n driver and 2012 Rookie of the Year hopeful Alexis DeJoria was surrounded by friends and family as her debut Funny Car season came to an end. In her first qualifying run on Thursday, she shook the tires a bit, but two good runs on Friday and Saturday ensured she made it into the field. With twenty-four cars gunning for a spot in the highly competitive ‘Top Twelve’ and rain looming on the horizon, Team Patr?n knew they had to turn up the heat on Friday to guarantee their spot in Sunday’s eliminations. Running their best numbers of the weekend- an impressive 4.158-second pass at 306.88-mph- put Alexis in the number nine spot going into Saturday. “Being in the Top Twelve on Friday is so crucial. If you’re not in the Top Twelve, your runs don’t count, so we were all obviously very pleased,” said DeJoria. In Saturday’s first qualifying run, Alexis was up against teammate Jeff Arend. Track conditions were good, and crew chief and VP of Kalitta Motorsports Jim Oberhofer felt hopeful that they would beat Friday’s numbers. Unfortunately, an air bottle leak cost the team a good run. “The air bottle must’ve leaked at some point between the time we left the pits to the time we started up the car. It operates a lot of functions on the car, so when that didn’t work, we had no ignition curve and the car went out and pulled the tires.” Although she faced some challenges during the run, Saturday’s second qualifying round went a little better for Team Patr?n. After waiting out a rain delay, Alexis had the unique opportunity to run at night, only her second time doing so. The car got off the line to a good start but got out of the groove early. Alexis handled the car well and was able to keep it straight but was then met with another challenge when her visor fogged up, causing her to have to shut the car off early, resulting in a 4.171-sec at 274.61-mph run. The run may not have gone as smoothly as she would have hoped, but did offer Alexis a new learning experience. Alexis went into Sunday’s eliminations in the number fourteen spot. Team Patr?n was up against Mike Neff in the first round of eliminations, but lost after she ‘red lit.’ “She gambled a bit with her reaction times, but that’s alright. I always tell drivers, ‘if you’re not red-lighting every now and then, you’re not trying.’ She red lit simply because she was trying extremely hard. You can’t fault her for that!” said Oberhofer. “At the end of the day, I was just so excited to have made it into the field for the World Finals in Pomona. It’s such an exciting thing to be a part of and a nice way to end the season,” said DeJoria. The 2011 season was a short one for Team Patr?n. They made their long-awaited Nitro debut with enormous fanfare and a star-studded kickoff party in Dallas at the Texas Fall Nationals, but were only able to compete in four races this year in order to preserve Alexis’ rookie status for the 2012 season. “We did well overall in these four races,” said DeJoria. “With each race, there was significant improvement. We had some good learning experiences, got to race in different conditions, and really gelled as a team, which is so important. For us to do everything that we were able to do in such a short period of time is phenomenal.” With the offseason just getting underway, Team Patr?n already has their sights set on 2012. Over the next few months, both Kalitta Motorsports Funny Car teams will have the exciting opportunity to test out a brand new Toyota Camry body before it even goes into production. “The new body is still being built, but as soon as it’s ready, we’ll hit the track and get in as many test sessions as we possibly can. One of our goals during the off-season is to get down into the 4.0’s [seconds] and I have no doubt that between our crew’s ability, Alexis’ skill and our new state-of-the-art Toyota Camry that we will have any trouble accomplishing that,” says Oberhofer. Source: www.alexisdejoria.com//news_comments.php?id=171 Alexis DeJoria pursues her own dreams Alexis DeJoria will spend the weekend in Ennis, at the Texas Motorplex. It’s loud, it’s dirty, and there is nowhere else she’d rather be. “It’s gone from, I really like to do this, I wonder if I can do this part time, to, this is a full-time job and running a team,” said DeJoria. DeJoria has been racing for four years and is the only woman to own and operate a racing team in the National Hot Rod Association. Her father founded Paul Mitchell hair care systems — a billion dollar a year business — so she had other options. “But at the end of the day I was like, I really need to go find what’s my passion,” said DeJoria, “what I really want to succeed in.” Her first couple years were not very successful. But then she got her own team two years ago, and her career took off. She made the finals at this track a year ago, and is only the second woman to win three races in a row. “They saw this change in her,” said her crew chief Nick Bastiao. “Now, she’s not just this rich girl — she’s a racer. And if you’re not careful, she’s going to beat you.” Any questions as to how serious DeJoria is about the sport were answered in June 2009, when she stayed with it, even after a horrific crash in new jersey. “You can see it on the video,” said DeJoria. “As soon as they (her parachutes) blossomed, boom, they’re gone. They just fly away.” She lost her parachutes and her brakes didn’t work. “And I just aimed for the center of the nets and took my hands off the wheel and kind of clenched them into my chest as soon as my front wheels went into the sand,” said DeJoria. “And I have no control over where the car was going or what direction, just braced for impact, and that’s it.” Besides a couple of bruised knees, she emerged from the crash uninjured. This weekend she hopes to make a name for herself as a winner. Snippets The Alexis DeJoria Racing Team Wraps Up Successful but Short 2011 Season; Sights Set on 2012 Rookie Next race - Pomona, CA - O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals - Feb. 9 - 12, 2012 *     *     * Professional Nitro Funny Car Racer and Team Owner, Business Woman, Thrill Seeker joins the legendary Kalitta Motorsports Team. *     *     * A newly added Top Alcohol Funny Car that will be wheeled by Alexis De Joria. De Joria, who most recently won Super Comp at this past year's Pacific SPORTS nationals in Fontana, Calif., will have her Funny Car tuned by former world champion Randy Anderson *     *     * Alexis DeJoria pursues her own dreams.   Results National Championship Points Points Sum Type Event Coe/Location Date 43 43 HD 21-Bradenton, FL 02/15/2009 32 75 HD 22-Gainesville, FL 02/22/2009 53 128 NA GF1-Gainesville, FL 03/15/2009 31 128 NA HT1-Houston, TX 03/29/2009 32 160 HD 24-Cecil, GA 04/05/2009 31 160 NA TK1-Topeka, KS 05/31/2009 53 213 NA EJ1-Englishtown, NJ 06/14/2009 42 255 NA II1-Clermont, IN 09/07/2009 32 255 HD 25-Commerce, GA 09/13/2009 64 319 NA DT1-Ennis, TX 09/27/2009 85 404 HD 26-Reynolds, GA 10/18/2009 64 468 NA LN2-Las Vegas, NV 11/01/2009 43 511 OD 77-Las Vegas, NV 11/08/2009 10 511 NA PC2-Pomona, CA 11/15/2009 Type: HD=Home Div, NA=National Event, OD=Out of Div Schedule   *    *    * WomenInRacing.org ©1996-2012 by of Gordon Clay