Alexis "La Patrona" DeJoria and Team Patron Have Sites Set On Going Rounds in Norwalk

Norwalk, Ohio (July 4, 2012)— The Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patron Toyota Camry Funny Car team has been riding a wave of success and heads into Norwalk, OH with a great feeling of accomplishment and looking to keep the momentum going this weekend at the 6^th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. In the past three races, Team Patron, led by ESPY nominated crew chief Del Worsham, has set a 2012 Rookie record, made final and semi-final round appearances, and beat 15-time NHRA Funny Car champion, John Force.

The team’s driver, Alexis “La Patrona” DeJoria visited neighboring Cleveland, Ohio last month for a media tour and has been looking forward to coming back to compete in the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals ever since. “I’ve been here several times in my Alcohol [Funny] car, but never in my Nitro car. Bill Bader and his family operate a great facility and I can’t wait to hit the track for the first time in my Patron Toyota Camry,” she said, speaking of the Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.


“We’ve done so well lately. Our team has come so far in such a short period of time,” said the Rookie of the Year candidate who visits Ohio with her family as they extend their ‘4^th of July’ celebration, taking advantage of the nearby amusement parks. “I made a couple of mistakes this past weekend, but we still managed to get to the semis. Our car is running really good and my teammate [Jeff Arend] won the race, which is awesome, so all is well for Team Kalitta!” she said, referring to last week’s NHRA Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, Illinois.

Norwalk is a big race for Kalitta Motorsports, as it is the team’s ‘home track’ so friends and family will be out at the Ohio drag strip in full effect this weekend. Team Patron hopes to put on an exciting show for all their fans and drag racing first-timers making the trip over to Norwalk.

The 8,000 horsepower black-and-green stunner has been running excellent lately, but with another hot weekend coming up, Team Patron will have to overcome the challenge of what could be tricky track conditions. “Racing is always a little complicated there because it’s the middle of the summer, and the temperatures are supposed to be in the nineties [degrees] this weekend, which will make for a really tricky race track. Just like last weekend, our main focus going into the race is to really put it all out there during that Friday night qualifying session. If you don’t run well in that session, you’ll be in trouble the rest of the weekend as far as how you’re positioned,” said VP of Kalitta Motorsports’ Jim Oberhofer, referring to how the teams are paired up in Sunday’s eliminations.

“Looking at Chicago, the team deal is really starting to payoff. The two Toyota Camry Funny Cars [the Patron and DHL cars] were doing the exact same thing on every run, and with Jeff’s win and Alexis making it to the semis, it just shows how much stronger the team is getting,” he explained of the Kalitta Motorsports Funny Car strategy of having both cars tuned exactly the same. “Hopefully this week, we’ll keep going down the track, go rounds and make another final round appearance.”
The Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patron Toyota Camry Funny Car team currently sits in eleventh place on the points ladder, just 83 points away from the ‘Top Ten.’ They hope to continue to climb the rankings this weekend, July 6^th-8^th, at the 6th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio. Funny Car qualifying begins at 4PM on Friday afternoon.

Courtney Force and Alexis DeJoria - NHRA NITRO Generation 2012!

CONCORD, N.C. – NHRA introduced two of the most intriguing rookie drivers in the history of the sport to the national motorsports media today during a press conference conducted as part of the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway. The legendary multi-purpose motorsports facility annually hosts two NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events  at its spectacular zMAX Dragway.

Rookie Funny Car drivers Alexis DeJoria and Courtney Force, both an important part of NHRA’s Nitro Generation theme for 2012, joined NHRA President Tom Compton during the season-preview press event, which was held in front of more than 100 of the nation’s top motorsports journalists.

DeJoria, daughter of famed entrepreneur John Paul DeJoria, will drive the Tequila Patron Toyota Camry and Force, youngest daughter of 15-time NHRA world champ John Force, will pilot the Traxxas Ford Mustang. The two drivers will be among the top contenders for the prestigious Auto Club Road to the Future Award, which annually recognizes NHRA’s top performing rookie driver.


“It was a little overwhelming to meet with all the media. I was glad I was with Alexis. We were able to talk about our dreams and how we came up through the ranks as well as what it is like to be a female racing at over 300 mph. I am looking forward to getting on the track at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in a couple of weeks.,” said Courtney Force. “We just wrapped up testing yesterday in West Palm Beach. I am learning a lot about driving Funny Cars from my dad and I have also learned a lot about the media from watching all his interviews. I don’t think I can be as entertaining but I do enjoy talking about NHRA and getting behind the wheel of my Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car.”

The two drivers fielded questions from reporters about the challenges and expectations for their upcoming seasons and posed for photographs alongside a specially-wrapped Funny Car that featured the NHRA Nitro Generation design. NHRA also showed a high-energy video to the media that focused on the thrilling 300-mph performances, powerful side-by-side racing and close finishes that make NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing one of the most intense motorsports attractions on the planet.

Later in the afternoon many of the journalists attending the week-long media tour will participate in an NHRA Full Throttle Media Challenge Drag Race at zMAX Dragway. Media members will race in identically-prepared street-ready Ford Mustangs and DeJoria and Force will serve as driving coaches. DeJoria and Force also will race in the stock Mustangs in an exhibition prior to the media challenge race.

The highly-anticipated rookie battle begins Feb. 9-12 at the 52nd annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California. The tradition-rich race is the first of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series for 2012. Tickets are available at www.NHRATIX.com or by calling (800) 884-NHRA (6472).

Alexis DeJoria and the Tequila Patrόn team Wins Seattle National Championship

Alexis DeJoria Racing > 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series 24th Annual O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Northwest Nationals August 5th-7th, 2011

Venice, CA (August 8, 2011) - As her Top Alcohol Funny Car career winds down and her transition into the Fuel Funny Car category continues, driver Alexis DeJoria and the Tequila Patrόn team have worked countless hours to achieve their goal of visiting the winner's circle at least once this season.  Sunday afternoon in Seattle they did it.  In a history-making moment, Alexis, who is only the second woman to ever win a Top Alcohol Funny Car National event, and the Patrόn team achieved their goal at the NHRA Northwest Nationals

            "It's been five years in the making!" says Alexis. " Everything just came together for us this weekend! Every round was so crucial, and we were running so consistently. To go from not qualifying at our last race, to qualifying in the 3rd spot, and to have a consistent car in every round is just unheard of. And to do it in the second to last race [as a TAFC driver] was huge! Even though I felt confident about my car, you just never know; it's a 50/50 chance. It's so sentimental to me to have this win, especially as I'm wrapping up my Alcohol career. It feels so great to wind things down on such a positive note!"

Having almost a month off from their last race, the Patrόn crew had a chance to make some adjustments to the car, which proved to be extremely valuable. The team ran consistently quick and fast throughout qualifying, ending up number three with an elapsed time of 5.63 at 256.89 mph respectively.

 

During the first round of eliminations, Alexis made a clean, straight 5.65 at 260.11 mph pass and swept the win, advancing her to Sunday's eliminations. On Sunday morning, Alexis was up against driver and long-time friend Sean Bellemeur. "I have a ton of respect for Sean and was nervous about going up against him. It's always tough to go up against your friends" says Alexis. Although it was his best run of the weekend, he was no match for Alexis and her award-winning Tequila Patrόn car. Alexis not only won the round, but had the fastest speed of the event at 261.02 mph.

With only one other woman (Bunny Burkett) ever to have won a TAFC final round, and the fact that this was her second to last chance to ever win a National event before she moves to the Nitro Funny Car class, the pressure was on for Alexis as she made her way to the starting line. Alexis had lane choice against opponent and previous Seattle National winner, Brian Hough. With an elapsed time of 5.611 and with a speed of 260.26, Alexis was able to take the win!

 

"The feeling of winning is unreal! I was so calm going to the starting line but at the end of the race, when I realized I had won, I was overcome with emotion. I couldn't even get out of the car! I had to sit there for a second and just collect myself. Our Tequila Patrόn team has had many ups and downs throughout our three years of competing together in the Top Alcohol Funny Car class and to have an opportunity for the team to visit the winner's circle in Seattle is very gratifying for everyone who has worked so hard to achieve this NHRA Lucas Oil championship trophy" said Alexis. "To work this hard, and get through these rounds and beat these other teams that are so good and that we have so much respect for is just so humbling. It took my breath away."

About Alexis DeJoria

Alexis DeJoria, daughter of the famed John Paul DeJoria, of Paul Mitchell Systems and Patrόn Spirits is currently the Top Female Top Alcohol Funny Car Racer. Her team, Stealth Motorsports, co-operated by Alexis, is one of the few female-owned and operated teams in the industry. Alexis made racing history when she competed in the first ever 'woman vs. woman' race in her class in 2010, and she is the 2nd woman ever to win a Top Alcohol Funny Car race. Alexis is the female world record holder for the fastest and quickest speeds, and her car is currently the second fastest car in the world in the TAFC category. Alexis is also well-known for her infamous 2009 Englishtown, NJ crash.

Alexis, who had all the opportunity in the world to pursue any type of career, felt strongly about doing something she is passionate about, and she is proud to encourage and inspire young women to go after their dreams. Alexis' 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 the dangerous, male dominated sport of drag racing. Alexis will transition into the Nitro Funny Car category in the Fall of 2011. She will be the fourth member, and second Funny Car driver for the infamous Kalitta Motorsports team.

Alexis is originally from Los Angeles, CA and currently resides in Venice, CA.  Read Alexis' Woman Behind the Wheels feature interview on Track Chic.

Media Contact info:

Alexis DeJoria and members of Alexis DeJoria Racing are available for interview. Hi-res images available upon request. Please contact Allison McCormick at (561) 279-7827 x306 or allison@alexisdejoria.com>

Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria - Team Owner, Business Woman and Fierce Competitor

Track Chic meets Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria, the daughter of John Paul DeJoria, of Paul Mitchell Systems, and Patrón Tequila. Her team, Stealth Motorsports, is one of very few female team owners in NHRA.

Thanks to Darr Hawthorne and the Drag Racing Online team who had a chance to sit down with Alexis at the Las Vegas race as this businesswoman and determined racer sets out to leave her mark in drag racing.

Interview by Darr Hawthorne

When and where did you first attend a drag race, and what was it about drag racing that remains in your memory?

AD: My first drag race was at the Pomona National event. I was sixteen years old and went with a high school friend of mine, with whom I had built hot rods and raced them back in those days. We watched those nitro funny cars go down the racetrack and everybody plugging their ears, and I am questioning, “What the hell are they doing?” I watched them going down the racetrack and I remember the feeling was captivating and I wanted to do it. I had always loved racing and wanted to race, but didn’t know exactly what kind and different kinds of stuff, but it was nitro funny cars that really grabbed my attention.

What kind of hot rods were you building at that time?
AD: Chevelles, Bel Airs, mostly Chevys.


How did you get involved in that?
AD: In high school, I always gravitated to the people that had the hot rods that were racing; it was just in my blood from my dad; he used to race when he was a kid. He loved it and it just stuck with me.

Does your dad have any interest in the sport of drag racing?
AD: When he has time. He made it to about five races last year. He loves it; it’s actually his favorite auto racing sport. He’s sponsored a few different types of racing too: Indy Car Racing, NASCAR and now the American Le Mans Series, but he thinks drag racing is the most exciting; it’s his kind of sport.

What’s the first car you ever drag raced?
AD: It was a GMC Typhoon... Oh wait, are you talking about on the street? OK, it’s not cool man, but we all got our start somewhere and I was a stupid kid!

When did you first go down a dragstrip?
AD: It was in Phoenix, Arizona in a ’63 Corvette roadster that I raced in Super/Gas. That was my first competition car. My first actual run down a dragstrip was in Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School in Pomona. Jack Beckman was my teacher.

Who do you look up to in drag racing?
AD: Oh, John Force. (Laughing) I am sure everybody says that, but with everything that he’s been through, he didn’t come out and win races right away. He worked really hard at it. He’s got the kind of energy like my father and I can see the similarities between the two. I love it, I love his energy. I think he’s a great man and he’s great for the sport. He’s wild and I like that about his spirit; there should be more people out there like him.

Of course, Del Worsham. He’s been racing funny cars since he was eighteen and I always really respected him as a driver and a person, but I had a newfound respect for him after I worked with him in a nitro funny car and saw how hands-on he is. He’s a great teacher, he can tune and drive... kinda like a Mike Neff, but such an all around good guy. Those are my two favorites and I was really lucky to have both of them sign my new license.

 What are your hobbies outside of drag racing?
AD: Snowboarding, I ride dirt bikes, I like going skydiving, and I like traveling all over the country and world with my family and my daughter. I love riding beach cruisers down to the beach with my kid and hanging out at the beach, going to music concerts, and enjoying life to the fullest!

Do your peers treat you any differently because you are a woman?
AD: I don’t really notice it. Sometimes, there are little things, but not really. I worked really hard to get where I am, I have respect for these guys and it is a mutual respect.

 And they want to kick your ass... and you want to kick their asses!
AD: Yeah, yeah. We’re all buddy-buddy in the pits, but when you get up there, Nicky and I want to win (Nick Bastiao, the team’s crew chief and co-owner of Stealth Motorsports). But if either one of us don’t, we are still stoked for the other person. That’s what’s cool about sportsman racing, you are still buddy-buddy at the end of the day, somewhat. I love these guys, it’s a big family and I have a lot of respect for what they do.

Escalating costs, like travel, fuel, parts, and everything that is a part of racing in 2011, is that having on your racing at all?
AD: Yeah, fuel is huge, it is expensive. We almost didn’t go to the Gators because of how much the fuel prices have jumped, but I said that we’ve got to run Gainesville. We’ve always done really well there. We used to live there, we just moved back to California and there was no other race for us to make up, because basically the other ones would have been even further for us to attend. Costs have definitely taken a toll on everybody; when you have a tow vehicle that you drive to all the races and a big truck and trailer like this, it’s tons of fuel. But overall we’ve cut down and are just racing National events this year. What I am trying to do is win a National event this year. I have won a divisional, been to a couple of finals at a National and some semis, but I really want to focus on winning a National event. So we have pretty much cut out racing at all Divisionals, except last weekend here at Vegas, but that was really a test session for the National for us.

 Do you feel that the NHRA media gives too much attention to the Force family, to the Force women, and not enough to you, Erica Enders, Melanie Troxell, and some of the other women racers out there?
AD: I think it is just natural because of who he is and what he has accomplished; of course anything associated with Force is going to gain that kind of recognition. That is understandable. I don’t have any animosity towards them. I think it is great; they bring a lot to the sport. Me personally, I want to be known for my ability to drive the racecar and I want to do well, that’s how I want to be remembered. But coming from a father who is also very prominent, I know how that works. I need to work extra hard, just to get away from that to prove and define myself out there. I don’t want to be known as his daughter, I want to be known for Alexis DeJoria, she’s a damn good driver and her car hauls ass. (laughing) That’s what I want to be known for.

 Is there a point where you can see yourself stepping back, away from the driver’s seat and nurturing another woman into drag racing?
AD: I would love to. I want to own my own operation and have other female drivers; there are a few I would love to put in a car right now if I had the means to. There’s not enough but the ones who are out there are really good, and you really have to work a lot harder to prove yourself, because we are going to have that following us wherever we go. But it doesn’t bother me; I’m out here racing with these guys and at the end of the day, we are all trying to win!

 Do you see women like Shirley Muldowney as a role model?
AD: Of course, she paved the way for all of us. If you don’t have respect for that woman, you are crazy. I mean really. As a female, she made it happen for all of us. I have never met her, I would love to. She’s tough - she had to be - and back in those days she really had to work it to get in there and never back down. I admire that and that is the same kind of mentality that I have: don’t ever give up, and follow what you believe in. 

 Do you have that same kind of toughness?
AD: Yes I do, but it’s a little bit easier. I don’t blow up at every little thing; I’ll just tuck it away in the back of my mind and remember it for next time. I learn from my mistakes or experiences, but (laughing) I am more like the stealth fighter: flying below the radar, but keeping tabs on everything.

Thanks to Darr Hawthorne and DragRacing Online Team!