BRAINERD, Minn. (August 17, 2025) – At the facility where she powered to victory 2017 and became the first drag racer to record the track’s first sub-four-second Funny Car pass in 2014, Alexis DeJoria was eager to return to Brainerd International Raceway in hopes of turning on more win lights and breaking through with her first victory of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. She and her Mike Neff-led team were strong throughout qualifying at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals to earn a spot in the top half of the field and carried that momentum into race day, but were outpaced to the finish line in a tight side-by-side race during the opening round of eliminations.
With four semifinal finishes to-date, the first-year JCM Racing Bandero Café Funny Car team appears to be right on the cusp of reaching their first final round together and despite the early exit, continued to show more of that promise this weekend in Brainerd, Minn. While DeJoria’s machine was up in smoke during the first qualifying round, she quickly rebounded with three stout passes in the remaining sessions. In Q2, she clocked a 3.942 E.T. to place sixth on the timing sheet. During Saturday’s first round, she was straight down the groove in 3.913 seconds at 332.51 mph, which held up to be the third-quickest run of the session. DeJoria kept her machine firing on all eight cylinders once again in the final qualifying session to lock in the No. 6 seed. Facing Spencer Hyde in the first round of eliminations for the second event in a row, DeJoria took the Bandero Café Funny Car on its best run of the weekend, recording a 3.878 E.T. It was the third-best elapsed time of the opening elimination round, but unfortunately Hyde’s starting line advantage allowed him to power through the finish line beams first, ending DeJoria’s day early.
“Everyone knows how important the last race before Indy is,” said DeJoria, who will be making her ninth playoff appearance when the 2025 NHRA Countdown to the Championship gets underway next month. “My old team and I won this race in 2017, and I always love coming back here. Our JCM Bandero Café Funny Car team has been progressively getting better. We’re chipping away at it. We had some good runs, qualified in the top half of the field and went out first round and ran our very best E.T. of the season. I’ve got a great car underneath me. I believe in this team, and I believe in myself. Confidence level is high right now. I was a little off on my reaction time today and got beat but we’re staying to test tomorrow and we’re just going to get better and better. We’ve come so far in such a short time. I know my potential. I know how to win, Zippy knows how to win. We know what it takes to be successful. We’re right there and it’s only a matter of time before it all comes together. Simply put, I cannot wait for the U.S. Nationals.”
DeJoria leaves Brainerd ranked 10th in the Funny Car point standings and will compete next at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis over Labor Day weekend, where she returns as the 2014 Funny Car event champion.
Qualified: No. 6 (3.913 E.T. at 332.51 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.878 E.T. at 331.77 MPH defeated by Spencer Hyde 3.904 E.T. at 327.51 MPH
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With four semifinal finishes to-date, the first-year JCM Racing Bandero Café Funny Car team appears to be right on the cusp of reaching their first final round together and despite the early exit, continued to show more of that promise this weekend in Brainerd, Minn. While DeJoria’s machine was up in smoke during the first qualifying round, she quickly rebounded with three stout passes in the remaining sessions. In Q2, she clocked a 3.942 E.T. to place sixth on the timing sheet. During Saturday’s first round, she was straight down the groove in 3.913 seconds at 332.51 mph, which held up to be the third-quickest run of the session. DeJoria kept her machine firing on all eight cylinders once again in the final qualifying session to lock in the No. 6 seed. Facing Spencer Hyde in the first round of eliminations for the second event in a row, DeJoria took the Bandero Café Funny Car on its best run of the weekend, recording a 3.878 E.T. It was the third-best elapsed time of the opening elimination round, but unfortunately Hyde’s starting line advantage allowed him to power through the finish line beams first, ending DeJoria’s day early.
“Everyone knows how important the last race before Indy is,” said DeJoria, who will be making her ninth playoff appearance when the 2025 NHRA Countdown to the Championship gets underway next month. “My old team and I won this race in 2017, and I always love coming back here. Our JCM Bandero Café Funny Car team has been progressively getting better. We’re chipping away at it. We had some good runs, qualified in the top half of the field and went out first round and ran our very best E.T. of the season. I’ve got a great car underneath me. I believe in this team, and I believe in myself. Confidence level is high right now. I was a little off on my reaction time today and got beat but we’re staying to test tomorrow and we’re just going to get better and better. We’ve come so far in such a short time. I know my potential. I know how to win, Zippy knows how to win. We know what it takes to be successful. We’re right there and it’s only a matter of time before it all comes together. Simply put, I cannot wait for the U.S. Nationals.”
DeJoria leaves Brainerd ranked 10th in the Funny Car point standings and will compete next at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis over Labor Day weekend, where she returns as the 2014 Funny Car event champion.
Qualified: No. 6 (3.913 E.T. at 332.51 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.878 E.T. at 331.77 MPH defeated by Spencer Hyde 3.904 E.T. at 327.51 MPH
Continue reading...
