MADISON, Ill. (October 2, 2026) – Alexis DeJoria and the John Force Racing Bandero Café Funny Car team kicked off the third race of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship by rocketing straight to the top of the qualifying sheets on Friday at the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway.
On Friday afternoon, in the first qualifying opportunity of the weekend, DeJoria put on a fantastic show for the St. Louis fans when she powered her 12,000-horsepower Chevrolet SS Funny Car to the finish line in just 3.882 seconds at 334.65 mph. If she remains in the top spot through qualifying tomorrow, it will be her seventh career No. 1 and the first of this season. Tire smoke followed in the second session but her Q1 run held strong.
With the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Championship race heating up, DeJoria is eager to make some big moves this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway. She is currently ranked seventh in the Countdown to the Championship points standings. DeJoria and her crew chiefs, Mike “Zippy” Neff and Jonnie Lindberg, will have two opportunities to add to their tally of bonus points when qualifying continues tomorrow.
“The conditions here are really good, and I wasn’t sure if a 3.88 would stick,” remarked DeJoria. “Every time a good run went down the track, I kept asking the guys if we were still number one. Our car is set up exactly the way it should be, and this is the right time in the season. We have the consistency but we needed to step it up and run those quicker numbers. We’re off to a good start. Right now every point matters. I’m just so glad we didn’t get rained out today. This was a beautiful day; a beautiful day to be the No. 1 qualifier.”
Qualifying for the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway continues Saturday with two scheduled sessions at noon and 2:30 p.m. CT before eliminations begin Sunday.
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On Friday afternoon, in the first qualifying opportunity of the weekend, DeJoria put on a fantastic show for the St. Louis fans when she powered her 12,000-horsepower Chevrolet SS Funny Car to the finish line in just 3.882 seconds at 334.65 mph. If she remains in the top spot through qualifying tomorrow, it will be her seventh career No. 1 and the first of this season. Tire smoke followed in the second session but her Q1 run held strong.
With the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Championship race heating up, DeJoria is eager to make some big moves this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway. She is currently ranked seventh in the Countdown to the Championship points standings. DeJoria and her crew chiefs, Mike “Zippy” Neff and Jonnie Lindberg, will have two opportunities to add to their tally of bonus points when qualifying continues tomorrow.
“The conditions here are really good, and I wasn’t sure if a 3.88 would stick,” remarked DeJoria. “Every time a good run went down the track, I kept asking the guys if we were still number one. Our car is set up exactly the way it should be, and this is the right time in the season. We have the consistency but we needed to step it up and run those quicker numbers. We’re off to a good start. Right now every point matters. I’m just so glad we didn’t get rained out today. This was a beautiful day; a beautiful day to be the No. 1 qualifier.”
Qualifying for the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway continues Saturday with two scheduled sessions at noon and 2:30 p.m. CT before eliminations begin Sunday.
Continue reading...
