EPPING, N.H. (June 5, 2026) – Alexis DeJoria clinched New England Dragway’s coveted No. 1 Clawifier Award when she powered to the provisional No. 1 spot under the lights on Friday night during day one of qualifying at the NHRA New England Nationals. Aboard the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS, DeJoria took her 12,000-horsepower machine down the track in 3.929 seconds at 312.42 mph to run low E.T. of the session and place her at the top of the Funny Car timing sheets heading into day two of qualifying at the eighth stop on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour.
As the No. 1 Clawifier, DeJoria not only scored three championship bonus points, but she also won a lobster dinner for her Bandero Café team as part of the Epping, N.H. track’s signature award, which leans into its New England locale.
“Very excited to run low E.T. tonight and get this lobster dinner for the crew,” DeJoria said while sitting aboard a custom-made chair of lobster pots, one of the many unique elements of New England Dragway’s No. 1 Clawifier promotion. “What a wild past couple of weeks it’s been. We’ve done really well so far this year and I’m just so proud of the progress we’ve made. I’m just happy to be sitting up here in this chair. I’ve never had the opportunity to sit up here before, and I’m super stoked. Thank you to my crew chiefs Mike Neff, Jonnie Lindberg, and our whole team. I’ve got my mom here and my sister, my nephew James, my aunt and uncle, and some friends from the East Coast. This is a hometown race for me. It’s the closest place we go to Rhode Island, where half my family’s from, so man, this feels really good to be able to do this here in front of them.”
Before stepping up to the provisional No. 1 spot during the day’s second qualifying run, DeJoria and her Neff/Lindberg-led team opened their weekend with a solid pass of 4.112 seconds at 301.47 mph in the heat of the day to place her in the top half of the field in the No. 7 position after the first session. The team’s consistent Friday performance is a continuation of the progress they have experienced since coming together under the John Force Racing banner over the off-season.
“The Funny Car class is very competitive,” added DeJoria, who also has two runner-up finishes and a Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win this season. “Any one of these cars can beat you on any given Sunday. I’ve been on both sides of that. My guys have done such a great job, they’ve got a good handle on the car. We’ve got a consistent race car and now they’re stepping it up and making it quicker and quicker, and it showed right there.”
With two qualifying sessions scheduled for Saturday, DeJoria will look to maintain her top-seeded position and earn the seventh No. 1 qualifier of her career. DeJoria, a semifinalist at last year’s event and the 2014 New England Nationals runner-up, will return to the seat of the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car when qualifying resumes at 11:30 a.m. ET, starting with Top Fuel.
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As the No. 1 Clawifier, DeJoria not only scored three championship bonus points, but she also won a lobster dinner for her Bandero Café team as part of the Epping, N.H. track’s signature award, which leans into its New England locale.
“Very excited to run low E.T. tonight and get this lobster dinner for the crew,” DeJoria said while sitting aboard a custom-made chair of lobster pots, one of the many unique elements of New England Dragway’s No. 1 Clawifier promotion. “What a wild past couple of weeks it’s been. We’ve done really well so far this year and I’m just so proud of the progress we’ve made. I’m just happy to be sitting up here in this chair. I’ve never had the opportunity to sit up here before, and I’m super stoked. Thank you to my crew chiefs Mike Neff, Jonnie Lindberg, and our whole team. I’ve got my mom here and my sister, my nephew James, my aunt and uncle, and some friends from the East Coast. This is a hometown race for me. It’s the closest place we go to Rhode Island, where half my family’s from, so man, this feels really good to be able to do this here in front of them.”
Before stepping up to the provisional No. 1 spot during the day’s second qualifying run, DeJoria and her Neff/Lindberg-led team opened their weekend with a solid pass of 4.112 seconds at 301.47 mph in the heat of the day to place her in the top half of the field in the No. 7 position after the first session. The team’s consistent Friday performance is a continuation of the progress they have experienced since coming together under the John Force Racing banner over the off-season.
“The Funny Car class is very competitive,” added DeJoria, who also has two runner-up finishes and a Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win this season. “Any one of these cars can beat you on any given Sunday. I’ve been on both sides of that. My guys have done such a great job, they’ve got a good handle on the car. We’ve got a consistent race car and now they’re stepping it up and making it quicker and quicker, and it showed right there.”
With two qualifying sessions scheduled for Saturday, DeJoria will look to maintain her top-seeded position and earn the seventh No. 1 qualifier of her career. DeJoria, a semifinalist at last year’s event and the 2014 New England Nationals runner-up, will return to the seat of the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car when qualifying resumes at 11:30 a.m. ET, starting with Top Fuel.
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