NHRA New England Nationals
Event 7 of 21
Contested at Bristol Dragway
DeJoria Out Early at Postponed Epping Race, Will Start Saturday at Bristol from Provisional No. 5 Spot
Qualified (Epping): No. 10 (6.816 E.T. at 102.35 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.999 E.T. at 322.88 MPH defeated by Robert Hight 3.938 E.T. at 321.35 MPH
Qualified (Epping): No. 10 (6.816 E.T. at 102.35 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.999 E.T. at 322.88 MPH defeated by Robert Hight 3.938 E.T. at 321.35 MPH
BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 9, 2023) – After rain canceled the final qualifying session and all four rounds of eliminations at the NHRA New England Nationals in Epping, N.H. last weekend, Camping World Series competitors headed south to Bristol Dragway to complete the event during qualifying for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
DeJoria qualified her Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota GR Supra 10th for the New England event and drew Robert Hight as her first-round competitor. Before eliminations got underway on Friday night, teams were given the opportunity for a ‘shakedown’ run during the first round of qualifying for the Bristol, Tenn. event. DeJoria was on a decent pass in her 11,000-horsepower machine but struck the tires as she was approaching halftrack and slowed to a 4.378, placing her 12th on the Bristol qualifying sheet after the first session.
DeJoria pulled up to the starting line for the second qualifying session with two goals in mind – defeat Hight to advance further into the New England Nationals elimination show, and improve upon her qualifying position. Against Hight, DeJoria clocked a 3.999 E.T. but was outpaced by his 3.938-second run. While DeJoria will now have to wait until Sunday to have another shot at more round wins, she did accomplish her goal of moving into the quick-half of the Bristol field with her 3.999-second pass placing her in the provisional No. 5 spot heading into day two of qualifying.
“It’s very challenging to come from the sea level conditions at Epping to here at Bristol with a significant elevation change, and we also haven’t been running very well lately, which is kind of a bummer,” said DeJoria’s crew chief Del Worsham. “To go down the track in Q2 was good; important for us. We made a decent run and that gives us something to work on for Saturday. Now we have to work on getting some good data for Sunday’s race day tune-up so when those race day challenges arise, we have some answers for them.”
Qualifying for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals resumes on Saturday, June 10 at 2:00 p.m. DeJoria and the Bandero Premium Tequila team will start from the provisional No. 5 position.
About DC Motorsports
DC Motorsports is an NHRA Funny Car team competing on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series circuit thanks to the support of Bandero Premium Tequila, ROKiT, Toyota, and Mobil 1. Established in 2020, the team is co-owned by crew chief and two-time NHRA world champion Del Worsham and driver Alexis DeJoria.About Alexis DeJoria
Alexis DeJoria is a professional race car driver competing in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series’ Funny Car category. She is a Top 10-ranked driver, and including her prestigious 2014 U.S. Nationals triumph, DeJoria is a six-time NHRA national event Funny Car champion.Prior to making her professional debut in 2011, DeJoria found success competing in the NHRA’s Super Comp and Top Alcohol Funny Car categories where she notched wins in both, making her an eight-time race winner overall. DeJoria is the only driver to own the trifecta of Super Comp, Top Alcohol Funny Car, and Funny Car victories. The Austin, Texas resident became the first woman to clock a sub-four second Funny Car pass in 2014, and is currently in pursuit of becoming the series’ first female Funny Car world champion.
