NHRA U.S. Nationals
Event 15 of 21
Indianapolis Raceway Park
Indianapolis
Sept. 1 - 4, 2023
Alexis DeJoria Advances to Quarterfinals from No. 3 Seed at Indianapolis; Closes Out NHRA Regular-Season in Sixth Place
Qualified: No. 3 (3.888 E.T. at 331.77 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.889 E.T. at 331.61 MPH defeated Bobby Bode 4.187 E.T. at 253.90 MPH
E2: 3.973 E.T. at 326.48 MPH defeated by Cruz Pedregon 3.944 E.T. at 325.30 MPH
Qualified: No. 3 (3.888 E.T. at 331.77 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.889 E.T. at 331.61 MPH defeated Bobby Bode 4.187 E.T. at 253.90 MPH
E2: 3.973 E.T. at 326.48 MPH defeated by Cruz Pedregon 3.944 E.T. at 325.30 MPH
INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 4, 2023) – A solid qualifying effort coupled with a quarterfinal appearance at the NHRA U.S. Nationals yielded a sixth-place finish to the NHRA’s regular-season for Alexis DeJoria and the DC Motorsports team on Monday at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
DeJoria’s four-day weekend at IRP got off to a strong start. Right out of the gate, she unleashed with an impressive 3.888-second at 331.77 MPH blast during Friday night’s opening qualifying session. The run held up to be the third-quickest of qualifying and allowed DeJoria to bank two bonus points in the process. As the No. 3 seed, DeJoria drew No. 14 qualifier Bobby Bode as her first-round opponent on race day. It was clear crew chiefs Del Worsham and Nicky Boninfante weren’t taking their first competitor lightly when they tuned DeJoria’s machine to a stout 3.889 E.T. at 331.61 MPH pass. By clocking the quickest run of the session, DeJoria was able to easily defeat Bode’s 4.187-second effort. With the advantage of lane choice, DeJoria returned to the starting line ready to battle it out with her next opponent, Cruz Pedregon, in round two. She left the starting line first to score the holeshot advantage over Pedregon, but he was able to pull ahead by the time they reached the 60-foot marker and never trailed from there for the win.
“It was a good start to the U.S. Nationals for our Bandero GR Supra team,” said DeJoria, the 2014 U.S. Nationals Funny Car event champion. “We ran a 3.88 in qualifying which put us in the No. 3 position and got us a few points. We had a good, consistent car, ran low E.T. of first round. We ran well in the second round but unfortunately, just didn’t have quite enough to get past Cruz today.
“Very much looking forward to the Countdown,” she added. “This will be my seventh playoff appearance and there’s plenty of races left for us to move up and get that elusive win we’ve been chasing all year. We’ve been to three finals, some semifinals, and have qualified really well. We have one of the fastest cars out here, so I’m definitely ready to get to Maple Grove and get our playoff campaign started out on the right note. It’s a bummer when you go out second-round of the U.S. Nationals, especially since it’s such a big, long weekend. The fans were awesome here, as they always are, and I’ve got all the confidence in my team for a strong Countdown showing.”
DeJoria will begin the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, the first of the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoff series, from the No. 6 seed. Qualifying kicks off on Friday, Sept. 15 at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Funny Car Point Standings (Unofficial):
| 1 | Ron Capps | 1250 | |
| 2 | Matt Hagan | 1139 | |
| 3 | Robert Hight | 1068 | |
| 4 | Bob Tasca III | 985 | |
| 5 | J.R. Todd | 930 | |
| 6 | Alexis DeJoria | 926 | |
| 7 | Chad Green | 914 | |
| 8 | Tim Wilkerson | 902 | |
| 9 | John Force | 799 | |
| 10 | Cruz Pedregon | 738 |
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.
