Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals
Event 9 of 21
Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park
Norwalk, Ohio
June 23 - 25, 2023
Alexis DeJoria Ready to Put Norwalk in the Rear View, Move On to Denver
Qualified: No. 4 (3.901 E.T. at 331.20 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.923 E.T. at 330.23 MPH defeated Paul Lee 12.466 E.T. at 56.14 MPH
E2: Foul (red light) defeated by Blake Alexander 5.144 E.T. at 144.66 MPH
NORWALK, Ohio (June 25, 2023) – After laying down the quickest elapsed time of the opening round of Funny Car eliminations at the NHRA Norwalk Nationals on Sunday, Alexis DeJoria was ready to race to her second consecutive final round following her successful Bristol, Tenn. outing. Unfortunately, DeJoria’s Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota GR Supra left the starting line just .003 seconds too soon in the quarterfinals to end her day at Summit Motorsports Park.Qualified: No. 4 (3.901 E.T. at 331.20 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.923 E.T. at 330.23 MPH defeated Paul Lee 12.466 E.T. at 56.14 MPH
E2: Foul (red light) defeated by Blake Alexander 5.144 E.T. at 144.66 MPH
DeJoria’s best performance of the weekend came in the first qualifying session on Friday. She recorded a 3.901-second E.T. at 331.20 MPH, the second-quickest pass of the session, to earn two bonus points. She made another solid pass in the second session on Saturday, but it was that 3.901 that gave DeJoria the No. 4 spot for Sunday’s elimination rounds.
Thanks to DC Motorsports crew chief Del Worsham, DeJoria’s sub-4-second performances continued into race day. In the second pair of Funny Cars, DeJoria fired off a 3.923 E.T. at 330.23 MPH to defeat Paul Lee, setting low E.T. of the round in the process. In the second round, she turned on the red light by just .003 seconds to Blake Alexander, the eventual Norwalk Funny Car event champion.
“Del and Nicky (Boninfante) and the guys give me such a good car,” DeJoria said. “We have the car to beat right now. It is very consistent. Whether it is hot and sunny or cool and cloudy, we have got a great set-up. You get pressured sometimes as a driver. You want to do your best for everybody, for yourself, and for your team and you want to go rounds. We’re right on the cusp of a win, and I want to deliver that for my team so badly. I got a little over center and I think I wanted it a little too much and obviously, ended up with a red light today.
“We have two weeks off and I’m going to take this time to get back on my simulator,” she continued. “I haven’t been home in a while, so I’m going to get back there, get on my simulator, and just practice every day until that red light is erased from my memory. I’m looking forward to a fresh start on the Western Swing.”
DeJoria will go into the first race of the Western Swing, the NHRA Mile-High Nationals, July 14-16, at Bandimere Speedway, occupying the No. 5 position in the Funny Car rankings.
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Funny Car Point Standings (Unofficial):
| 1 | Matt Hagan | 679 | |
| 2 | Ron Capps | 675 | |
| 3 | Robert Hight | 610 | |
| 4 | Chad Green | 593 | |
| 5 | Alexis DeJoria | 586 | |
| 6 | Bob Tasca III | 579 | |
| 7 | Tim Wilkerson | 508 | |
| 8 | John Force | 483 | |
| 9 | J.R. Todd | 418 | |
| 10 | Cruz Pedregon | 404 |
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.
