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For Immediate Release
DEJORIA BETTING ON A BIG FINISH
Five-Time Tour Winner Drives ROKiT/ABK Toyota on Her Favorite Track
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – With earlier mechanical issues apparently resolved, Alexis DeJoria and her ROKiT Phones/ABK Beer Toyota Camry loom as the biggest threat to the continued Funny Car dominance of Don Schumacher Racing this week when an abbreviated version of the NHRA Camping World tour speeds to a close at the 20th annual Dodge Finals.
Contested at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a track on which DeJoria has enjoyed her greatest success, the series finale provides the five-time tour winner and her crew chiefs, Del Worsham and Nicky Boninfante, an opportunity to show off what they’ve learned in a season meant to lay the foundation for a serious championship run in 2021.
“Words can’t describe how much I’m looking forward to this weekend with this Toyota and this race team on that racetrack,” she said.
Her enthusiasm is understandable. Over the last four races, she has qualified no worse than fifth while twice taking the distinctive red-and-black Camry to the semifinals, all of that despite a supercharger explosion at St. Louis and a catastrophic engine failure at Dallas that seriously impacted the team’s parts inventory.
With those issues behind her, the 2014 U.S. Nationals champion sped last week to the quickest time of the entire event at Houston (3.874 seconds) while accelerating to a finish line speed of 330.39 miles per hour, her best since returning to the tour this season after a two-year absence.
The Houston performance, Worsham and Boninfante’s ability to diagnose and positively address the mechanical issues and DeJoria’s history of Vegas success suggest that if anyone can stop the Schumacher juggernaut (which has delivered 13 straight Funny Car victories dating to 2019), it is the woman in the ROKiT Camry.
After all, she earned two of her five pro tour victories at The Strip, winning the spring race in both 2014 and 2016. Furthermore, LVMS is the only track on which she has reached the finals in both the Top Alcohol Funny Car and nitro Funny Car classes (she was the TAFC runner-up at the fall race in 2009).
Alexis DeJoria at the Dodge Nationals
NHRA CAMPING WORLD SERIES
Funny Car Driver Standings (After 10 of 11 events)
1. Matt Hagan, Christiansburg, Va., Mopar/Pennzoil Dodge 842
2.Tommy Johnson Jr., Avon, Ind., M.D. Anderson Hospital Dodge 800
3. Jack Beckman, Norco, Calif., Infinite Hero Dodge 799
4. Ron Capps, Carlsbad, Calif., NAPA Dodge 679
5. Bob Tasca III, Cranston, R.I., Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford 595
6. J.R. Todd, Indianapolis, Ind., DHL Toyota 584
7. Tim Wilkerson, Springfield, Ill., Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford 570
8. Alexis DeJoria, Austin, Texas, ROKiT/ABK Beer Toyota Camry 489
9. Cruz Pedregon, Brownsburg, Ind., Snap-on Tools Dodge 388
10. Paul Lee, Orange, Calif., FTI/Global Electronic Technology Dodge 383
* * * *
The ROKiT Report with Alexis DeJoria
Driver of the ROKiT Phones/ABK Beer/Lucas Oil Toyota Camry Funny Car
Event: 20th Dodge Nationals
Site: The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada
Defending Champions: Matt Hagan, Funny Car; Brittany Force, Top Fuel; Erica Enders, Pro Stock; Matt Smith, Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Total Starts (spring and fall races): 12
No. 1 Qualifier: 0
Final Rounds: 2
Wins: 2
Won-Lost record: 17-10
Alexis in the Dodge Nationals
2011 Las Vegas 2 11. Lost Bob Tasca III
2012 Las Vegas 2 DNQ
2013 Las Vegas 2 12. Beat Matt Hagan, Ron Capps; lost John Force
2014 Las Vegas 2 9. Lost Tommy Johnson Jr.
2015 Las Vegas 2 9. Beat John Force; lost Tommy Johnson Jr.
2016 Las Vegas 2 9. Lost Courtney Force
2017 Las Vegas 2 10. Beat Cruz Pedregon; lost Courtney Force
2018 Did Not Compete
2019 Did Not Compete
Alexis DeJoria at the Dodge Nationals
Alexis in the spring race (now the Denso Four-Wide Nationals)
2012 Las Vegas 1 14. Lost Jack Beckman
2013 Las Vegas 1 8. Beat John Force, Robert Hight; lost Cruz Pedregon
2014 Las Vegas 1 12. Beat Matt Hagan, Tony Pedregon, Cruz Pedregon and Robert Hight
2015 Las Vegas 1 4. Beat Courtney Force, Del Worsham; lost John Force
2016 Las Vegas 1 6. Beat Tommy Johnson Jr., Robert Hight, John Force and Del Worsham
2017 Las Vegas 1 8. Beat J.R. Todd; lost Gary Densham
2018 Did Not Compete
2019 Did Not Compete
2019 Race Not Contested
Track records: 3.835 seconds, 336.90 mph by Jack Beckman, 2019.
Best by Alexis: 3.909 seconds, 2016; 327.27 mph, 2017.
* * * *
ROKiT-ING Ahead
2021 NHRA Camping World Series
March 12-14 52nd Amalie GatornationalsGainesville, Fla.
March 26-28 40th NHRA Southern NationalsAtlanta, Ga.
April 9-11 61st Lucas Oil WinternationalsPomona, Calif.
April 16-1821st Denso Spark Plugs Four-Wide NationalsLas Vegas, Nev.
* * * *
Weekend ROKiT Launches
Saturday, nitro qualifying at 3 and 6:15 p.m., Central time
Sunday, first round eliminations at 12 noon, Central time
* * * *
ROKiT on TV
Sunday, Nov. 1, 9-11 a.m., Central time, qualifying highlights on Fox Sports 1 television
Sunday, Nov. 1, 3-6 p.m., Central time, race eliminations on Fox Sports 1 television
-www.alexisdejoriaracing.com-
DEJORIA BETTING ON A BIG FINISH
Five-Time Tour Winner Drives ROKiT/ABK Toyota on Her Favorite Track
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – With earlier mechanical issues apparently resolved, Alexis DeJoria and her ROKiT Phones/ABK Beer Toyota Camry loom as the biggest threat to the continued Funny Car dominance of Don Schumacher Racing this week when an abbreviated version of the NHRA Camping World tour speeds to a close at the 20th annual Dodge Finals.
Contested at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a track on which DeJoria has enjoyed her greatest success, the series finale provides the five-time tour winner and her crew chiefs, Del Worsham and Nicky Boninfante, an opportunity to show off what they’ve learned in a season meant to lay the foundation for a serious championship run in 2021.
“Words can’t describe how much I’m looking forward to this weekend with this Toyota and this race team on that racetrack,” she said.
Her enthusiasm is understandable. Over the last four races, she has qualified no worse than fifth while twice taking the distinctive red-and-black Camry to the semifinals, all of that despite a supercharger explosion at St. Louis and a catastrophic engine failure at Dallas that seriously impacted the team’s parts inventory.
With those issues behind her, the 2014 U.S. Nationals champion sped last week to the quickest time of the entire event at Houston (3.874 seconds) while accelerating to a finish line speed of 330.39 miles per hour, her best since returning to the tour this season after a two-year absence.
The Houston performance, Worsham and Boninfante’s ability to diagnose and positively address the mechanical issues and DeJoria’s history of Vegas success suggest that if anyone can stop the Schumacher juggernaut (which has delivered 13 straight Funny Car victories dating to 2019), it is the woman in the ROKiT Camry.
After all, she earned two of her five pro tour victories at The Strip, winning the spring race in both 2014 and 2016. Furthermore, LVMS is the only track on which she has reached the finals in both the Top Alcohol Funny Car and nitro Funny Car classes (she was the TAFC runner-up at the fall race in 2009).
Alexis DeJoria at the Dodge Nationals
NHRA CAMPING WORLD SERIES
Funny Car Driver Standings (After 10 of 11 events)
1. Matt Hagan, Christiansburg, Va., Mopar/Pennzoil Dodge 842
2.Tommy Johnson Jr., Avon, Ind., M.D. Anderson Hospital Dodge 800
3. Jack Beckman, Norco, Calif., Infinite Hero Dodge 799
4. Ron Capps, Carlsbad, Calif., NAPA Dodge 679
5. Bob Tasca III, Cranston, R.I., Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford 595
6. J.R. Todd, Indianapolis, Ind., DHL Toyota 584
7. Tim Wilkerson, Springfield, Ill., Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford 570
8. Alexis DeJoria, Austin, Texas, ROKiT/ABK Beer Toyota Camry 489
9. Cruz Pedregon, Brownsburg, Ind., Snap-on Tools Dodge 388
10. Paul Lee, Orange, Calif., FTI/Global Electronic Technology Dodge 383
* * * *
The ROKiT Report with Alexis DeJoria
Driver of the ROKiT Phones/ABK Beer/Lucas Oil Toyota Camry Funny Car
Event: 20th Dodge Nationals
Site: The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada
Defending Champions: Matt Hagan, Funny Car; Brittany Force, Top Fuel; Erica Enders, Pro Stock; Matt Smith, Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Total Starts (spring and fall races): 12
No. 1 Qualifier: 0
Final Rounds: 2
Wins: 2
Won-Lost record: 17-10
Alexis in the Dodge Nationals
2011 Las Vegas 2 11. Lost Bob Tasca III
2012 Las Vegas 2 DNQ
2013 Las Vegas 2 12. Beat Matt Hagan, Ron Capps; lost John Force
2014 Las Vegas 2 9. Lost Tommy Johnson Jr.
2015 Las Vegas 2 9. Beat John Force; lost Tommy Johnson Jr.
2016 Las Vegas 2 9. Lost Courtney Force
2017 Las Vegas 2 10. Beat Cruz Pedregon; lost Courtney Force
2018 Did Not Compete
2019 Did Not Compete
Alexis DeJoria at the Dodge Nationals
Alexis in the spring race (now the Denso Four-Wide Nationals)
2012 Las Vegas 1 14. Lost Jack Beckman
2013 Las Vegas 1 8. Beat John Force, Robert Hight; lost Cruz Pedregon
2014 Las Vegas 1 12. Beat Matt Hagan, Tony Pedregon, Cruz Pedregon and Robert Hight
2015 Las Vegas 1 4. Beat Courtney Force, Del Worsham; lost John Force
2016 Las Vegas 1 6. Beat Tommy Johnson Jr., Robert Hight, John Force and Del Worsham
2017 Las Vegas 1 8. Beat J.R. Todd; lost Gary Densham
2018 Did Not Compete
2019 Did Not Compete
2019 Race Not Contested
Track records: 3.835 seconds, 336.90 mph by Jack Beckman, 2019.
Best by Alexis: 3.909 seconds, 2016; 327.27 mph, 2017.
* * * *
ROKiT-ING Ahead
2021 NHRA Camping World Series
March 12-14 52nd Amalie GatornationalsGainesville, Fla.
March 26-28 40th NHRA Southern NationalsAtlanta, Ga.
April 9-11 61st Lucas Oil WinternationalsPomona, Calif.
April 16-1821st Denso Spark Plugs Four-Wide NationalsLas Vegas, Nev.
* * * *
Weekend ROKiT Launches
Saturday, nitro qualifying at 3 and 6:15 p.m., Central time
Sunday, first round eliminations at 12 noon, Central time
* * * *
ROKiT on TV
Sunday, Nov. 1, 9-11 a.m., Central time, qualifying highlights on Fox Sports 1 television
Sunday, Nov. 1, 3-6 p.m., Central time, race eliminations on Fox Sports 1 television
-www.alexisdejoriaracing.com-
