PHOENIX, Ariz. (February 24, 2013)— Despite a disappointing first round loss at the 29th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals this morning, Alexis DeJoria and the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patr?n Toyota Camry Funny Car team leave Firebird International Raceway feeling as if they’re one step closer to finding the right tune-up for their 10,000-horsepower fuel Funny Car.
After two days of fairly consistent qualifying runs, Team Patr?n entered race day in the No. 11 spot with their run of 4.157-seconds at 303.09-mph from Q2. DeJoria, affectionately known as ‘La Patr?na’ by her fans was matched up against seasoned veteran John Force in round one of eliminations. The tree lit up and DeJoria was quick off the line with her 0.091-sec reaction time, the third fastest of the round. The black and green Toyota Camry ran a nice, clean 4.164-sec at 305.22-mph, but it wasn’t enough to take out Force and advance to round two.
“After Pomona, it was tough to go out in the first round today, but the good news is, we’ve resolved those odd mechanical issues from last weekend,” said DeJoria. “Coming out to Phoenix, it was a fresh start. We didn’t make it down the track on every run, but we did make a good solid 4.157 [sec] pass that landed us in the No. 11 qualifying spot going into race day today. We got to compete on Sunday and that’s always a good thing. We’re scratching away at it- it’s [the car] not where we want it to be by any means, but we are making progress- we’re getting closer and closer. We’re going in to Gainesville with our heads held high. We were one of the only cars that made it down the left lane today. It wasn’t the best run but it was a good run. I feel good. I know were going to get it and when we do, look out because we’re going to be a terror!”
Alexis DeJoria and the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patr?n Toyota Camry Funny Car team compete next at the 44th annual NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.
From: Allison McCormick
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After two days of fairly consistent qualifying runs, Team Patr?n entered race day in the No. 11 spot with their run of 4.157-seconds at 303.09-mph from Q2. DeJoria, affectionately known as ‘La Patr?na’ by her fans was matched up against seasoned veteran John Force in round one of eliminations. The tree lit up and DeJoria was quick off the line with her 0.091-sec reaction time, the third fastest of the round. The black and green Toyota Camry ran a nice, clean 4.164-sec at 305.22-mph, but it wasn’t enough to take out Force and advance to round two.
“After Pomona, it was tough to go out in the first round today, but the good news is, we’ve resolved those odd mechanical issues from last weekend,” said DeJoria. “Coming out to Phoenix, it was a fresh start. We didn’t make it down the track on every run, but we did make a good solid 4.157 [sec] pass that landed us in the No. 11 qualifying spot going into race day today. We got to compete on Sunday and that’s always a good thing. We’re scratching away at it- it’s [the car] not where we want it to be by any means, but we are making progress- we’re getting closer and closer. We’re going in to Gainesville with our heads held high. We were one of the only cars that made it down the left lane today. It wasn’t the best run but it was a good run. I feel good. I know were going to get it and when we do, look out because we’re going to be a terror!”
Alexis DeJoria and the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patr?n Toyota Camry Funny Car team compete next at the 44th annual NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.
From: Allison McCormick
More...
