Alexis De Joria Dallas preview

De Joria hoping for some birthday luck in Dallas

ENNIS, Texas - NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car rookie Alexis De Joria will be looking for a little birthday luck and to give herself the ultimate gift as she and the Tequila Patrón/Jack O'Bannon Racing Team go for the gold at this weekend's O'Reilly Fall Nationals presented by Castrol at the Texas Motorplex just south of Dallas. De Joria will turn 30 on the Monday following the event and hopes the weekend will be a 250 mph birthday party.

De Joria, from Venice, Calif., is also excited that her father John Paul De Joria, who founded Patrón Spirits Company and Paul Mitchell Hair Care Products and other family will be in attendance all weekend. While her father has seen her run, this will mark his first full event.

"There's a lot going on this weekend," said De Joria. "I'm really excited about it. I turn 30 on Monday, so we'll be celebrating my birthday all weekend. My dad lives in Austin, so he's coming up with his wife and my brothers, so this will be the first race my family will be there all weekend. I usually do well when my dad is around. He's like my good luck charm."

"I've been working really hard to become the best driver I can be," De Joria continued. "I've been riding my bike almost 10 miles a day to build up my leg strength, and it's starting to pay off. Both of the team cars have been fighting a lot of tire shake lately, but Randy [Anderson - Crew Chief and former World Champion] and the guys have been working real hard to get the car figured out. They completely stripped them down after Bakersfield a couple weeks ago. Jack O'Bannon has really put together a quality team, so I have all the faith in the world in those guys. Maybe with my dad and my birthday, we'll get a little luck on our side and go a few rounds with this Tequila Patrón hot rod."

Qualifying begins on Friday for the alcohol cars, with two sessions followed by one final session Saturday afternoon. Eliminations begin with round one Saturday evening and conclude the event on Sunday.

About The Patrón Spirits Company:
Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, the company's eight distinctive products now share the Patrón label; Gran Patrón Platinum, Patrón Añejo, Patrón Reposado, Patrón Silver, Patrón XO Café, Patrón Citrónge, Pyrat Cask 23, Pyrat XO Reserve. Each brand is the finest in their category. The newest, Gran Patrón Platinum, is an extraordinary triple distilled pure tequila. sPatrón Tequila is today, the world’s number one ultra premium tequila. In 2004 & 2005, Patrón Tequila was recognized with the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences Five Star Diamond Award. Patrón is the first spirits brand ever to receive this prestigious honor. Patrón Tequila continues to set new sales records every year.

To find out more about the Jack O'Bannon Racing Team, visit their website at www.JackOBannonRacing.com

To find out more about Jack O'Bannon Racing's quality partners, visit these websites:

www.PatronSpirits.com - Find out more about the world's number one tequila - Tequila Patrón.

www.ForestRiverInc.com - Find out more about America's largest producer of towable RV's and Cargo Trailers

www.HoosierRacingTire.com - "Tires Designed for Champions"

www.LE-Inc.com - Lubrication Engineers - "Leaders in Lubrication"

Contact: Will Hanna/ Pro Race Communications
Email: Will.Hanna@InsideTopAlcohol.com