Alexis De Joria Fontana preview

De Joria returns to site of her first national event win

FONTANA, Calif. - A little less than one year ago, NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car rookie Alexis De Joria experienced her first taste of victory, taking the win in Super Comp at last year's Pacific SPORTSnationals at Auto Club Dragway at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Fast forward to present, and De Joria will be returning to the site of her first victory for the first time in her new Tequila Patrón/Jack O'Bannon Racing Dodge Charger Top Alcohol Funny Car for this weekend's Division 7 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event there.

De Joria, 29, of nearby Venice, Calif., hopes to rekindle some of the magic of her victory here last year. The daughter of Patrón Spirits Company and Paul Mitchell Hair Care Products founder John Paul De Joria also hopes to do well in front of her home town fans.

"I've been working real hard to get better each time out," said De Joria. "We have a cockpit simulator back at the shop, and I've been spending a lot of time working on getting everything just right. Randy Anderson and the guys give me a great car every time we go to the line, so I feel like it's only a matter of time before we turn the corner. I just need to get more laps under my belt. We're not giving up until we get there."

"I won my first race here last year, so hopefully we'll have another good weekend here," De Joria added.

The event marks the first time she will be joined by her teammate Sean O'Bannon in Top Alcohol Funny Car. O'Bannon started the year in Top Alcohol Dragster, but recently switched to Funny Car. De Joria is looking forward to having her teammate in the same category to learn from.

"I think it's great having Sean in a Funny Car now," said De Joria. "We can both learn together and share notes. I'm really looking forward to it."

Qualifying begins on Friday, with two more sessions on Saturday. Final eliminations will 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. Patrón 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. Find out more at www.PatronSpirits.com

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