Fluke Incidents Lead to a Short Race Weekend for the Alexis DeJoria Racing Team

Fluke Incidents Lead to a Short Race Weekend for the Alexis DeJoria Racing Team
Venice, CA (June 28, 2011) – After bad weather cost everyone a day of racing on Friday, the Alexis DeJoria Racing team was anxious to hit the track Saturday morning for the first qualifying round.

Prior to heading over to the starting line for the first round, the NHRA mandated auto-shutoff safety switch that prevents explosions, detonations, etc., malfunctioned. Given their close proximity to the sensor, however, this was not a complete surprise, and the team took proper measures to ensure this would not happen again at the starting line. While they thought they had the problem resolved prior to heading over to the track, the switch malfunctioned yet again, causing the chutes to pop out, and the car to shut down. The fluke incident forced them to forfeit the round and the team dropped to the bottom spot.

Thankfully, the second (and the team’s only!) qualifying run of the day proved to be a good one, as Alexis ran a 5.65, putting her in the number two spot. “That was a great run for us, and I was really happy with our time. Going into that round, I was nervous because it was our team’s only shot at qualifying. All that was going through my mind was ‘please let me just make it down the track,’ and we did- fast!” said the team’s driver, Alexis DeJoria. At the end of qualifying, Alexis was sitting in fifth, pitting her against Dan Pomponio for her first round of eliminations.
During that first round of eliminations on Saturday night, Alexis’ tack broke, causing the speedometer to drop down to zero, and preventing Alexis from being able to read her speed leaving the starting line. The car went out and shook, and although she tried to pedal it, Dan was already down the track, ending the race weekend for Team DeJoria.

The team felt a full day of testing was necessary and spent Monday on the track making passes and testing out different combinations. Crew member and team co-owner Nick Bastiao drove the car, as Alexis made test passes in her new Fuel car. After a thorough inspection, the crew found the issue, realizing the wheelie bar was a bit too stiff. Now that the issue has been resolved, Team DeJoria feels as if they’re right back to where they need to be, going into next week’s Nationals in Chicago.

The Alexis DeJoria Racing team will compete next at the 14th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Chicago, IL, July 8th- 10th.

About Alexis DeJoria
Alexis DeJoria, daughter of the famed John Paul DeJoria, of Paul Mitchell Systems, and Patrόn Spirits, is currently the Top Female Top Alcohol Funny Car Racer. Her team, Stealth Motorsports, co-operated by Alexis, is one of the few female-owned and operated teams in the industry. Alexis made racing history when she competed in the first ever ‘woman vs. woman’ race in her class in 2010, and she is the 2nd woman ever to win a Top Alcohol Funny Car race. Alexis is the female world record holder for the fastest and quickest speeds, and her car is currently the second fastest car in the world in the TAFC category. Alexis is also well-known for her infamous 2009 Englishtown, NJ crash.
Alexis, who has all the opportunity in the world to pursue any type of career, felt strongly about doing something she is passionate about, and she is proud to encourage and inspire young women to go after their dreams. Alexis’ need for adrenaline drove her to pursue the unlikely profession of auto-racing. The determination to ‘blaze her own trail’ continues to drive her and push her to higher levels in the dangerous, male dominated sport of drag racing. Alexis will transition into the Nitro Funny Car category in the fall of 2011. She will receive assistance from the Kalitta Motorsports team.

Media Contact info:
Alexis DeJoria, and members of Alexis DeJoria Racing are available for interview. Please contact Allison McCormick at (561) 279-7827 x306 or allison@alexisdejoria.com