Round Two of Testing in New Car Shows DeJoria Will be a Force to Reckon With in the

Round Two of Testing in New Car Shows DeJoria Will be a Force to Reckon With in the Nitro Fuel Class


Venice, CA (July 12, 2011) – Following the NHRA Nationals in Joliet, IL, Top Female Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria, stayed behind a day for Round Two of testing in her new Nitro Fuel Funny Car this past Monday looking comfortable and confident in her new role.

Alexis, who’s already looking to be very promising as a Fuel competitor based on previous test sessions, continued to display an exceptional skillset in handling the car earlier this week, making four total runs at the Joliet track.

Monday morning’s wet weather made for a hot and sticky track later that afternoon. The team made their first pass shortly after 1PM, and conditions were challenging by that point. In the first pass, Alexis went out to 750 feet at 241 mph in 4.39 seconds, and then clicked the car off, rather than making the full pass to 1000 feet. The purpose of this run was to gain data on the kind of conditions they were in, as the track was very different than what they had encountered at their previous test session in Norwalk, OH, and for Alexis to get comfortable with the restrictor plate.

Going into the next run, the temperature continued to increase rapidly and although the track was very greasy, Alexis was able to keep the car in the groove and handled the car well, resulting in a 4.38 at 280 mph on a full pass.

The third run proved to be slightly more tricky, but Alexis was able to adjust well. At 2.3 seconds into the run, the car dropped a cylinder, which can cause cars to move out of the groove. While the car did move slightly out of the groove, Alexis was able to drive it back in and continue with the run, finishing in 4.34 at 284 mph.

Her fourth and final run of the day proved to be her best. She ran a 4.29 at 293 mph- a phenomenal time and speed for the kind of complex conditions she was facing.

Team Kalitta’s DHL Funny Car Co-Crew Chief Nicky Boninfante, who was trackside for testing, was extremely impressed with Alexis’ performance saying “Alexis has once again continued to improve with each run and we feel very confident that she’s going to just get better and better. There is no doubt that she will be competitive. She’s proven that she can handle the car very well and her enthusiasm and her ability are going to take her very far in this sport.”

Jim Oberhofer, VP of Kalitta Motorsports, is also looking forward to officially having Alexis as part of his operation saying, “We’re very excited to be involved with both Alexis and her sponsor, Tequila Patrόn, and welcome them with open arms.” He went on to add “Alexis looks like a seasoned vet out there! She handled the car tremendously. If people didn’t know she was a rookie, they would never guess she’s just out there trying to get seat time.”

Alexis, who’s excited about making the transition from Top Alcohol to Fuel driver in Dallas, also finished the day in high spirits, remarking “It was another awesome day of testing! The guys did a great job prepping the car in these tough conditions, and I can’t wait to represent Patrόn in Dallas!”

Alexis currently has thirty-six Nitro test runs under her belt, and is planning on nineteen more prior to her Dallas debut at the NHRA Fall Nationals, September 23rd-25th.