Image Credit: Drag Illustrated

Topanga Canyon, CA (March 5, 2012)—The Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patr?n Toyota Camry Funny Car team is looking forward to getting back on track at the 43^rdAnnual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, FL this weekend.

While their last showing in Phoenix was disappointing, Team Patr?n isn’t letting it get them down. “Phoenix wasn’t what we had hoped it to be, but at the end of the day, everything that happened there simply came down to having some bad luck with mechanical parts. There was no mystery in trying to figure out exactly what went wrong; it was very straightforward, so thankfully getting the car prepared for Gainesville was an easy fix,” said Vice President of Kalitta Motorsports’ Jim Oberhofer.

“The car can run- we know that.  And we have an excellent team in place. I spent all of last week at the shop [Kalitta Motorsports headquarters in Ypsilanti, MI] with Del, and I know we’ll be just fine out in Gainesville,” adding, “Obviously there are some minor growing pains for him as a new crew chief, but as I told him ‘You learn something new every day in this sport, and the day you think you’re done learning, you probably shouldn’t do this anymore,’” Oberhofer said of his conversation with Team Patr?n Crew Chief Del Worsham.

Historically, this track has always been good to the team’s driver, Alexis DeJoria. It was at the Gatornationals last year that she broke two Top Alcohol Funny Car records for fastest speed (267.91-mph) and quickest elapsed time (5.446-seconds).  Currently, DeJoria holds the second fastest and quickest TAFC speeds in the world, as well as both female world records.

“I have so many good memories of Gainesville” said DeJoria. “I lived there for about two and a half years, so it was my ‘hometown’ track for a little while, and the first time I learned how to drive an Alcohol car was at Frank Hawley’s Racing School [located in Gainesville]. Plus, one of my favorite memories of Isabella [DeJoria’s daughter] from when she was little happened at that track- When I first starting testing with Bob Newberry [for TAFC] we were out at the track one day, and Bella was out there with us with her new ‘big girl’ bike and it was in that very parking lot that she learned how to ride a bike for the first time, so that’s very cool!”

DeJoria, who spent her time off training and snowboarding, is eager to get back in the driver’s seat and back out on the track. “I can’t wait to go to Gainesville for the first time with my Nitro car. Hopefully the Gatornationals will be as good to us in the Nitro car as it was when we were in the Alcohol car!”

Alexis DeJoria and the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patr?n Toyota Camry Funny Car team will compete this weekend at the 43^rd Annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals presented by NapaFilters.com, March 9^th-11^th. Qualifying begins at 12:30PM on Friday, March 9^th.   

About Alexis DeJoria

Alexis DeJoria, daughter of the famed John Paul DeJoria, co-founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems and proud owner of Tequila Patr?n, is a professional NHRA race car driver, competing in the Nitro Funny Car class on the Kalitta Motorsports team. She is their second Nitro Funny Car driver and fourth member of the team. Alexis drives a Tequila Patr?n-sponsored 2012 Toyota Camry.

Alexis had a successful career in the Top Alcohol Funny Car category where she co-owned and operated her team, and was one of the few females ever to do so. She left the TAFC category holding the title of Top Female Top Alcohol Funny Car Racer and 2011 NHRA Northwest Nationals TAFC event champion. Alexis made racing history when she competed in the first ever ‘woman vs. woman’ race in her class in 2010, and she is the 2^nd woman ever to win a TAFC race. She is currently the female world record holder for the fastest and quickest TAFC speeds. Alexis is also well-known for her infamous 2009 Englishtown, NJ crash.

Alexis, who had all the opportunity in the world to pursue any type of career, felt strongly about following her passion. 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.

About Kalitta Motorsports

Based in Ypsilanti, Mich., Kalitta Motorsports is a Top Fuel and Funny Car drag racing team in the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. The team was founded and is owned by drag racing icon Connie “the Bounty Hunter” Kalitta. For more than 50 years, Connie has been involved in the sport as a driver, tuner, and an owner. Kalitta Motorsports is one of the most successful teams in the history of auto racing with five world championships and over 50 national event titles in five different professional drag racing sanctioning bodies since it was established by Connie in 1959.

Media Contact info:

Alexis DeJoria and members of the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patr?n Funny Car team are available for interview. Please contact Allison McCormick at (305) 764-5377 orallison@alexisdejoria.com 

###