DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (June 18, 2013)— With the second of a string of four back-to-back races just days away, there’s no rest for the weary as Alexis DeJoria and her Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrón Toyota Camry Funny Car team head due north this week for the highly anticipated inaugural event at New England Dragway, the Auto-Plus NHRA New England Nationals in Epping, N.H.

The Patrón team, which counts their past race in Bristol, Tenn. as a success, is looking forward to riding the momentum into the newest stop on the 24 race NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour.  The NHRA has posted numerous reports regarding the incredible fan response for the northeastern race, and DeJoria is looking to leave a lasting impression amongst a new set of fans.

“After last weekend, I feel pretty charged,” DeJoria, an Austin-transplant, says. “I know the team feels pretty pumped right now as well. We got past first round in Bristol, which was good because that has been a struggle for us over the past few races.”

“I’m looking forward to going somewhere we’ve never raced before. It’s kind of nice knowing that this is a new experience for all teams. We’re all going into this race on an even playing field. No one has any prior information from this track, so we all get to go into this race on equal footing. Everyone wants to be the ‘first’ one to win here- to carve out their own piece of history at this track. Of course, we want that too. We want a win so badly, so it would be doubly sweet to not only get to hoist our first Wally, but to do so and make history at the same time would be extra special.”

“I’m very much looking forward to meeting a brand new fan base. I know that the fans in the area have been itching for the NHRA to bring a national event to the area for a while, so I think the energy and the overall vibe at the track this weekend is just going to be incredible. Plus, I’m going to have some of my own personal fans out at the track this weekend. I have family in Rhode Island that will come out. The only other race they’ve been to was Englishtown, so they’re all very excited to check out a new track. It’s always an extra little bonus to have family support at a race- it provides an added boost.”

DeJoria, who sits in the No. 12 spot with 441 points— 73 points out of the NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship Top Ten list— knows the importance of needing to go rounds this weekend. “It’s not crunch time just yet, but we’re getting close. We badly need to add some more round wins to our total count this weekend. The past two races have been very helpful for us, in regards to Tommy [DeLago, crew chief] being able to gather new information. We’re looking forward to taking what we’ve learned and applying it at a new venue this weekend, and hopefully we can put on a good show for the fans.”

Alexis DeJoria and her Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrón Toyota Camry Funny Car team will begin qualifying for the NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway in Epping, N.H., at 5:30PM EST on Friday, June 21.  For more information, please visit www.alexisdejoria.com. Follow us on Twitter: @ADR_Nitro771 and Like Us on Facebook: Alexis DeJoria.

TV Schedule

Qualifying

June 22, 8PM-10PM EST

ESPN2

Eliminations

June 23, 7PM-10PM EST

ESPN2

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. Alexis drives a Tequila Patr?n-sponsored 2013 Toyota Camry. Alexis, who had all the opportunity in the world to pursue any type of career, felt strongly about following her passion, and her 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 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) Mello Yello 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.