Topanga Canyon, CA (April 25, 2012) — A comprehensive simulated test session at the Lockheed Martin Low Speed Wind Tunnel at Lockheed Martin’s Marietta, Georgia facility coupled with a day spent testing in the hot Carolina sun following the NHRA FourWide race has provided the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patron Toyota Camry Funny with new critical information which will be applied to this weekend’s 25^th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals event.

After a successful weekend at the NHRA FourWide race in Charlotte, NC, Del Worsham, crew chief for Team Patr?n, stayed behind and spent the day testing a new clutch combination that he has been fine tuning all season long with the DHL Funny Car team. While Worsham saw excellent results with the clutch combination and plans to implement it this weekend, another benefit of the test day was being able to run the DHL Funny Car (which is setup identically to the Patron Funny Car) in warm and humid weather conditions.

It is no secret that the Houston track has always been a tricky one because of the typical hot and humid weather conditions experienced in the region at this time of the year. This weekend’s forecast proves to be no exception, with temperatures forecasted in the middle-to-high 80’s (degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday and Saturday, which could mean anywhere from 120 to 123 degree track temperatures, making it the hottest weather seen so far in the 2012 NHRA season. The hot and muggy weather typically makes figuring out just the right tuning combination that much more complicated for crew chiefs. While the track temperatures in Charlotte were not quite as high during Worsham’s test session, the conditions were the most similar to what the team anticipates this weekend in Houston. “This is the first race this year that we’ll be dealing with this type of weather, so I’m glad we had that extra day in Charlotte to send the car down the track and see how it responded in a somewhat similar environment,” said Worsham.

Following Monday’s testing, the Patron team visited the Lockheed Martin Low Speed Wind Tunnel, one of the premiere test centers of its kind in the country, with Toyota engineers. Testing went well and while the comprehensive in-depth report from the Toyota engineering experts is not yet available, the Patr?n team was still able to learn new information about the body that can be applied this weekend. “We learned a lot right off the bat at Lockheed Martin. Even without the full data report, we were still able to take a lot of what we learned that day and apply it to the car. It was definitely a successful and worthwhile trip. Hopefully, once the engineering team is able to get all the numbers crunched and get everything analyzed, that information will help us figure out how to create the maximum amount of downforce with less drag, which should lead to faster speeds and better elapsed times,” said Jim Oberhofer, VP of Kalitta Motorsports. The state-of-the-art facility has long been a staple for testing large-scale aircraft models, government and commercial automobiles, and race cars at wind speeds of up to 200 miles per hour.

Armed with this new information, the black-and-green Kalitta Motorsports team feels more confident than ever going into this weekend. “It’s just been a very positive past few weeks for us. We’ve been consistent at the last few events and have learned a lot lately, so obviously we’re all looking forward to this weekend. For me personally, this weekend is always a special race. Back in 1989 Scott Kalitta won his very first race in Funny Car at this track, and I was lucky enough to be a part of the team working as the ‘bottom end guy’ at that time. Our organization has come so far since those days and it’s just always nice to revisit the track where Scott had his first big win,” said Oberhofer, adding “It would be cool for Alexis [driver of the Patr?n Funny Car] to get her first win here where Scott got his.”

As for DeJoria, she’s eagerly awaiting her return to the driver’s seat.  “The car has been doing so well these last couple of races. The team has been happy because we know our car can do well. I had a weekend off to spend with the family and I’m ready to make some more passes in my Tequila Patr?n Nitro Funny Car.”

Alexis DeJoria and the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patron Toyota Camry Funny Car team will compete this weekend at the 25^th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries in Baytown, TX, April 27^th-29^th.  Qualifying begins at 3:30PM on Friday. Prior, Alexis DeJoria will be participating in theO’Reilly Spring Nationals Golf tournament at Wildcat Golf Course on Wednesday, April 25^th from 10AM-12PM.

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.