Funny Car veteran Alexis DeJoria is set to return to action at this weekend’s NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway, an event she considers one of her hometown races.
DeJoria, driver of the Bandero Café Toyota GR Supra, spent much of her childhood in Narragansett, Rhode Island, and always looks forward to racing in front of a home crowd filled with family and friends.
“This weekend is shaping up to be a good one. We’re feeling well-prepped and refreshed,” said DeJoria. “Epping is one of my hometown races, which makes it extra exciting for me. I have some family and friends coming out and am hoping to put on a great show for them.”
With six career wins and six No. 1 qualifiers across 241 races, DeJoria is aiming to rebound from back-to-back first-round exits in Epping (2024) and Chicago (2025). Despite the early loss in Joliet, her team left with positive signs.
“All of our parts looked really clean after our last race out in Joliet. Unfortunately, we went out first round, but we also ran our best number of the season,” she said. “We continue to just creep up on it and I really like my crew chiefs’ approach to tuning the car. They keep it consistent and are careful not to go over center.”
Currently outside the top 10 in the standings, DeJoria is looking to June’s four-race stretch to gain ground and build consistency.
“Epping marks the start of four races over a five-week span. It’s a grueling time of year but can also be a great opportunity to refine your program and make sure you’re well-situated, points-wise, heading into the second-half of the season,” said DeJoria. “With back-to-backs like this, you get into a mode of consistency and progression, and for us, I feel like we’re doing really well so this will be a chance to build on that.”
This story was originally published on May 28, 2025. 
