Going into a new season with a new car, new crew chiefs, and a new team can come with its fair share of challenges, but Alexis DeJoria and her Bandero Café Funny Car team performed like they’ve worked together for years at Sunday’s NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. Led by crew chiefs Mike ‘Zippy’ Neff and Todd Smith under the JCM Racing umbrella, DeJoria charged to a semifinal finish at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season opener. Now ranked third in the Funny Car points standings, DeJoria leaves Gainesville with her confidence at an all-time high.
DeJoria joined JCM Racing over the offseason to form NHRA’s first all-female nitro team with Ida Zetterström as her Top Fuel teammate. The duo made its debut on the perfect weekend, as the team celebrated International Women’s Day on Saturday.
In Friday’s opening qualifying session, DeJoria fired off a 3.932-second pass at 324.75 mph to sit solidly in the field in the No. 5 spot. She launched hard in the second qualifying session, but when she started moving around down track, she wisely lifted off the throttle. After Saturday’s two qualifying sessions were canceled due to inclement weather, DeJoria ended up No. 7 on the final qualifying order.
DeJoria and the rest of the Funny Car class waited out a long rain delay that started with just two pairs of Top Fuel left to run Sunday morning. When racing fired up again, DeJoria paired up with fellow Texas resident Terry Haddock. DeJoria grabbed a sizable starting line advantage and powered to a 3.921 E.T. at 329.75 mph to turn on her first win light of the new season. The victory came with some extra work, though, as an explosion at the finish line caused damage to the upstart team’s only Funny Car body. A mad thrash ensued in the JCM Racing pits as the Top Fuel and Funny Car teams worked together to get the Bandero Café entry repaired and ready for the second round.
“Had a great light and ran low E.T. of the session, which was a huge confidence booster,” DeJoria said. “We only had two months to get this program together, so we only have one body and one chassis. Ida’s whole team came over to help us out, and being part of this multi-car team is really incredible because when one team goes out, the other team rushes in and all hands are on deck. My dad was helping me pack the parachutes. Top Fuel cars were running and we hadn’t even warmed up yet. Luckily, we were last pair, but still, I don’t know how we pulled this off, but we did.”
The thrash was worth it, as DeJoria went on to defeat Bob Tasca III in the second round. She left first and continued to lead through the finish line with a 3.999-second run at 322.58 mph, while Tasca lost traction early. In the semifinals, DeJoria was off the line first for the third consecutive round, but her hot rod went silent around 300 feet down the track, allowing Ron Capps to move on.
The Gatornationals was a feel-good weekend for DeJoria, who was surrounded by family while she was going rounds on Sunday. She also spent some quality time with her team, going through the highs of win lights to the tense moments of a mid-round thrash together.
“The joy and the stoke in everybody’s eyes here on this team is real,” DeJoria said. “What a bonding experience this has been for our brand-new team. To make it to the semifinals was truly a statement. We went through a couple of blocks. We still have our body, we still have our chassis, and we still have our pride. I’m going to hold my head up high. I had better lights every round. My confidence is through the roof right now and that is a dangerous spot.
“We’re leaving here in the No. 3 spot at our very first race as a brand-new team and that’s something to be proud of,” DeJoria continued. “Mike Neff, Todd Smith, all these guys on this Bandero Funny Car for JCM Racing, we’re killing it right off the bat.”
DeJoria and the Bandero Café Funny Car team will head West for the NHRA Arizona Nationals, March 21-23, at Firebird Motorsports Park outside Phoenix where DeJoria claimed her first professional win in 2014.
This story was originally published on March 10, 2025. 
