NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Alexis DeJoria has enjoyed success at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the annual NHRA spring race but has never captured a win in the four-wide setting that will be part of this weekend’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.

The good news for the Funny Car standout is she’s off to one of the best starts in her career, currently sitting third in points in her 11,000-horsepower Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota Supra GR. DeJoria, who won at the Las Vegas spring race in both 2014 and 2016, has posted a pair of semifinal finishes in the first three events in the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, along with a victory in the new Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge.

It all leaves DeJoria excited for what could go down at the four-wide event this year. She was in the final quad a season ago, just missing out on her first four-wide triumph. But her team is clicking in an impressive way, and a victory in Las Vegas at one of the biggest spectacles in motorsports would only add to that.

“I’ve won the spring Las Vegas race twice, but those wins were from before we switched to the four-wide format,” DeJoria said. “Our Bandero GR Supra has been quick and consistent all year, and I truly believe a win is right around the corner for our DC Motorsports team. We advanced to the final elimination quad at last year’s Vegas race, and I feel like we have everything we need to get the job done this weekend.”
 
Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) were last year’s winners of a race that will again be broadcast on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) this year, including eliminations beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 16. It’s the fourth of 21 races during the 2023 season, and DeJoria has enjoyed what her team, led by crew chief Del Worsham, has built early in the year.
 
They’ve qualified second at the past two events as well, adding to the team’s momentum. It’s been an ideal turnaround for DeJoria after she finished seventh in 2022 and didn’t pick up a victory. She appears on the verge of something big this year, but grabbing a victory against a top-notch Funny Car field won’t be easy.
 
Points leader Matt Hagan has won two of the first three races, while other standout contenders include defending world champion Capps, Phoenix winner Robert Hight, Bob Tasca III, Cruz Pedregon, J.R. Todd, 16-time world champ John Force, Tim Wilkerson, and Chad Green.
 
DeJoria, though, is thrilled about the progress her entire group has made. They’ve taken strong steps in qualifying, which has set the team up well for eliminations, which she hopes to continue taking advantage of at the first four-wide race of the year.

 
“Everything has really started to come together as of late,” said DeJoria, who has six career Funny Car victories. “I’m especially excited because we’re back to four qualifying runs this weekend, all of which are in the middle of the day. As long as we continue our trend of performing well during qualifying, we’ll be in a really good position, armed with some really good data, to make it a long race day, and hopefully end our Sunday with our first four-wide Wally.”

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. PT on Friday, April 14, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, April 15 at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Eliminations will begin at noon PT on Sunday, April 16. Television coverage includes qualifying action at 9:30 p.m. ET on both Friday and Saturday on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), leading into eliminations coverage at 9:30 p.m. ET on Sunday at FS1.
 
To purchase tickets to the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. Children 12 and under are free in general-admission areas with the purchase of an adult ticket.