Mon, 23 Mar 2026, 18:14 PM Alexis DeJoria Puts Phoenix in the Rearview After Early Exit

Courtesy of Allison McCormick, ABM Communications =20

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FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs <= br> Event 2 of 20
Firebird Motorsports Park
Chandler, Ariz.
March 20-22, 2026 =20

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CHANDLER, Ariz. (March 22, 2026) - After a phenomenal start to her tenure w= ith John Force Racing (JFR), Alexis DeJoria was eager to hit the track at Firebird Motorsports Pa= rk and contend for her second Arizona Nationals trophy, but a red-light start against teammate Jor= dan Vandergriff in the opening round of eliminations Sunday dashed her hopes of reaching the final= round for the second consecutive event.=20

=20 An unprecedented Arizona heat wave created challenging race conditions as d= rivers and crews worked to master the hot, greasy track. In the first session of qualifying, DeJoria d= emonstrated why drag racing legend John Force selected her to join his esteemed program. Her Ban= dero Caf=E9 Funny Car got loose after dropping a cylinder around the half-track mark, but the veteran= driver expertly handled the 12,000-horsepower vehicle and powered to a solid run of 4.081 seconds a= t 298.47 mph.=20

=20 In the second qualifying opportunity on Friday, DeJoria drove her Chevrolet= SS to the second-fastest pass of the session, laying down a 4.150 at 272.78 to score two championshi= p bonus points.=20

=20 By advancing to the semifinals at the season opener in Gainesville, Fla., D= eJoria secured her spot in the first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the season on Saturday. She won= the inaugural race-within-a-race at Phoenix in 2023. Facing J.R. Todd in a rematch of the= ir Gatornationals semifinals pairing during Q3, DeJoria ran into tire smoke and ceded the win= to Todd, who went on to win the bonus event.

=20 At the conclusion of qualifying, DeJoria settled into the No. 12 starting p= osition for eliminations, where she inadvertently stood on the throttle early against No. 5 qualifier= Vandergriff, giving him the round win.=20

=20 "It's been a tricky weekend," said DeJoria, who leaves Arizona ranked sixth= in the Funny Car standings. "We didn't make any full pulls down the racetrack. We were lucky= to get a 4.08 out of that first run when it smoked the tires, and I had to drive it a bit at the top = end. This morning, we had to race one of our teammates, Jordan Vandergriff. On one side, at least one= of us went to the second round, but it's never ideal when you have to go up against a teammate. It's= been ridiculously hot out here. I feel really bad for the guys on the crew who've been working so har= d in this 106-degree weather, just so I could go out there and red light."

=20 DeJoria and her John Force Racing Bandero Caf=E9 Chevrolet SS Funny Car tea= m will now set their sights on redemption at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals, April 10-12, at her ho= me track, In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, in Pomona, Calif.

=20 Qualified: No. 12 (4.081 E.T. at 298.47 MPH)

Elimination Round Results:
E1: Foul (Red light) defeated by Jordan Vandergriff 3.984 E.T. at 318.62 MP= H

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NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car Point Standings (Unofficial=
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1	Chad Green	174
2	Ron Capps	156
2	Spencer Hyde	156
4	J.R. Todd	140
5	Matt Hagan	135
6	Alexis DeJoria	126
7	Jordan Vandergriff	125
8	Paul Lee	111
9	Dan Wilkerson	107
10	Jack Beckman	74