Alexis DeJoria Powers Season-Best Run at Route 66 Nationals

Alexis DeJoria delivered her strongest performance of the season at the Route 66 Nationals on Sunday. Her run in the Bandero Café Funny Car during the opening round of eliminations set a new season best for the JCM Racing team.

DeJoria, paired against longtime rival Ron Capps, sped to a 3.913-second elapsed time at 330.23 mph. This marked her quickest and fastest pass of the weekend, providing a positive boost as the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series heads into its busy summer stretch.

The Route 66 Nationals saw DeJoria and her team continue to push their program forward. In qualifying, she managed a 3.997-second pass at 324.05 mph during the second attempt, the first 3-second Funny Car run of the event.

That pass held up as the second-quickest in the round, earning DeJoria two valuable bonus points. Tire smoke cut her first qualifying run short, and in the third session—a round that doubled as the first stage of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge—she launched strong but lost traction, forcing her to lift.

After a similar early loss of traction in the final qualifying session, DeJoria finished 11th in the order.

The elimination round on Sunday paired DeJoria with Capps for the 30-plus time in their careers. Off the starting line, DeJoria accelerated hard and matched her season-best numbers.

Capps reached the finish line just ahead with a 3.905-second run to take the win, but DeJoria’s impressive numbers highlighted the growing strength of the JCM Racing team.

Afterward, DeJoria praised her crew chiefs, Mike Neff and Todd Smith, for their methodical approach to tuning. She said the team is being smart with its changes, avoiding unnecessary risks, and is starting to uncover more potential with the car.

DeJoria explained that despite a challenging weekend, the team achieved its best numbers of the season, and she felt grateful for the effort and skill of everyone involved. The Bandero Café Charger finished the event in good shape, and DeJoria reported there were no issues with the car or its parts.

The team now turns its attention to the upcoming NHRA New England Nationals in Epping, scheduled for May 30 to June 1. With 250 points, DeJoria sits just outside the top 10 in the Mission Foods NHRA standings, while leaders Austin Prock, Jack Beckman, and Matt Hagan continue to battle up front.

DeJoria and her team are optimistic about continuing their momentum as the season progresses. Several other drivers, including Brittany Force, J.R. Gray, and Jack Beckman, also made headlines at Route 66 Raceway, adding more excitement to an already competitive season.

As the NHRA tour continues to travel across the country, racers and fans can expect more close races and faster runs at each stop. The Route 66 Nationals not only highlighted DeJoria’s progress with JCM Racing but also reminded fans of the unpredictable and exciting nature of drag racing, as detailed in the Route 66 NHRA preview.

For DeJoria and the Bandero Café team, the focus now shifts to Epping, where they aim to build on their recent gains and make an even stronger push as the season heats up.

John Martinez

John Martinez delivers real-time NASCAR Cup Series and Truck Series news, from live race updates to pit-lane strategy analysis. A graduate of the University of Northwestern Ohio’s Motorsports Technology program, he breaks down rule changes, driver tactics, and championship points with crystal-clear reporting.