Alexis DeJoria, DC Motorsports ROKiT Toyota Camry Funny Car
Notes:
– Following a two-year hiatus after retiring to spend more time with her family, Alexis DeJoria returned to the seat of the ROKiT Toyota Camry Funny Car at the season-opening 2020 NHRA Lucas Oil Winternationals in Pomona with the newly formed DC Motorsports. After going through the expected early growing pains, DeJoria excelled in the last half of the season. She was the only Funny Car driver to qualify in the top five in each of the season’s final five events and was fourth in points after the series left Indianapolis, registering three semi-final showings in the last four races.
– With five career victories, DeJoria is one of three women to win in the Funny Car ranks. She will head to Gainesville looking for her first Gatornationals title.
Quotes:
How much different is it heading into this season compared to coming out of retirement?
After a partial season last year, I definitely feel more confident in the car. After being off for two years, last year was just getting re-acclimated with everything. I think I did a pretty good job. Towards the end of the season, we were getting a good handle on things. Our ROKiT Camry was consistent and fast.
What can we look for in how DC Motorsports will approach the new season?
Del (Worsham), Nicky (Bonifante) and I talked about it over the off-season and we’re really not going to change much as far as the tune-up. We’re not throwing any new combinations out there, we’re planning to work with and improve on what we had at the end of last season. We have a new chassis we’re testing in West Palm, working out some kinks.
Has your team made many personnel changes this off-season?
Everybody is here from last year. That’s always a good thing. It’s been hard during these times and there’s been a lot of shifts throughout the pits, but luckily, we’ve all stayed intact. I’m proud to say that and very grateful. These guys put in so much hard work in the off-season, making both of our cars the same. We have both cars ready to go.
What are your goals for the 2021 season?
Our goals are definitely to go more rounds, keep the consistency and to win a race. It didn’t take long last year for our team to come together, so this year is going to be that much better. It’s been great working with these guys.
What does Gainesville mean to you?
I used to live near there. Gainesville was my home track at one point. I lived in Bronson, Florida, for two years when I raced Alcohol Funny Car with Bob Newberry. Every time I come back to Gainesville, it’s really special. I got my first round win in Gainesville. There’s a lot of really good things that I’ve attached to that track. A win there would be incredible. It’s definitely on my bucket list.
Things have been tough on sponsorships with Covid, how has your team fared?
ROKiT is back as our primary sponsor, but we actually have a few new sponsors who have joined this year. The major one is Bandero Tequila. It’s an award-winning tequila. It’s excellent. We’re really excited about them joining us. We also have added Fatheadz Sunglasses and we will be announcing another great addition in the coming week, so we have some fresh names on our ROKiT Camry and we’re excited to work with all of them.
Toyota Racing PR
