EPPING — This weekend’s NHRA New England Nationals have been a homecoming of sorts for Funny Car driver Alexis Dejoria, who has waited a few years to get back to the Seacoast.
Dejoria’s roots are in Narragansett, Rhode Island, and she quickly became a fan favorite in New England when the NHRA started coming to New England Dragway back in 2013. She stepped away from the driver’s seat at the end of the 2017 season, but returned last year, fielding her own funny car team.
Her return to New England was delayed further when the 2020 New England Nationals were cancelled, but she said on Saturday that she is happy to be back.
“I absolutely love racing up here in Epping,” she said. “It’s one of the only East Coast races left on the circuit. Half my family is from Rhode Island. It’s very dear to my heart. It’s beautiful here, and the fans are amazing. And we’re fast here.”
Dejoria said fans have welcomed her back with excitement. After the COVID-19 pandemic cut last season in half, and fans were either limited or absent from events altogether, Dejoria said being able to share the weekend with fans here makes it even better.
“Fans have been incredible,” she said. “They’ve been waiting. I took two years off, then we didn’t get to race here last year. They’ve been waiting very patiently, and they’ve been very excited and super supportive.”
Dejoria didn’t just get back in the driver’s seat last year, she came back as a female team owner a rare sight among the professional race teams in the pits. And despite being a new team, trying to get its feet under it in the middle of an abbreviated schedule during a pandemic, the team has made steady strides. They have qualified in the top five in 10 of their last 11 races dating back to last year, including this weekend in Epping, and Dejoria came into the weekend eighth in Funny Car points.
“I believe I’m the only female team owner in Funny Car,” she said. “It’s a huge honor, and it’s great to do this with my mentor, former teammate and partner Del Worsham. He’s an incredible person. The wealth of information between he and Nicky Bonafonte is immeasurable, and we are lucky to have them on the team.”
As if bringing her new team along was enough of an accomplishment, Dejoria teamed with fellow Funny Car driver and Rhode Island native Bob Tasca III to support the New England Nationals with sponsorship. Her brand Bandero Premium Tequila along with TascaParts.com took on the sponsorship for the weekend.
“We had this great opportunity to get on board and be the presenting sponsor of the New England Nationals with the Tascas,” she said. “I got a call from Bob Tasca a little while back and he said there were some opportunities to get on board. I’ve got deep roots on the East Coast. My mother’s side of the family is from Rhode Island and it goes way back – I’m talking John Smith on the Mayflower and Daughters of the American Revolution. So, this is home for my family.
“I also love racing at this track, and it’s been a tough year at all race tracks, so we were able to fill a sponsorship role with the track, Dejoria continued. "At the same time, it was a great opportunity to get some exposure for our sponsor and we’re very excited to feature Bandero Tequila as the presenting sponsor of the event.”
The Link LonkJune 13, 2021 at 08:23AM
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NHRA: Funny car owner/driver Alexis Dejoria glad to be back in native New England - Seacoastonline.com
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