115 free mammograms at NHRA races

November 3, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

The annual ‘Free Mammograms for the Fans’ campaign hosted by Alexis DeJoria Racing offered NHRA Drag Racing fans the opportunity to receive a free mammogram at NHRA races, regardless of health insurance status, while attending the AAA NHRA FallNationals in suburban Dallas and the NHRA Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas. 115 women opted to take advantage of the free screenings, held during Breast Cancer Awareness month.

One in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society. Alexis DeJoria Racing goes beyond simply working to raise awareness of the disease, providing a proactive service that could result in lifesaving benefits to female race fans. The 2015 ‘Free Mammograms for the Fans’ program was made possible thanks to generous donations from the Patrón Spirits Company, Toyota, Kalitta Motorsports and fan contributions.

After the program experienced two successful years of partnering with Nevada Health Centers (NVHC) to offer free screenings at the NHRA Toyota Nationals, the decision was made to not only renew the Las Vegas program, but to add the AAA NHRA FallNationals as well. Alexis DeJoria Racing partnered with Baylor Health Care Systems to offer free screenings to women attending the Texas Motorplex event.

Baylor and NVHC’s mammovans (mobile mammography units) were parked in the race pits and were available to any female ticketholder over the age of 40 on Friday and Saturday of each race weekend. 56 women elected to undergo a screening in Dallas and another 59 women in Las Vegas received a screening, totaling 115 overall free mammograms at NHRA tracks.

“It was another successful year and I just want to thank everyone at Baylor and the Nevada Health Centers for sending their mammovans to the track, and the wonderful women that volunteered their time working in the mammovans, making everyone feel comfortable. Getting a mammogram can be a little scary at first; it’s just that fear of the unknown. Anytime we can give back like that, it’s a good day. We use our position in the racing community to bring more awareness to these causes and help people out, and thankfully we were able to do that again this year.”

According to Nevada Health Centers, a mammogram for an uninsured woman can cost anywhere between 250-300 dollars, and the high out-of-pocket cost is one of the main reasons many women go without this important test. For the affordable price of an NHRA race ticket, women were able to get checked, and enjoy the races.

“I’m really grateful to have been able to bring our free mammogram program back out again this year to Vegas and introduce it in Dallas. With the support of the Patrón Spirits Company, Toyota, Kalitta Motorsports and all of my great fans that pitched in, we were able to screen 115 women for breast cancer,” said Alexis DeJoria, driver of the Patrón XO Cafe Incendio Toyota Camry, which was ‘pinked out’ during the month of October.

DeJoria Breast Cancer Awareness livery

October 3, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Its been a dismal, cold, soggy weekend so far at the 31^st annual NHRA Keystone Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, but Alexis DeJoria’s new Breast Cancer Awareness livery was hot enough to light up the pits in Reading, PA. The NHRA Funny Car driver unveiled her new #FightLikeAGirl hot pink Patrón XO Cafe Incendio Toyota Camry livery today during a brief dry moment, the only racing action of the wet weekend so far.

Alexis DeJoria Breast Cancer Awareness Funny Car livery

DeJoria’s hot pink livery will be run all month long in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In conjunction, her Free Mammograms for the Fans program will give fans the opportunity to take part in free screenings to detect problems early.

“October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and we got to debut our bright pink Toyota Camry today during the first round of qualifying. We’re going to be running this pink scheme at the Dallas and Las Vegas October events as well. I’m looking forward to blinding all of my competitors!” joked DeJoria of her neon pink Camry and matching pink parachutes.

The rain and cold weather at the Maple Grove track this weekend made Saturday’s qualifying attempt the only action of the weekend thus far. Teams struggled to make it down the track, and Alexis was only able to post a 13.036 second pass at 76.76 mph for the No. 14 qualifying position. If the weather cooperates tomorrow, she will face No. 3 qualifier, Jack Beckman, in the opening round of eliminations.

ESPN will air today’s qualifying rounds and Alexis’ hot pink Funny Car tomorrow morning, October 4 6:00 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. EST (ESPN2)

Free Mammograms for the Fans

September 28, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

While many professional athletes celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness month by wearing pink uniforms or using other pink-ribbon awareness, NHRA Funny Car racer Alexis DeJoria goes above and beyond to fight the disease. Her “Free Mammograms for the Fans” program returns for the third year, allowing female race fans the opportunity to receive a free mammogram in the mobile mammovan while attending the NHRA race.

Alexis DeJoria Racing partners again with the Nevada Health Centers (NVHC) to offer any female ticketholder over the age of 40 attending the NHRA Toyota Nationals event in Las Vegas (Oct 30-31), a free mammogram, regardless of health insurance status. In addition, she has partnered with Baylor Health Care Systems (BHCS) for a similar program at the AAA NHRA FallNationals in suburban Dallas (Oct 16-17).

“With the success of ‘Free Mammograms for the Fans’ the last two years, we decided to expand the program to include the Dallas race, which now falls during National Breast Cancer Awareness month in October,” said DeJoria, an Austin resident who will proudly sport a hot pink Patrόn XO Cafe Incendio Toyota Camry Funny Carthroughout October in NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series competition.

Alexis DeJoria has been raising funds for the cause with the sale of special “Fight Like a Girl” bracelets, with 100% of the proceeds going to the “Free Mammograms for the Fans” program. The addition of presenting sponsors Patrón Spirits Company and Toyota assisted the program’s growth to Dallas and the Texas Motorplex.

“I really want to thank the Patrón Spirits Company and Toyota for their support, as well as Kalitta Motorsports, everyone who bought items on our eBay fundraising page, purchased our pink Fight Like a Girl bracelets and made donations,” said DeJoria, who has qualified for the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs. “It all goes toward this very wonderful life-saving cause and we would not be able to provide this service to our fans without their support.”

Those wanting to get screened at the race do not need an appointment or referral. Although health insurance is not required, those who are insured should bring their insurance information to the race. Test results will be sent via mail approximately ten days following the event.

“Toyota is extremely supportive of everything that each of our teams does to help promote Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we are excited that working extensively with Alexis DeJoria Racing on their ‘Free Mammograms for the Fans’ program has afforded us the opportunity to make an additional impact,” said Ed Laukes, Vice President marketing, performance and guest experience for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. “If we are able to save the life of so much as one mother, daughter, sister, wife or friend, it will be well worth our additional investment in our partners at DeJoria. It truly is rewarding to be able to assist one of our race teams on a program that is so meaningful to so many people.”

For more information, please visit www.alexisdejoria.com.

Second round loss for Alexis Dejoria

September 28, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

NHRA’s Alexis DeJoria, driver of the Patrón XO Café Incendio Toyota Camry Funny Car, struggled in qualifying for the second consecutive weekend at the 4th Annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis, MO. She was able to regroup and recover on eliminations day, but bowed out in the second round

Lackluster Qualifying Position

After a 4.073 run in her second qualifying attempt, Alexis DeJoria was unable to make her way cleanly down the track in qualifying. That 4.073 second pass was good enough at the time for the sixth provisional spot, but was bumped back into the 12th position before racing began on Sunday.

Second round loss for Alexis DeJoria

Her first round match up would be against Tommy Johnson Jr., who had eliminated her just one week prior in Charlotte. DeJoria was ready for a chance to return the favor, and the pair left together at the tree. She would charge ahead by the finish line, running her first three second pass on the weekend and defeating Tommy Johnson Jr, 3.966 second E.T at 292.77 mph to his losing 4.332 second E.T. at 211.49 mph.

In the second round she would face Ron Capps. Although she posted another consistent light, traction issues returned and the Patrón XO Café Incendio Toyota Camry Funny Car fell to tire smoke before half-track against Ron Capps, resulting in a second round loss for Alexis DeJoria.

“Very much like our last weekend in Charlotte, we did not qualify the best but we got in the show and that is all that matters,” said DeJoria. “In the first round, we ran our best time of the entire weekend and won the round. We went into the second round and shook the tires. I still feel like we can do something in these last few races. We are just trying to find that consistency. I have to just keep sticking to my guns and work on my part and hope the best. I have the upmost faith in my team and I know we will have something for them in Reading.”

Alexis entered the weekend 7th in points for the Countdown to the Championship. She leaves the event in the same position, 204 points outside of the leader, teammate Del Worsham (unofficial results).

Runner-up finish for Alexis DeJoria

June 9, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Alexis DeJoria finishes 2nd at Englishtown in Funny Car

Alexis DeJoria and the Patrón XO Cafe Incendio Toyota Camry Funny Car team raced to their first runner-up finish of 2015 at the 46^th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals. The sixth final round appearance of her Funny Car career, DeJoria and her Patrón team had one of the most consistent cars throughout eliminations on Sunday.

In the opening round, the No. 10 qualified DeJoria would take on No. 7 qualifier Jack Beckman. Beckman had the upper hand in their previous meetings, with an 11-4 record. Beckman would leave first, but quickly lost traction and spun the tires as Alexis would power on to victory with a 4.089 elapsed time at 302.96 mph to his 4.458 second E.T. at 206.39mph. That pass would earn DeJoria lane choice for the second round.

Dom Lagana would also take the reaction advantage against DeJoria in round two, but aborted the run when he also lost traction, as Alexis again made another strong 4.168 second pass. This would place her in the semi-final round against Kalitta teammate, Del Worsham.

This would be a close race between the Kalitta Camrys. Although Worsham would take a slight advantage off of the starting line, DeJoria was on his tail and passed him by 330 feet in route to a run of 4.120 to his competitive 4.138 second pass. The margin of victory at the finish line was just 0.0015 seconds, or approximately 8 inches. Alexis would also just edge out reigning World Champion and current points leader, Matt Hagan, for lane choice into the finals.

The final round was a nail-biter from start-to-finish. The two launched off of the starting line with nearly identical reaction times (0.079 versus Hagan’s 0.074), with DeJoria pulling away to take the early lead. She led the race to 330 feet, but Hagan recaptured the lead at 660 feet, by just 0.001 seconds. He would hold onto the win, defeating DeJoria by a 0.0114 second margin of victory and less than a car length. An exciting race but unfortunately DeJoria just barely missed setting off the win light with her 4.138-sec pass to his 4.132.

What a day. I’m just beside myself right now,” said DeJoria a three-time Funny Car winner. “To do this well at the Toyota NHRA Summernationals is awesome. I’ve never won in Englishtown and I’ve definitely never made it to the finals here, so it feels good. I’ve really got to give it up to my team- they’re the main reason we went so far today. They’re such an excellent group and they’ve really got my back. I love these guys like a family. I wasn’t the greatest on my reaction times every round, but when it mattered, I really pulled it off. It was a hell of a final against Matt Hagan. I didn’t give anything up on the starting line, that’s for sure, and I’m leaving Englishtown pretty stoked.”

Although she missed putting her Patrón Toyota Camry in the Winners Circle by just a few thousandths of a second, advancing to the final round enabled the Patrón team to gain sixty valuable points. The team has struggled with only a pair of semi-final finishes over the course of the first eight races, and has sat at the bottom of the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship points throughout most of the season. They entered Sunday of the Toyota NHRA Summernationals in the No. 10 spot with only a one-point advantage above the No. 11^th ranked driver. The runner-up finish allowed them to move up to the 8^th spot, and put much needed points on the board in an ultra-competitive Funny Car class.

“We picked up quite a few points this weekend, and we’re starting to get back into the swing things so I’m really glad we’re back at it up in Epping next weekend.”

Now ranked eighth, the Patrón XO Cafe Incendio Toyota Camry Funny Car team leaves Old Bridge Township Raceway with 487 points. They compete next at the 3^rd annual NHRA New England Nationals in Epping, N.H., June 12-14.

Early exit in Atlanta for Alexis DeJoria

May 17, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Alexis qualifies at dusk in Atlanta — Photo: Gary Nastase/ Alexis DeJoria Racing

Alexis DeJoria still hunting for her 1st win in 2015

Drag Racing Funny Car driver, Alexis DeJoria and her Patrón XO Cafe Incendio Toyota Camry Funny Car team went into the 35th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals hoping to pick up their elusive first event win of the 2015 season. Unfortunately for three-time Funny Car winner, Atlanta Dragway would not become the dry-spell breaking victory for the Kalitta affiliated team.

DeJoria ready to run in Atlanta — Photo: Gary Nastase/ Alexis DeJoria Racing

After qualifying in the No. 8 spot with their 4.064-second run from the second qualifying session, Alexis and the Patrón team faced No. 9 qualifier Ron Capps in the first round of eliminations on Sunday morning. The two went head-to-head in the final pairing of Funny Cars. DeJoria made a good clean run in her Toyota Camry, but her 4.091-second pass didn’t stand up against Capps’ 4.081-sec run, ending Team Patrón’s day much earlier than they had anticipated.

It was a close race against Ron Capps. I really had a good feeling about this weekend but at least we don’t have to wait long until we’re back racing again. We’ll be in Topeka, Kan. next weekend and we’ll get back after it,” said DeJoria, who has raced to two semi-final finishes so far this year.

Chutes out in Atlanta Alexis DeJoria — Photo: Gary Nastase/ Alexis DeJoria Racing

The Kalitta Motorsports Patrón XO Cafe Incendio Toyota Camry Funny Car team heads to the midwest from Atlanta for the series’ first back-to-back race of the season. They will enter the 27^th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals, May 22-24, in 9^th place in Topeka with 361 points.

Alexis DeJoria gets a taste of a new speed…Mach 2

August 13, 2012 // by Horsepower & Heels

Remember back a few years ago, when I told you all about my *real* passion as a kid? Well it appears I have found my kindred spirit in the NHRA world…. none other than Patron Funny Car pilot, Alexis DeJoria.

I keep in contact with Alexis and her team regularly for my Women In Motorsports column over on Examiner.com, but this week’s email from the team included something WAY out of the ordinary (if you can ever really call 300mph nitro-burning funny cars ordinary).

Alexis had the chance to jump on board an F-16 fighter jet with the USAF Thunderbolts this week, shortly after leaving the Seattle race. Apparently, it was also HER lifelong dream to have become a fighter pilot, but after something altered her course, she too would take to the land version of piloting a high-horsepower machine by drag racing. Sound familiar? I swear, I think I found my new BFF.

As if I didn’t already have mad respect for Alexis, what with piloting an 8,000HP nitro-burning funny car to 300mph in less than 4 seconds and all, but NOW I can also add that she’s one of the only gals I know that have not just been SUPERSONIC, but MACH 2 no less. That’s twice as fast as the speed of sound folks. And if I thought that a 3G launch was pretty intense? Oh no, Ms. DeJoria has experienced all the intensity of an 8.4G maneuver!

I. AM. SO. UNBELIEVABLY. JEALOUS.

Alexis also spent about 25 minutes of her hour-long experience commanding the controls the F-16 herself. As hard as it is to imagine getting to be inside that thing for a 0-20,000 ft take-off in less than 5 seconds, or speeding along in excess of 600mph, or the inversions, verticals, loops, split S’, low altitude flying, and barrel rolls that come with these amazing machines, I could not FATHOM being able to move her around the skies myself.

So to Alexis…. I’ll be your wingman anytime!