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NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION MEDIA CONFERENCE

April 13, 2016

Alexis DeJoria

Glendora, California

SCOTT SPEED: We are joined now by Alexis DeJoria, driver of the Tequila PatrÃ³n Toyota Camry. She is the most recent Funny Car winner at the event in Las Vegas when she defeated teammate Del Worsham in the finals, and that did mark the first time that two Kalitta Motorsports Funny Cars faced each other in the final rounds.

It was her career fourth victory and her first since 2014, and she did become the third different female to win this season, joining Leah Pritchett and Brittany Force.

Alexis, first off, as always, thank you very much for your time. How good did it feel for you and your team to kind of shake that monkey off your back and get back into the win column there in Las Vegas?

ALEXIS DeJORIA: Yeah, it was a much-needed win, not just for myself but for my entire crew. We worked so hard in 2014 and got those wins, and then last year it took a turn for the worse and we ended up fighting our equipment all year long and making some changes to the car halfway through.

We were pretty consistent in the fact that we've made it to a lot of semifinals finishes but just no wins, so we managed to finish off in the top 10, which is remarkable, considering.

But it was honestly the chassis. We switched out chassis, and it took one race to get acclimated and get me comfortable in the new car, and the next race we went out and won it. It was an incredible change of events, but something we hoped would happen before the start of the season, but I'm just happy to get back in that winner's circle with these guys.

SCOTT SPEED: You talked about 2015, that it obviously wasn't the full season you guys wanted. Does that make your team stronger, to kind of go through it and show resiliency and come out here and get that early win this year?

ALEXIS DeJORIA: It definitely does. It's a huge learning experience. You know, if you saw any of us had slight egos in 2014, we definitely didn't have any in 2015.

Yeah, it does a lot for that. But huge learning experience. When you have to dig deep, you know how far you can go, and you know, those wins are so much more appreciated when they do happen because of all the things that you go through to get there.

Q. When I was talking to Tommy in Vegas, he said the plan was to bring out a new car for you in Charlotte. Is that still happening?
ALEXIS DeJORIA: Well, considering the fact that we won the last race and we did extremely well and we were consistent in this car, we have decided that we're going to stick with that, especially going to a track that can be somewhat finicky. We only get one qualifying run in each lane before the eliminations. We want to be in a proven car before -- we don't want to just bring out a car that has no runs on it. It's kind of like starting from square one again. So what we're going to do is keep this car, this chassis, from Charlotte all the way through Houston, and then the Monday after Houston we're going to bring out the new chassis, new car, and make some runs with that.

SCOTT SPEED: Talk about Kalitta Motorsports is obviously a very historic name. They have a lot in the record books and have a lot of accomplishments, so to have a first with that team was pretty incredible with you and Del facing each other. You're obviously a historian of the sport and really look back at the past. Is that pretty cool to say that you can get a first there for Connie and the team?

ALEXIS DeJORIA: Oh, definitely. I was just happy that we were back in the title round, let alone to win the race and then have it be against our teammate, my mentor, who's taught me everything I know behind the wheel of a Funny Car. So that was huge. I mean, he was really happy for us, as well.

Q. When the Four-Wide format was announced a few years ago, I think seven, there was a lot of buzz about it, and Bruton Smith was a big backer of it and all that. It seems to have faded over the years. What's your spin on this whole Four-Wide deal, and is it just a distraction for a driver?
ALEXIS DeJORIA: It can be a little distracting for everybody. I know it's tough on the crew chiefs, tough on the sponsors, as well, because they don't get as much TV time as they usually do because it's spread out through the four teams on each run. But it's interesting. It's fun. You're not just going up there against one other car, one other driver, one other team. You're going up against three other drivers, three other cars, three other teams. So that's a win that I would love to have because it is just so unique. There's only one of them on the entire circuit, and that's probably the best way, because I don't think a lot of drivers want to deal with the staging. It can be a little tricky. But as long as you remember which lane you're in when you go up there and you don't forget that part and which light to look at basically, you're going to be fine.

Q. Yesterday Bob Vandergriff, I guess, unexpectedly closed the doors on his shop, leaving Leah and Dave Connolly without rides. As a competitor, what's your reaction to that whole situation?
ALEXIS DeJORIA: It's very unfortunate. Any time any teams back out, it's upsetting for the sport. I don't like to see anybody not be able to drive. Very upset for my friend Leah. She just got that win. I mean, she's an incredible driver, and she finally gets a full-time gig, and unfortunately they most suddenly closed the doors on her.

I have a lot of faith that she's a hustler and she'll find another ride, I'm sure, but it's very upsetting for Dave Connolly and for the whole organization, all the people that work on the crews, as well, to show up to work and just say, hey, guess what, you don't have a job anymore. Nobody wishes that on anyone. Very, very upsetting for those guys.

SCOTT SPEED: Alexis, talk about Leah getting that win and then Brittany and you, and we've seen a very diverse group of winners this season already. Does that speak, again, to the varied nature of our sport?

ALEXIS DeJORIA: It does. It really does. You know, unfortunately we don't have Leah right now, but I think this has been a huge turnaround the last few years, having us four girls in the Nitro and Top Fuel ranks and doing really well. I mean, Brittany, my God, she went to so many final rounds, it was just a matter of time, and Leah coming out and within a couple races she wins the race. Yeah, it's a big turnaround. Really happy to be one of those females that's doing it.

Q. Talk if you will about the very first time you ever went to the Four-Wide, and how did it affect you that very first time you saw four lanes going down?
ALEXIS DeJORIA: Well, like Brittany had mentioned earlier, my first couple times at the track for the Four-Wide, I went up ahead of time and I stood in the lane that I was going to run in, and I pretended I was the person that was in the car pulling up to the stage beams, looking at the light I'm supposed to be looking at, and just kind of doing a little bit of practice, if you will, simulation, and just trying to get myself acclimated to where to look, basically. And it'll get the best of drivers out there. There's some very well-seasoned drivers that got a little hung up and forgot which light to look at, thought they were staged and they weren't.

I mean, it happens. But just making sure you know where you're at. It's not rocket science, but if you're not paying attention, it'll bite you. Got to make sure you know where you're supposed to be.

Q. Is all the learning there at the track? That's not something you can do on a computer screen or anything like that? You've got to be there to really learn it?
ALEXIS DeJORIA: You really do. You know, there's only so much you can learn in textbooks. When I went to Frank Hawley's drag racing school there was a very small amount that we learned in the classroom, and then it's like, all right, guys, put on the gear and you get thrown in the fire. You've got to make runs. You've got to know what it's like to be in the car and get down the track and the feelings and the sounds and all that.

You know, you can do -- I think, what is it, it's a lot of like memory -- like a lot of things that you go through and you can kind of visualize the runs and pretend you're making a run from start to finish in your mind and go through the hand motions and all that, and a lot of golf players do the same thing, as well. When they know they're going to a certain green, they know what it's supposed to look like and all that, and they'll just visualize making those swings.

Yeah, I mean, it definitely helps, and that's something that I learned from Frank Hawley early on.

Q. Finally, back to your father in Las Vegas, what did the win mean to him?
ALEXIS DeJORIA: It was huge. Today is my dad's birthday, so it was kind of like an early birthday present, and actually Sunday was my sister's birthday, so that was a win for her, as well. To win in the PatrÃ³n Spirits corporate offices, their backyard, that's a huge deal.

My dad, I kept him abreast of every single run, every round I sent him a text. I said, okay, won the first round. Went out for the second round, came back, all right, won second round. And then he called me between the semifinals and the finals, and he left a message, and I didn't want to -- I really try to stay away from my phone and calls and whatnot when I'm going through the rounds and eliminations, but I'll check my texts from my dad because he always sends nice, positive stuff. I know he's not going to distract me from my goal, my ultimate goal.

But I listened to his messages afterwards, and he was like, "I just have such a good feeling. I know you're going to win it. I know you're going to win it." Then I went back and I called him after the final and said, "Well, Daddy, we did it. We did it."

He was absolutely thrilled. Yeah, he's seen my ups and downs through the last year, and he is an extremely positive person, sometimes too positive for me because it's hard for me to be down on myself when he's around.

Q. Alexis, you talked a lot about the visual aspects of the lights and everything at the Four-Wide, but what about the other senses? Like if you're in the middle lanes, the noises from the cars on either side of you, what effects does that have on you?
ALEXIS DeJORIA: Really not so much. You've got tunnel vision out there, and you're pretty much just focused on your job and what you need to do. It's loud regardless, so you add two more cars out there, and they're on the far ends, you have so much insulation from your earbuds to your head sock to all the padding in your helmet, and then they put the body down. So it muffles the sound tremendously, and those other cars, it's not like they're right next to you.

SCOTT SPEED: That should wrap everything up. Alexis, again, congratulations on getting back on the right side of everything with that win in Las Vegas, and we look forward to seeing you at the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte next weekend.

ALEXIS DeJORIA: Right on. Me too. Thank you all very much.

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