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NHRA's Alexis De Joria - Helping fans through drag racing

The 'Free Mammograms for the Fans' campaign has returned with Alexia De Joria this year.

Alexis de Joria, Kalitta Motorsports Team Patron

Alexis de Joria, Kalitta Motorsports Team Patron

Team Patron

Alexis DeJoria
Alexis Dejoria
Alexis DeJoria
Alexis DeJoria
Alexis DeJoria
Alexis de Joria, Kalitta Motorsports Team Patron
Alexis de Joria
Alexis DeJoria
Alexis DeJoria and Antron Brown

Alexis De Joria has come a long way since she first entered the NHRA’s Mello Yello Drag Racing Series in 2012.

At that time, her tuner was reigning Top Fuel champion Del Worsham, who had taken a hiatus from driving after Al-Anabi Racing decided to go a different direction. She operated then, as now, under the Kalitta Motorsports banner, driving a Toyota Camry in the highly competitive Funny Car category.

A rise to stardom 

De Joria, who had won a race in Top Alcohol Funny Car competition under the Lucas Oil Sportsman banner, came slowly into the frame as a major NHRA player. She needed until 2014, her second season with veteran tuner Tommy DeLago (who helped Matt Hagan secure his first championship in the class in 2011) to win her first race.

That victory at Las Vegas last spring opened the flood gates and now, with just two contests remaining in the 2014 season, De Joria has won three races - the most recent being the most important of each year: the 60th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals outside Indianapolis. Her father John Paul De Joria was on-hand for the victory (his first time) and the family’s excitement was palpable. De Joria currently holds sixth place in the season standings, 155 points behind leader Hagan.

A return to Vegas

The upcoming race on The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Halloween weekend is a special one for De Joria. Yes, it’s a return to the site of her initial victory but even more enticing, it’s a second year for her partnership with Nevada Health Centers, providing free mammograms at the race track for any female ticket holder over the age of 40 attending the Toyota Nationals. Last year’s program was so overwhelmingly successful that De Joria decided a second year would take this charitable exercise over the top.

In addition, her normally black-and-purple XO Cafe Toyota Camry will “Go Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness”, with the car being unveiled the Wednesday before racing begins over the Halloween weekend. After becoming the first female to race under four seconds at Brainerd earlier this year (where the weather is customarily conducive to quick runs), De Joria is pumped and ready to bring her Toyota Camry, with its specialty pink graphics to guests and to the public attending next weekend’s race.

‘Free Mammograms for the Fans’

De Joria believes her biggest victory of this most exciting season is coming off the track as she assists fans in staying healthy. “We received such an overwhelming response to our ‘Free Mammograms for the Fans’ program that there was no question we would bring it back this year,” she said. To accommodate everyone, Pink Passes, which are essentially rain check vouchers will accommodate any fan that doesn’t get a chance to take advantage of the weekend’s free screening program. They can take the vouchers to the “mammovan” as it makes its many stops throughout the Las Vegas area - including the recipient’s home or office!

“Early detection is the key,” De Joria said. “We’re giving women a chance to get screened without having to take time out of their work day or make an appointment with their doctor. It’s absolutely free - this is the perfect opportunity to have this important test performed.”

It’s also a great opportunity to see the stars of NHRA’s Mello Yello Drag Racing Series in action as they complete a very competitive 2014 season at Las Vegas and, two weeks later in Pomona, Calif.

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