Alexis DeJoria has already beaten John Force for one of the biggest trophies in drag racing. Twelve years later, she is returning to Indianapolis carrying a piece of his history with her.
DeJoria will race a Night Stalker-themed Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car at the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, bringing back the scheme connected to one of Force’s earliest Funny Car rides.
“I was really excited when I found out the other two John Force Racing Funny Cars were doing special liveries and wanted to be part of it,” DeJoria said. “So, I asked if our team could do the Night Stalker paint scheme that was John Force’s very first nitro Funny Car back in the mid-1970s.
“The Bandero Café car is already black, but it’s just the fact that the Night Stalker is one of the coolest liveries I’ve seen from John Force’s camp. More than anything, I wanted to do it to show support for my new boss and my new team.”
The original Night Stalker Mustang looked nothing like the Funny Cars Force eventually drove to 16 NHRA championships. In 1973, while still trying to establish himself in the sport, Force attempted to drive the rear-engine, chain-drive car built by Jack Chrisman.
Force borrowed the Night Stalker theme from the 1972 television series starring Darren McGavin. The car wasn’t around long, but more than five decades later, Force hasn’t forgotten it.
“We were at the shop one day and Alexis said the car her dad always loved the most was the Night Stalker,” Force said. “That was the rear-engined, chain-drive car with the driver out front that Jack Chrisman built and that I drove briefly in the early 1970s.
“The Night Stalker was big at the time so we painted ‘Night Stalker’ with a caped goblin on the side of it. Alexis loved the idea so that’s the paint scheme her Bandero Café Chevy will be running at the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals.”
Force brought the Night Stalker colors back once before at the 2009 Night Under Fire at Norwalk, Ohio. That appearance ended considerably better than his experience with the original car, as Force won the event.
DeJoria will take her shot with it at Indianapolis, where she already owns one of the biggest victories of her career.
Her 2014 U.S. Nationals victory came after beating Courtney Force in the semifinals and John Force in the final. The win came during the 60th anniversary of the race and capped a weekend DeJoria still ranks among her best.
“The 2014 season was a breakout year for us,” DeJoria said. “Adding the Chevrolet Performance 60th Anniversary U.S. Nationals win was beyond belief, especially winning the final round against none other than the man himself, John Force.
“It was a daughter/father duo that day, from beating my friend and competitor at the time Courtney Force in the semifinals to beating John in the final. It was a very proud moment to beat the best in front of my family and friends on the biggest stage.”
There is plenty at stake for DeJoria beyond the paint scheme and another chance to win Indy.
She enters the final race of the NHRA regular season eighth in the Funny Car standings with 737 points. Austin Prock holds sixth with 771, putting DeJoria 34 points behind him, while Chad Green is seventh with 755.
Indianapolis offers more opportunity to make up ground because each round of eliminations will be worth 30 points instead of the standard 20. A good Monday could change where DeJoria starts the Countdown to the Championship.
Matt Hagan leads the Funny Car standings with 938 points, followed by DeJoria’s John Force Racing teammate Jordan Vandergriff at 931 and Ron Capps at 926. J.R. Todd is fourth with 916, while another JFR teammate, Jack Beckman, is fifth at 864.
“If there’s one trophy above all that a team wants, it’s the one from the U.S. Nationals,” DeJoria said. “My team and I won the 60th anniversary of the U.S. Nationals and that was special due to that fact that there will never be another 60th. The same can be said of this year’s 75th.”
DeJoria will also compete in the PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout, giving her another opportunity to leave Indianapolis with hardware. She came close to winning one of the specialty events in 2014, but the Callout trophy remains on her list.
“I’ve been in quite a few of these grudge matches and came close to sealing the deal in 2014,” DeJoria said. “It’s something that’s eluded us but we have a great chance this year to put ourselves in a position to do so this year.”
