DRAG RACER HITTING THE WEIGHT ROOM
Wed, 2008-02-27 03:12
NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Alexis De Joria and the Tequila
Patrón/Jack O'Bannon Racing team will be looking to bounce back during this
weekend's Division 7 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series opener at Firebird Raceway
just outside of Phoenix. The team tested extensively in Phoenix during the
preseason and backed that up with another test session in Bakersfield, Calif.,
after the season-opening CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals in Pomona, Calif.
De Joria hopes to duplicate the career-best numbers she has run in testing in
the Tequila
Patrón Dodge Charger and make a strong showing in Phoenix this
weekend.
De
Joria, 30, the daughter of Paul Mitchell Hair Care Products and
Patrón Spirits Company founder John Paul De Joria, cites while the team is
working around the clock to make the car better, she is training hard to make
herself better. To build her upper body strength to handle the rigors of
driving a Top Alcohol Funny Car, considered by many to be the hardest car in all
of drag racing to drive, she is working five days a week with a professional
boxing trainer.
NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Alexis De Joria and the Tequila
Patrón/Jack O'Bannon Racing team will be looking to bounce back during this
weekend's Division 7 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series opener at Firebird Raceway
just outside of Phoenix. The team tested extensively in Phoenix during the
preseason and backed that up with another test session in Bakersfield, Calif.,
after the season-opening CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals in Pomona, Calif.
De Joria hopes to duplicate the career-best numbers she has run in testing in
the Tequila
Patrón Dodge Charger and make a strong showing in Phoenix this
weekend.
De
Joria, 30, the daughter of Paul Mitchell Hair Care Products and
Patrón Spirits Company founder John Paul De Joria, cites while the team is
working around the clock to make the car better, she is training hard to make
herself better. To build her upper body strength to handle the rigors of
driving a Top Alcohol Funny Car, considered by many to be the hardest car in all
of drag racing to drive, she is working five days a week with a professional
boxing trainer.
"I've
been working my butt off," said De Joria. "I'm working with a boxing trainer
five days a week. The guy who's training with me is a lightweight boxing
champion, so it's a pretty rough routine. I'm really lucky to have a great crew
that is really busting their tails to give me the best car possible, and I'm
just trying to hold up my end of the bargain and be in the best shape and build
my upper body strength."
"I
can't say enough about my new Crew Chief Bob DeVour," De Joria continued. "I'm
really grateful to have such a great teacher like Bob. He's really done a lot
to make me more comfortable in the car. The latest change we are making is
putting a new windshield in the car and remaking the 'doghouse' that goes around
the injector. It's a little bigger than it needs to be and is obstructing my
vision. They're going to make a new one and fit a new windshield to it so that
I can see better. The car ran well in testing and I was able to be more
involved working on the car. I think the more I know about how things work on
the car, the better driver I will be."
The
team plans to open the weekend during the test session on Thursday. Qualifying
begins on Friday for the alcohol cars, followed by two sessions on Saturday.
Final eliminations will conclude the event on
Sunday.
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