DJ Cox is on the journey of a lifetime, not just talking about him making his way down to Ennis, Texas, for his first visit to the historic Texas Motorplex for the Texas NHRA FallNationals. The Maryland native recently clinched his fourth regional NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series title in his DXI Construction Top Alcohol Funny Car. But make no mistake, Cox has his eye on a bigger prize, and the hunt takes this drag racing family on the road. Regardless of what happens this season, this journey has been full of adventure.

Cox is currently just 63 points behind the national points leader, Shane Westerfield, and only ten points ahead of the third-place driver, Sean Bellemeur. While the Cox family crew typically doesn’t venture any further west than Indianapolis to compete, they’ve been broadening their horizons this year to finish the season strong.

“This is going to be my dad’s first time on an airplane,” Cox said with a chuckle. “We have all stretched our budgets, our time off work - everything - to go to Dallas. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking at the points. It’s interesting to think about the scenarios. But right now, we are just trying to take it one race at a time. And we will keep chasing the championship as long as it still makes sense.”

While he may be chasing the championship, Cox’s years of experience have taught him not to chase his competitors. With arguably one of the most consistent cars in the category, he finds it better to stay focused on his own program and pay attention to keeping things steady.

“We changed our mindset when it comes to tuning,” said Cox. “Rather than try to reach for something that may work on occasion, we want to ride things out with consistency.”

With one national event victory captured at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals and three regional event wins, Cox has been hitting his stride as his consistency is beginning to pay off at the right time. To say that the DXI Construction race team is excited is an understatement. After all, getting to this place has been no easy feat - where a national championship is actually within reach.

“We are whatever you would call the opposite of an overnight success,” said Cox. “We’ve all paid our dues, and it’s cool to see it come together. There’s great chemistry among our whole group - my mom, dad, sister, fiance, my niece’s husband and a few family friends. We all know our jobs and try to do them the best that we can time after time.”

Cox began racing as a youngster in the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League. He rose through the ranks and eventually took his father, Darrel’s seat in the family’s Top Alcohol Funny Car. He raced for others throughout the years, eventually finding a sponsor and employer in DXI Construction.

Drag racing is rarely (if ever) without its quirks, and Cox has endured his share of setbacks, including sustaining two on-track incidents within just a few months. He was ready to wave the white flag, stuck with the feeling of hopelessness that most drivers have experienced at some point or another. You know the feeling. The one that says, “I don’t need this headache and heartache. I’m going to sell it all and spend my weekends relaxing.”

It was Cox’s sponsor and employer Shawn Pyle, the owner of DXI Construction, who picked Cox up and restored his confidence.

“He said to get another car,” recalls Cox. “He told me that we are going to come back from this. He’s been so good to me through all of this. He helped me get my head right and encouraged me to strike a balance between work and racing.”

DXI does site work for large-scale construction projects. Pyle utilizes his sponsorship to connect with clients and entertain them at the races. He was a sponsor before Cox went to work for DXI, so their bond is strong. It’s a great example of a true sponsor partnership, and Cox would love to give DXI a world championship.

“Obviously, the championship is on my mind,” said Cox. “Whether that’s right or wrong, I don’t know. But I’m trying to stay in the moment. Our main focus is to leave all that outside of the pit and focus on the next run. I want to enjoy this time with my family as we see and experience new tracks. I can’t wait to race at the Texas Motorplex!”