Funny Car Standout Alexis DeJoria ready for upcoming Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals

SONOMA, CA – July 24, 2025 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – After a strong showing in Seattle, Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria is ready for the 37th annual Denso Sonoma Nationals presented by PowerEdge at scenic Sonoma Raceway.

DeJoria, driver of the 12,000-horsepower Bandero Café Funny Car, advanced to the semifinals last weekend at the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle. She won the opening round of competition with a holeshot victory over Gainesville winner Chad Green and then defeated former champion and Epping winner J.R. Todd in the quarterfinals with another holeshot win, before falling to eventual winner and four-time world champion Matt Hagan.

After three consecutive first round exits, the team’s performance in Seattle marked a much-needed step in the right direction heading to Sonoma.

“Our Bandero Café Funny Car team is coming off a good showing in Seattle, and I’m excited to get right back out there this weekend in Sonoma,” said DeJoria. “It’s a great facility, good air, cool conditions, good track surface, and the fans are great. Just all around really enjoy racing there.”

Last season, Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all won in Sonoma, while Shawn Langdon, Austin Prock and Troy Coughlin Jr. won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. This year’s event will again be broadcast on FS1 on Friday and Sunday, with coverage of the popular Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on FOX on Saturday.

It is the 12th of 20 races during the 2025 season, meaning only three races remain before the start of the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. The weekend in Sonoma is loaded, too, with qualifying under the lights on Friday, the GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout and the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday, and eliminations on Sunday.

With her semifinal finish in Seattle, DeJoria will be entered into the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge where she will rematch with Hagan. The other pairing will be Seattle runner-up and former champion Ron Capps taking on Rookie of the Year candidate Spencer Hyde.

“We’d of course like continue our progression and success with going rounds and hopefully, acquire our very first Wally together as a team,” said DeJoria, who jumped to eighth in points after a successful weekend in Seattle.

Currently leading the Funny Car points is reigning champion Prock, who has four wins on the season. His John Force Racing teammate and former champion Jack Beckman is second, after earning a pair of wins in Pomona and Chicago. Others to watch at Sonoma will be Hagan, Capps, Todd, Phoenix winner Paul Lee and 2024 Sonoma winner Tasca III.

The Top Fuel class has seen seven different winners throughout the season. Currently leading the way is Langdon. Langdon reclaimed the points lead after earning his third race win of the season in Seattle. 2024 Rookie of the Year and motorsports legend Tony Stewart is second in points with a pair of wins this season. Justin Ashley sits third after winning in Richmond and Norwalk.

The Pro Stock field has been dominated by the KB Titan Racing juggernaut, led by reigning world champion Greg Anderson. Anderson has four wins on the season, but the Pro Stock points are currently led by his teammate Dallas Glenn, following Glenn’s win in Seattle. The two have collectively won eight of the nine Pro Stock races on the season.

NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle riders will be pulling double duty this weekend with the Denso Sonoma Nationals presented by PowerEdge as well as the GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout. Reigning world champ Gaige Herrera will once again have his pick of opponents featuring last year’s winner and six-time champion Smith, Richard Gadson, Angie Smith, Jianna Evaristo, Chase Van Sant, John Hall and Chris Bostick.

The event also will feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, featuring some of the top drivers in the sport, as well as the Top the Cops exhibition and autograph sessions at the Mission Foods Midway Display and for Pro Stock Motorcycle riders at the Suzuki Display. A kids-only autograph session takes place under the Main Grandstand at 3 p.m. on Friday as well.

Fans are invited to the Nitro Alley Stage, which hosts Nitro School, meet and greets, music and more. Sonoma race fans can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that introduce and celebrate each of the drivers racing for the prestigious Wally on Sunday and includes the fan favorite SealMaster Track Walk. The final can’t-miss experience of any NHRA event is the winner’s circle celebration on Sunday after racing concludes, where fans are invited to congratulate event winners.

As always, fans get an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. Fans get a unique chance to see teams in action and service their hot rods between rounds, get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers, and more. They can also visit Manufacturers Midway, an exciting atmosphere that includes interactive displays, merchandise, food and fun for the entire family.

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 4:30 and 6:45 p.m. PT on Friday, July 25 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, July 26 at 11:45 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. PT on Sunday, July 27. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 10 p.m. ET on Friday, 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, and eliminations at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday. A broadcast of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge takes place on FOX at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Selections for the GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout take place on Friday, with the first round of the bonus race set for 11:15 a.m. PT on Saturday. The semifinals follow at 1:45 and the final round takes place at 4:15 p.m. as part of a huge weekend in Sonoma. A special Callout broadcast also takes place at 9:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

To purchase tickets to the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals, fans can visit www.sonomaraceway.com or call 800-870-7223. For more information about NHRA, visit www.nhra.com.

About DENSO and PowerEdge

Globally headquartered in Kariya, Japan, DENSO is a $47.9 billion leading mobility supplier that develops advanced technology and components for nearly every vehicle make and model on the road today. With manufacturing at its core, DENSO invests in around 180 facilities worldwide to provide opportunities for rewarding careers and to produce cutting-edge electrification, powertrain, thermal and mobility electronics products, among others, that change how the world moves. In developing such solutions, the company’s 158,000 global employees are paving the way to a mobility future that improves lives, eliminates traffic accidents, and preserves the environment. DENSO spent around 8.6 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025. For more information about DENSO’s operations worldwide, visit https://www.denso.com/global/en/.

In North America, DENSO is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, and employs 27,000+ team members across nearly 50 sites in the U.S, Canada and Mexico. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, DENSO in North America generated $12.5 billion in consolidated sales. To learn more about DENSO operations in the region and explore career opportunities, please visit https://www.denso.com/us-ca/en/.

PowerEdge® is a value-driven line of high quality and durable aftermarket products, designed to deliver performance, and reliability. Backed by the sales, service, and logistics support of DENSO Products and Services Americas, Inc.—DENSO’s North American aftermarket headquarters in Long Beach, California—PowerEdge brings trusted quality at a competitive price. For more information, visit https://www.poweredgeproducts.com.

About Mission Foods

MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit https://www.missionfoods.com/

About NHRA

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With more than 100 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Source: National Hot Rod Association 

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