One of the fastest female nitro racers in the world is on the move.
John Force Racing will expand to four teams for the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and beyond with the signing of 2014 NHRA U.S. Nationals Funny Car winner DeJoria to a multiyear contract with the 24-time world championship organization.
DeJoria is the only woman currently competing in the NHRA Funny Car category and was the first woman in Funny Car competition to break the three-second barrier when she posted a 3.997-second elapsed time at the 2014 NHRA Winternationals in Pomona. DeJoria has earned six NHRA Funny Car event victories in 16 final-round appearances and has six Top 10 finishes. DeJoria’s team will continue to have primary sponsorship from the gold medal award-winning Bandero Premium Tequila.
John Force Racing’s 2026 driver lineup will consist of DeJoria, 2012 Funny Car champion Jack Beckman, Top Fuel driver Josh Hart, who was signed by the organization to a multiyear contract in October, and a driver to be announced to drive the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car.
“Being asked to join John Force Racing is a huge honor and an incredible opportunity to build upon my career,” DeJoria said. “Since day one, my goal has been to become the sport’s first female Funny Car world champion, and that is what I have been working towards for many years. I’ve been fortunate to drive for some of the best teams and team owners out here. To be invited to drive for John Force Racing means so much to me and is another step forward in my career. JFR has a Funny Car program that’s unmatched, and the results speak for themselves; all you have to do is look at their track record.”
DeJoria’s NHRA career began in 2005 in Super Gas and Super Comp, winning one national event in the latter category. She moved to Top Alcohol Funny Car in 2006, ran her own team from 2009-2011, and became only the second woman to earn a national event victory in the category at the 2011 NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle. Later that same year, she earned her nitro Funny Car license and moved up to the Professional category.
The six-time Funny Car No. 1 qualifier earned the first round-win of her nitro Funny Car career when she defeated John Force in the first round of the 2012 NHRA Gatornationals. She captured her first Funny Car event victory at the 2014 NHRA Arizona Nationals in Phoenix and beat Force again later that year in the final round of the U.S. Nationals for the biggest win of her career.
This will be the fourth time John Force Racing has fielded four teams in the Top Fuel and Funny Car categories. The 2008-09 lineup included the Funny Car programs of drivers John Force, Robert Hight, Ashley Force Hood, and Mike Neff. John Force, Robert Hight, Courtney Force, and Brittany Force made up the foursome from 2013-2018, and in 2019 and 2022-23, John Force and Hight competed in Funny Car, while Brittany Force and Austin Prock competed in Top Fuel.
“Alexis is a fierce competitor who has earned her place in the Funny Car ranks, and it’s great to have her become the newest member of our team,” said John Force, CEO and 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion. “I’m obviously pretty familiar with the dynamic between father and daughter competing in NHRA Drag Racing, so I respect and admire what Alexis and her father, John Paul, have built together over the years. John Paul is a global success story who understands the importance of both family and business partnerships, which is exactly what John Force Racing has been built on. Our team just earned our 24th world championship, but I’m already looking forward to getting started on next season.”
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