ALEXIS DeJORIA at the 2025 GATORNATIONALS in GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – MOTORSPORT AMERICA PHOTO
Bandero Premium Tequila to continue as primary partner
BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Dec. 2, 2025) – 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 U.S. Nationals Funny Car winner Alexis
DeJoria to a multi-year contract with the 24-time world championship
organization.
DeJoria is the only female 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 Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. 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 multi-year 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 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 Gatornationals. She captured her first Funny Car event
victory at the 2014 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.”
Further announcements about the program will be made in the coming
weeks.
Additional quotable from Alexis DeJoria:
_Alexis DeJoria on John Force –_
“John Force and Del Worsham are my idols out here and the two people
that I’ve always looked up to the most. They were also the ones to
sign my nitro Funny Car license back in 2011, so this truly feels like a
full circle moment for me. I’ve had the honor of driving for Del, and
now, I’ll drive for the legendary John Force. I have the utmost
respect and admiration for him; his will, his tenacity; he’s been
through everything you can imagine while driving a nitro Funny Car, and
he’s persevered. He _is_ NHRA Drag Racing. There will never be another
John Force, and the fact that I get to drive for the legend himself is a
true highlight of my career, and an opportunity I couldn’t refuse.”
_On being the first female without the Force name to drive for John
Force Racing – _
“For the longest time, this wasn’t something that I ever pictured
for myself. Not because I didn’t want it to happen, but because I
didn’t think it was possible. Back when I started my nitro career, it
was John, Robert (Hight), Courtney (Force), and Mike Neff, and then it
was John, Robert, Courtney, and Brittany (Force). Everyone who was
driving there at the time either had the last name Force or was part of
the Force family in some capacity, with the exception of Mike. I always
thought it was cool that all of John’s daughters raced. He put his
girls in record-breaking, championship-winning race cars, and I
couldn’t be more stoked to now be a part of that program.”
_On representing Chevrolet –_
“Representing Chevrolet is a natural fit for me. I grew up a Chevy
girl; I have a 1967 Chevelle SS that I’ve had since I was 17, and
I’ve added to the collection over the years, including a ’59 Impala.
Chevy has been my go-to since I could drive and in fact, it’s sort of
what led to me having this career. I used to go to Pomona for the swap
meets to source parts for my Chevelle and that’s where I learned about
an upcoming Sportsman race at that track. I ended up going back for that
event and fell in love. It lit a fire in me and is ultimately what led
me to get behind the wheel and compete in Super Gas.”
_On having Funny Car teammates –_
“Having teammates builds camaraderie. I love being part of a big team
like I have been previously, and I’ll definitely miss racing with Ida,
but having Funny Car teammates is a little different because you can
work off each other. And of course, the obvious advantage of having more
data to work from and the ability to share information amongst the crew
chief braintrust will be a great competitive advantage that I haven’t
had since the Kalitta days nearly a decade ago.”
_How did this move to JFR come to be?_
“This has been in the works for quite some time, actually; going as
far back as the end of the 2024 season but the timing wasn’t right,
and we weren’t able to make it happen for 2025. Fortunately, I had the
opportunity to race for Joe Maynard and his JCM Racing team last year,
which I am very grateful for. At that point, I had kind of put the
thought of racing for JFR off in the back of my mind, thinking maybe it
wasn’t necessarily feasible. But then, the opportunity presented
itself once again a few months back, and it just wasn’t something I
could pass up. At that point, I started to take the necessary steps to
make the move for 2026.”
_What are your goals for the 2026 season?_
“JFR is a whole different beast. This isn’t my first rodeo; I’ve
been out here for many years now and I know from experience that when
switching teams and cars, there is a bit of an adjustment period,
especially with getting to know all of the people and personalities
involved. So, the first few weeks I plan to focus on getting myself
acquainted with their style and how they operate.
“From a performance perspective, the goal remains the same – run for
a championship. I know I’m tenacious; I’m hungry, I’m competitive.
You combine that with the fact that I’ll have the absolute best
equipment underneath me at John Force Racing, and I have no doubt
we’re absolutely going to hit the ground running next season. I fully
expect for our Bandero Café Chevy team to be part of the conversation
next fall.”