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NEW BODY FOR DE JORIA. . .FUNNY CAR
Rookie NHRA driver Alexis De Joria got a new body -- a new 2007 Dodge Charger body for her Top Alcohol Funny Car, that is. De Joria had her old Camaro body ripped off in a freak top-end accident during last month's Phoenix Division 7 event where a competitor's parachutes ripped the body off the frame as he made the top-end turnoff at a high rate of speed. With her new body and a successful test session under her belt, she and the Tequila Patrón/Jack O'Bannon Racing Team will head for this weekend’s NHRA race at Las Vegas.
De Joria will be joined by her teammate Sean O'Bannon next weekend as he takes delivery of his new Brad Hadman chassis fitted with an identical 2007 Dodge Charger body. O'Bannon, who finished second in the world last season while competing in the Top Alcohol Dragster category, will crossgrade his license during testing next week and debut the car at the Division 7 Lucas Oil Series event to be held here the following weekend.
De Joria, 29, of Venice, CA, is the daughter of Paul Mitchell Hair Care Products and Patrón Spirits Company founder John Paul De Joria.
"I'm really excited to be getting back behind the wheel," said De Joria. "This new Charger body is awesome. I was a little nervous at first because you really sit way back in this car. The windows are further forward than the Camaro, and you have the scoop that comes into the cockpit. But it actually helped because it makes you more focused down track and less likely to be distracted by what's going on out the side windows.” (car photo by Darr Hawthorne) [4/12/2007]
