Alexis DeJoria to miss the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd

By Samuel Reiman
Published

NHRA Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria will miss her second consecutive this race this weekend as she continues to recover from injuries sustained in a crash in Sonoma.

The Kalitta Motorsports driver suffered a fractured pelvis after hitting the wall in the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals in late July.

This injury kept DeJoria out of the NHRA Northwest Nationals two weeks ago in Seattle. DeJoria had hoped to be back racing again by this weekend in Brainerd, but her treating physician has advised her to sit it out.

“I was hoping and planning on being at Brainerd. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen,” said DeJoria. “With it being a fracture, the healing time is six-to-eight weeks and, as much as I wanted it, the harsh reality is there just wasn’t enough time between Sonoma and Brainerd for that area to be healed properly.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow but it was a decision that had to be made. My doctor, my crew chief and I assessed the situation and determined that the risk right now for further injury is too great. When you weigh it out, missing one more race is better than missing the entire season, and the reality is, if I were to go out there and shake or have any intense movements, that could very well be the final straw.”

DeJoria needs to remain in the top 10 in NHRA Funny Car points in order to make it into the Countdown to the Championship. The final stop for the series before the Countdown is the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day. DeJoria currently sits 10th in the points as the series heads into Brainerd, 115 points ahead of Chad Head.

“My sights are set on Indy,” added DeJoria. “By then, that’ll be five weeks of healing time and I should be at 90 percent and pretty healed and ready to go. I’m working hard to ensure I achieve that goal.

“I miss my team, my crew chiefs, my teammates, everyone I race with, race against, the fans; I miss it all. I miss being out there. Big thanks to everyone for their support through all of this. I really appreciate it, and I can’t wait to get back.”