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JCM Racing Post-Race Recap: Indianapolis
- joec570
- Sep 2
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 17
NHRA U.S. Nationals
Event 14 of 20
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park
Indianapolis
Aug. 29 - Sept. 1, 2025
Alexis DeJoria Motivated By Semifinal Finish at Prestigious NHRA U.S. Nationals
INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 1, 2025) – Building on a solid outing at Brainerd, Alexis DeJoria charged to a semifinal finish at the NHRA U.S. Nationals behind the wheel of her Bandero Café Funny Car Monday afternoon at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The 2014 U.S. Nationals winner earned bonus points in qualifying with class-leading performances, qualified No. 4 in a loaded Funny Car field, and turned on win lights on race day at the biggest race of the year. The overall weekend performance sent DeJoria’s confidence soaring as she prepares to represent JCM Racing in the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship.
In the first of five qualifying sessions, DeJoria rocketed to a 3.891-second blast at 329.02 mph to take the provisional No. 3 position on Friday evening. She made the quickest pass of the second session on Saturday, a 3.929 E.T. at 330.88 mph, to earn four bonus points. She hazed the tires in the third session, but ended Saturday still in the No. 3 spot. DeJoria lost traction again in the fourth session before capping off qualifying with a 3.948 E.T. at 329.18 mph, the second-quickest pass of the fifth session, to take another three bonus points.
Racing out of the No. 4 position, DeJoria faced second-generation racer Bobby Bode in the first round of eliminations on Monday morning. Tuned by crew chiefs Mike ‘Zippy’ Neff and Todd Smith, DeJoria charged to a 3.901-second pass at 333.16 mph to get the win over a tire-smoking Bode. In a battle between two of the closest matched cars in qualifying, DeJoria left the line ahead of No. 5 qualifier Matt Hagan and led wire-to-wire with a 3.935 E.T. at 331.85 mph. Making her fifth semifinal appearance of the season, DeJoria lined up against No. 1 qualifier Jack Beckman, and while the Bandero Café Funny Car launched hard, it went into tire smoke around the 330-foot mark.
“Coming into the U.S. Nationals, we felt pretty strong as a team,” DeJoria said. “We ran a 3.87 at the last race and we know we have a good car. None of us are brand-new to this, but together we are brand-new. This Funny Car came together last-minute, and to be where we are today and to be running as good as we are and consistent as we are, that speaks volumes. I'm so proud.”
DeJoria moved up one spot in the Funny Car points standings with her semifinal finish, meaning she’ll enter the Countdown to the Championship in the No. 8 spot. More importantly, DeJoria and the Bandero Café Funny Car team have the confidence they need to chase a championship.
“We've got a week off and then we've got three back-to-back races, and those are the races you get hot for,” DeJoria said. “You want to get hot right now. This is the time to do it and we're doing it. I have so much confidence in this team, and that in turn makes me feel confident as a driver. Together, we're making it happen. I can't wait for the next race, I can’t wait for all the races in the next two months, and I can't wait for next year and beyond.”
DeJoria, who is seeking her first Funny Car series title, will kick off the NHRA Countdown to the Championship at the first of six races, the 40th NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish, Sept. 12-14, at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Penn.
Qualified: No. 4 (3.891 E.T. at 329.02 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.901 E.T. at 333.16 MPH defeated Bobby Bode 9.136 E.T. at 82.84 MPH
E2: 3.935 E.T. at 331.82 MPH defeated Matt Hagan 5.926 E.T. at 146.80 MPH
E3: 4.923 E.T. at 160.37 MPH defeated by Jack Beckman 4.123 E.T. at 248.66 MPH
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car Point Standings (Unofficial):
1 Austin Prock 1323
2 Jack Beckman 1050
3 Matt Hagan 956
4 Ron Capps 931
5 Paul Lee 849
6 J.R. Todd 770
7 Dan Wilkerson 720
8 Alexis DeJoria 689
9 Spencer Hyde 668
10 Bob Tasca III 648
Ida Zetterström Battles Tough Draw at NHRA U.S. Nationals
Making her second NHRA U.S. Nationals appearance, Swedish speedster-turned-Indianapolis resident Ida Zetterström was hoping to add to her round-win total at Indianapolis Raceway Park, her new home track since relocating to the Indianapolis area in early 2024 to drive for the Brownsburg-based JCM Racing team. Unfortunately for Zetterström, a first-round matchup versus the fastest team in the sport proved to be a tough draw for the part-time Top Fuel team, ending their day early on Monday at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
The JCM Racing team struggled throughout the first three qualifying sessions and went into Sunday sitting on the bump spot in 16th and without yet having made a full pass. They pulled through for the final two qualifying rounds, clocking a 3.824 E.T. at 325.30 mph in Q4, and a 3.828 at 320.81 mph in Q5. Their 3.824-second pass was enough to solidify their position in the Indianapolis field and placed Zetterström in the No. 16 spot to start race day.
Zetterström, a multi-time European drag racing champion, faced Brittany Force, a past NHRA champion, in the first round of eliminations on Monday morning. Against Force, Zetterström clocked a 0.060-second reaction time, but started to lose traction while Force ran the fastest pass in NHRA history and low E.T. of the round in the opposite lane to advance.
“Britanny is always a tough draw,” said Zetterström. “They’re past champions and they’ve been out here setting world records multiple times this year, so we know they’re tough. It’s pretty incredible how stout the Top Fuel class is right now; there’s actually no easy draw. There were guys that qualified way higher than us this weekend, and even they had a tough first round and you saw that with all those upsets. We know there are no easy matchups, and today was going to be no exception, but we geared up to give them a run for their money. We had really strong early numbers leaving on this pass but then ran into trouble. So, it was a good start to the run but then unfortunately, ran into issues. Brittany ran low E.T. of the round, and it would have been a tough match anyways, but we wish we could’ve been hanging right there with her and fought for it. So, another tough race day for us. We really wanted to go rounds here at the U.S. Nationals. This is a home race for so many, myself included now, and it would have meant so much to have a good showing here.”
While disappointed by the first-round loss, Zetterström was quick to point out the bright spots of the weekend.
“We actually have some new stuff in the car this year, going with a setup that we think will really work for this car, and we’ve been looking to improve our 60-foot times because that’s where we’ve been lacking all season. We’ve been running really well at the top end, but kind of lacking at the 60-foot, and we have gained that this weekend, so that has been a big win for us. We’re going to take what we learned and regroup and refocus and will be ready to come out swinging next month.”
As of now, the JCM Racing Top Fuel team’s next scheduled appearance is the NHRA FallNationals in Ennis, Texas, Oct. 10 – 12.
About JCM Racing:
Established in 2022, the Maynard family’s JCM Racing organization is a multi-car NHRA team owned by Joe and P.J. Maynard. The executive staff operates out of Clarksville, Tennessee, while the team’s racing headquarters is located in Brownsburg, Indiana. JCM Racing owns 11 national event wins to date.
Competing in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series as the sport’s first all-female nitro team, Alexis DeJoria drives the Bandero Premium Tequila Funny Car while Ida Zetterström pilots the JCM Racing Top Fuel dragster. DeJoria is a multi-time NHRA national event champion and the first woman to break the three-second barrier in the Funny Car category. In addition to her six Funny Car triumphs, DeJoria found success in the Sportsman ranks and is the only driver to own the trifecta of Super Comp, Top Alcohol Funny Car, and Funny Car victories. Hailing from Sweden, Zetterström is a European drag racing champion on both two wheels and four, having become the first woman to win an FIM Super Street Bike title in 2019 and again in 2020. Before relocating from Sweden to the Indianapolis area to prepare for her 2024 NHRA debut, Zetterström also clinched the 2023 FIA European Top Fuel crown.
In an effort to support the future generations of drag racers, JCM Racing operates a Driver Development program, which provides assistance to youngsters competing in the NHRA’s Jr. Drag Racing League.
For more information, visit @jcmnitro on Twitter and Instagram, @JCMNitro on Facebook, and JCMNitro.com
Media Contacts:
Allison McCormick
(305) 764-5377
Jessica Hatcher
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