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JCM Racing Pre-Race Report: Indianapolis
- joec570
- Sep 2
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 17
NHRA U.S. Nationals
Event 14 of 20
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park
Indianapolis
Aug. 29 - Sept. 1, 2025
IDA ZETTERSTRÖM
Driver of the JCM Racing Top Fuel Dragster
2024 NHRA U.S. Nationals Event Recap:
Qualified 14th; Quarterfinal finish (defeated T.J. Zizzo in E1; defeated by Steve Torrence in E2)
Last Event (Brainerd):
Qualified 11th; First round exit (defeated by Billy Torrence in E1)
Noteworthy:
Zetterström competed at the U.S. Nationals for the first time in 2024
Last year’s Indianapolis race was Zetterström’s second NHRA event after making her American Top Fuel debut with JCM Racing in Brainerd, Minn. where she advanced to the semifinals
The Indianapolis event is a home race for Zetterström, who relocated to the area from Finland in early 2024 to be near the Brownsburg-based JCM Racing team
Fan Events:
Thursday, 7:00 p.m., Driver autograph session, Cruz Pedregon Open House (462 Southpoint Cir., Brownsburg)
Friday, 6:15 – 6: 45 p.m., Dodge driver autograph session, Dodge midway display
Saturday, 10 – 10:30 a.m., Dodge driver autograph session, Dodge midway display
Quotable:
“Excited for the biggest race of the year. Last year, it was a big accomplishment for us to qualify in one of the toughest fields ever and then we went on to win first round. We’re hoping to do at least that this year; we need a good bounce back weekend.
“We’ll have several sponsors in the house, including Leatherwood Distillery and Bourbon City Golf Carts, and that's always fun. We hope to put on a good show for them. We're kicking off the festivities with an autograph signing at Cruz Pedregon’s Open House Thursday night, and then ready for a long weekend and some win lights on Monday.”
ALEXIS DEJORIA
Driver of the Bandero Café Funny Car
NHRA U.S. Nationals Event Highlights:
2014 event champion
2024 NHRA U.S. Nationals Event Recap:
Qualified ninth; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Matt Hagan in E1; defeated by Austin Prock in E2)
Last Event (Brainerd):
Qualified sixth; First round exit (defeated by Spencer Hyde in E1)
2025 Statistics:
13 races; four semifinal finishes
Career Statistics:
248 races; six wins, six No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:
Winner of the 60th anniversary 2014 U.S. Nationals
Begins the weekend ranked ninth in the Funny Car standings and will look to improve upon or maintain her position at the unique points-and-a-half race, the final event of NHRA’s regular season
Fan Events:
Thursday, 7:00 p.m., Driver autograph session, Cruz Pedregon Open House (462 Southpoint Cir., Brownsburg)
Friday, 4:30 p.m., Q&A with Hannah Rickards, Nitro Alley stage
Quotable:
“We ran our best numbers in Brainerd, getting down into the 80s on race day. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to test between last race and now due to being rained out. It seems like all our scheduled test sessions have ended up being canceled for one reason or another lately but even though we haven’t been able to get those extra runs in, what we’ve been doing during the race weekends shows that we’re on the right track, and Brainerd was proof of that.
“We’re starting the weekend in ninth. The points are very tight. Just over 100 points separate the seventh from the No. 12 ranked drivers so there is definitely room to improve our standing, but on the flipside, we definitely don’t want to lose any ground either, so it’s imperative that we start qualifying well right out of the gate and get ourselves positioned to go rounds and make the most of the points-and-a-half scenario on race day. We’ve had four semifinal finishes this year and I believe we’re right there on the cusp. Mike Neff and Todd Smith know how to win, I know how to win; I’ve been in the Indy winner’s circle before and there’d be nothing better than to find our way back there this weekend.”
Media Contacts:
Allison McCormick
(305) 764-5377
Jessica Hatcher
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