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A Day in the Life: Alexis DeJoria

Alexis DeJoria is a superstar in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) world and for good reason. With winning titles such as a champion of the 2014 U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, and a claim to fame for breaking the Brainerd International Raceway’s Funny Car ET record with a 3.998 second run, Alexis is one of the most skilled drivers in the industry. And best of all, she sets her records in style. We recently followed along as Alexis prepped for the 46 th Annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals in Englishtown, New Jersey and got a sneak peek into a day in her life. Here’s what life as a professional NHRA driver looks like from her own perspective:

  • 7:00 AM: Up early at my family’s place in Manhattan. I have a big shoot with CNBC at the racetrack today and a Paul Mitchell glam squad is en route to our place to do my hair and makeup!
  • 7:30 AM: Coffee and shower! I always use my favorite Paul Mitchell® products, and right now I love the new MarulaOil Rare Oil Replenishing Shampoo and Conditioner. These products are always a good pre-treatment prior to getting my hair styled with an array of products and tools.  

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  • 10:30 AM: Off to Englishtown, New Jersey" but we’re caught in traffic. Rain and the Lincoln Tunnel isn’t a good combo when you’re in a hurry!
  • 11:00 AM: Arrive at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park for day one of qualifying rounds for the 46th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals.
  • 11:15 AM: Greet the CNBC team and get mic’d up. We have six members of the CNBC crew on-site to shadow me and my team the entire day.
  • 11:30 AM: While my crew guys are hard at work getting my car prepped for the first run of the day, I pack my parachutes and fill up my fresh air bottle.

Alexis Car 2

Alexis Car 3

  • 12:30 PM: Lunch arrives! Today I’m eating a combination of fresh fish, flown in this morning and organic greens. We’re lucky to have such a great chef that travels the NHRA tour with us and keeps my healthy eating habits in check while on the road.
  • 1:00 PM: Put on my gas mask, hop in the cockpit of my Patrón XO Cafe Incendio racecar and warm it up. The CNBC crew gets covered in a cloud of nitromethane!
  • 1:55 PM: Time to get to Toyota PitPass, an autograph session with all of the Toyota sponsored NHRA drivers. Toyota is my sponsor, and they’re also the title sponsor of this particular race. I meet up with my fellow Toyota drivers and sign autographs for a long line of NHRA fans.
  • 2:35 PM: Arrive back at my race pit. I notice a group of fans waiting for me at the back of my race pit so I go meet them, sign autographs and pose for pictures.
  • 4:45 PM: Finally, it’s go time! I hop in to the back of our team’s Toyota Sienna and head to the staging lanes, race car in tow.
  • 5:00 PM: Listen to music on my new wireless earbuds while I sit in the staging lanes.  
  • 5:10 PM: Time to get suited up! My husband Jesse helps me get the rest of my gear on (helmet, gloves, and hans device).
  • 5:15 PM: Fist bump my guys, and climb into my office aka my 10,000-horsepower Patrón XO Cafe Incendio Toyota Camry Funny Car.

Alexis Car

  • 5:20 PM: Ready to make my first qualifying run of the weekend! I roll through the waterbox and do a burnout to get the tires hot and sticky for better traction during the run.
  • 5:34 PM: Hit the throttle and GO! The Patron XO Cafe Incendio car rips down the 1,000-foot racetrack at over 300mph in 4.046-seconds! My car goes from 0 to 100-mph in less than one second!
  • 5:35 PM: Make the turn off the track, stop the car and meet my guys at the top end. I immediately have an on-camera interview with ESPN2.  
  • 6:25 PM: Warm up the car for the last run of the day. Our Q2 run is set up to be our big hero run of the night. We’re sure to see record numbers and are planning on ours being one of the best.
  • 7:30 PM: Finally headed up to the staging lanes for the last run of the day. Because we ran so well in Q1, we’re the very last car to run on the track, an advantage for us.
  • 7:47 PM: Car is staged for the last run of the night. I know Tommy has the car tuned up pretty hot, so this should be a fast one!
  • 7:47 PM: Mash the throttle and take off down the track!
  • 7:47 PM: I get about 100-feet down before the car overpowers the racetrack which causes the tires to lose traction. I idle across the line at just 9.316-seconds. Bummer!
  • 8:05 PM: Change out of my fire suit and go out to re-pack my chutes for tomorrow’s first run.
  • 8:30 PM: Tell my guys goodnight and retire to my motor coach for the night. Tomorrow is another busy day!  

Alexis Car 17832 -2 Copy (1)

Busy indeed! After a long day of prep, interviews and races, it’s evident that life as a professional drag car racer is both thrilling and exhausting. Somehow Alexis manages to do it all in style. For more on her life and career, follow her team on Facebook and Twitter. Browse all of her fave Paul Mitchell products below.