By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

Alexis DeJoria is coming back to the NHRA. The former Funny Car pilot announced her return to the category on Tuesday.

She is going to compete in an independently funded team in 2020. She plans to compete in all 24 events during the 2020 season.

DeJoria last competed during the 2017 NHRA season before retiring.

“I honestly knew deep down when I made the announcement to retire at the end of the 2017 NHRA season that it was going to be sort of an open-ended retirement,” said DeJoria. “I’m beyond excited to get back out there. I’ve been blessed spending time with my family these past two years off. This was a decision I made with their support, and we are all looking forward to my return to the driver’s seat.”

She will work with crew chiefs Nick Boninfante and Del Worsham. She previously worked with the two crew chiefs.

Plus, Worsham is her mentor.

“I now have this incredible opportunity to build a team with two of the people who were by my side when I started my nitro Funny Car career,” said DeJoria. “Del is my mentor and the person whose car I licensed with in the first place, and Nicky was one of the first people at Kalitta who I talked to when I made the transition from Top Alcohol Funny Car to nitro Funny Car. Del and Nicky, they’re the ‘dream team’ for me, and I’m eager to embark on this new adventure with them.”

Presently, Boninfante and Worsham are crew chiefs on the Global Electronic Technology Funny Car piloted by Shawn Langdon. He is the most recent winner on tour, as he won the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois.

DeJoria has five career Funny Car wins, including the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis in Brownsburg, Indiana. Her last win of her career came at the 2017 Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota.

She defeated Tommy Johnson Jr. in that final round. She went 3.906 to Johnson Jr.’s 3.933.