Race Reports
When the Funny Car pairs came to the line it was obvious drivers and crew chiefs where going to battle overpowering the track, and relying on their drivers to manage the mighty torque of their nitromethane burning Hemi engines. Paul Lee’s Global Electronic Dodge made the cleanest pass with a 3.913-second run at 326.95 mph. Alexis DeJoria also bears watching after she made the third-best pass with a 3.929 at 288.21mph in her RoKit/ABK Beer Toyota. DeJoria opened the season with a semifinal finish but has recently dropped to eighth place in the tough Funny Car title chase. DeJoria will be paired with Cruz Pedregon also made a reasonably clean run with a 3.949-second pass at 329.58 mph. Pedregon was next to Lee when he qualify third.
Funny Car's Paul Lee and his remarkable tale of perseverance is the main story in Drag Illustrated’s annual “Interview Issue,” which was released digitally on Monday and sent to subscribers this week. It dives into Lee’s adversity, as he details what happened and his arduous road to recovery after a widow maker heart attack.
A supercharger backfire at the 2020 Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals damaged the Funny Car body of Paul Lee; assistant crew chief Donnie Bender explains what it took to get the body back into race-ready condition.
