Drag Racing Winternationals in Pomona!

Last Tuesday I had a meeting with Matt D'Andria at the CarCast Studios in Glendale.  CarCast features hot rods, muscle cars, and anything automobile-related with expertise as well as humor considering it's hosted by Adam Carolla and Matt.  Thanks to Keven Undergaro and Phil Svitek at Afterbuzz TV for putting the wheels in motion :)

Not only did I get a tour of the studio that day and saw some incredible cars (including some of Paul Newman's old cars since they're working on a documentary) but Alexis DeJoria was the guest on their show that afternoon.  Her Assistant, Allison, and I chatted about LA, racing, and cars while we waited and she invited me to the drag races in Pomona this past weekend and I said I would love to go!

Alexis was racing in the NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car category and is the daughter of John Paul Mitchell, (of the famed hair products) who is also the owner of Tequila Patron, that sponsors her car.  She made history on Saturday as the first woman to make a pass under 4 seconds in a funny car, which is one of the elite classes.  She hit a speed of over 318 miles per hour!  Unfortunately I wasn't there to see that as I went on Sunday because I wanted to see the final rounds and find out who would take the win for the opening races of the 2014 season.

Alexis and I at the 2014 Winternationals in Pomona!

I've gone with my Dad drag racing a few times and he drives a Blown Alcohol 1931 Roadster with a 1957 Hemi-Engine.  He built the entire car from the bottom up on his own so it's customized and hits a top speed of over 170 miles per hour.  He won the Hunnert Car Heads Up in 2013.  This was a little bit different with cars hitting over 320 miles per hour.  Your whole body shakes as the car goes by and since I stood up against the fence, I was right in the action.

Thumb's Up for John Force's win!

I got to see the Force girls race as well as legendary John Force but I was Team Alexis since we were invited by her and her team.  Neil offered his help by filming me doing some Hosting spots as well as getting some action shots right down by the track.  We even got to hang out in the Patron Hospitality tent and have Lunch as well as cocktails and meet some fun people.  She was one of the last cars to go in her category as she was coming in third and as she was up against Gary Densham she pulled out faster but after 100 feet her tires started smoking and he took the win.  She was knocked out in the first round on Sunday and definitely bummed when I saw her later in the tent.  I'm still really glad I got a chance to talk to her and thank her for having us.

On top of walking around and looking at all the exhibits, cars, and snack stops I had to support Alexis and get a purple t-shirt from booth her as well as a John Force t-shirt just in case I would run into him so I could get an autograph for my Dad.  John had a busy day from the beginning and ended up winning the whole thing for his 7th time in Pomona.  I actually got a lot of great video footage throughout the day thanks to Neil and I hope to put together a fun little video/reel from my first major drag race.  

Thankfully there was a really nice and healthy lunch at the Patron tent so the smell of hot dogs, pizza, and fried food was curbed by the yummy spicy pasta and chicken marsala.  And we were able to drink Tequila all day and enjoy it with the fun cocktails they had come up with!  The season starts and ends in Pomona which is pretty cool since it's less than an hour away and I'm already looking at where the upcoming races are and when I could go and see more.  Let's hope one of the next times my Dad will be able to come with me!

Special thanks to Neil for coming with me and dragging a camera around with him all day so I could put together a reel from this event!!

*To see other photos from Winternationals, Dine LA, and everything else check out and follow me on Instagram at http://instagram.com/lyndseywegner#