JCM Racing will field the first all-female NHRA nitro team in 2025, with Ida Zetterström and Alexis DeJoria assuming the driving responsibilities for Joe and P.J. Maynard’s two-car operation in Top Fuel and Funny Car, respectively.

DeJoria, who last week announced her blockbuster move to JCM’s camp, will drive the Bandero Premium Tequila Funny Car, while Zetterström will be at the controls of the JCM Racing Top Fuel dragster. DeJoria and Zetterström will make their debut as JCM Racing teammates when the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season kicks off with the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., March 7-9.

Photo by NHRA/National Dragster

DeJoria, a 12-year Funny Car veteran who previously competed under the DC Motorsports banner, will run the entire 20-race NHRA Mission Foods Series. Returning for her sophomore season with JCM, Zetterström is confirmed for a part-time schedule of 10 races with the goal of adding more events.

“This sport has a long history of powerful women who have made their mark not only on NHRA Drag Racing but the motorsports industry as a whole,” said Joe Maynard, JCM Racing team owner. “Women have been at the forefront of the NHRA for many years, and we’re proud to be the first organization to have an all-female roster of nitro-powered drivers. Ida and Alexis are the full package and will represent us well both on and off the track.”

“Working with Ida last year, and seeing her drive and tenacity, I have no doubt that it’s only a matter of time before she has an NHRA championship to go along with her European championships,” added Maynard. “Her work ethic is incredible and that translates to success on the track. I’m hopeful we can continue to add more races to her schedule this year and put her in a position to have a shot at the Countdown.”

“As for Alexis, it’s clear that she is right there on the cusp, a champion-in-the-making, and our goal for this season is to put her in the best car surrounded by a great team so that she can make a run at becoming the first woman in NHRA history to win a Funny Car title.”

Veteran crew chief Mike ‘Zippy’ Neff has been tabbed to lead DeJoria’s team; Zetterström’s JCM dragster will again race under the leadership of Jon Schaffer after the pair made a late-season 2024 debut.

“I feel like we left a lot on the table when it comes to showing people what we’re capable of,” explained Zetterström. “Everyone else had a 12-race head start on us so by the time we came out in August, the rest of the field had several months of getting the kinks worked out. Not to mention, many of those teams have worked together for years and years, whereas we were a brand new team that was starting from scratch. Right as it started to feel like we were getting into our groove, the season ended. So, we’re ready to get back out there and prove ourselves. I hope we can put together the proper funding to race a full season, but regardless, I’ll be out at the track every race weekend, either competing for win lights or supporting my new teammate from the starting line. I’m excited for Alexis and me to be teammates this year.”

DeJoria and Zetterström each boast impressive driving resumes: Zetterström is a European drag racing champion on both two wheels and four, having become the first woman to win an FIM Super Street Bike title in 2019 and again in 2020. She later clinched the 2023 FIA European Top Fuel championship. DeJoria is a former U.S. Nationals champion, the first woman to clock a three-second Funny Car pass, has earned six career wins in Funny Car, and is the only driver to own the trifecta of Super Comp, Top Alcohol Funny Car, and Funny Car wins.

“Ida was a great addition to the tour last year, and I’m looking forward to having her as a teammate,” DeJoria said. “We’re both fierce competitors and I feel like we’re going to motivate each other. I’m also really looking forward to working with Mike Neff. His credentials speak for themselves and he’s had a lot of success in Funny Car. The guys are up in Indy, hard at work getting our car prepped and put together so that we’re ready to go come March. Our goal for this season is to be consistent and win races.”

Veteran Tony Schumacher, the winningest Top Fuel driver of all-time and an eight-time series champion, is not part of JCM’s driver lineup as the season begins. Schumacher joined the JCM camp in 2022 after a three-season hiatus and piloted the team’s primary dragster in partnership with Neff, finishing in the bottom half of the top ten the last two seasons.

“My phone is blowing up with questions and concerns about the recent news being posted. I wish I could answer them, but I can’t yet,” Schumacher said following the announcement. “Everything always works out in the end. If it hasn’t worked out, then it’s not the end. Stay tuned. I’m not done yet. Just working on sponsorship.”