“There is nothing like nitro methane power, the kind that makes 11,000 HP and flames coming out of the pipes,” NHRA Funny Car Driver Alexis DeJoria tells the guys in a candid pre-race sit-down. “We accelerate quicker than a fighter pilot does.” High adrenaline and outsized levels of risk run hand in glove, putting tremendous pressure on the crew chief, the DC Motorsports team, and herself. The ability to maintain laser focus while piloting a 300 mile per hour rocket can mean not just the difference between winning and losing, but between life and death. It’s a physical and emotional rollercoaster ride at maximum speed. “You have the highest highs with this kind of racing and the lowest lows.”