Follow A Dream – Virginia Lucas Oil race wrap up –Thursday, April 26, 2018
MARSTONS MILLS, Massachusetts (April 26, 2018) – Follow A Dream/Permatex Chevrolet Camaro Top Alcohol Funny Car team owner Jay Blake promised things would get better after the team’s slow start in the first two races of 2018.
And indeed that’s what happened this past weekend in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series regional race at Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie, Va.
Blake, driver Phil Burkart and tuner Anthony Terenzio and the rest of the team helped get the car to a semi-final finish.
Burkart lost in the next-to-last round to Mathew Gill, but there was no embarrassment, as Gill went on to win the overall race in the AA/Funny Car class.
“We tested on Thursday, qualified third on Friday and eliminations were Saturday and we lost in the semifinals,” Blake said. “The results really sound better than we did.”
“We struggled with (tire and body) shake all weekend. We’re pretty confident we’ve got it figured out and we’re looking forward to this weekend.”
“It’s a common thing with Alcohol Funny Cars. We’re trying to find the right clutch setup.”
Now the team prepares for this weekend’s NHRA NGK Spark Plug Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina.
“I’m hoping for a good weekend,” Blake said. “It’s been a tough beginning of the year but the team’s been working hard, Anthony (Terenzio) has been working hard to fine-tune the car, Phil’s been doing a great job driving the car and the crew has been doing a great job.”
“We’re just trying to fine-tune it and hopefully this weekend we’ll be able to round the corner and be able to make some real good runs that we’re happy with.”
This weekend’s race will be the second of three events in a row for the Follow A Dream squad. After Concord, the team will move on to another NHRA national event next weekend: the NHRA Southern Nationals Powered by Mello Yello at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia.
“We’re 10th in regional points and we’re No. 1 in the All-Star points for the All-Star race in Chicago in June (May 31-June 3),” Blake said. “We’re in the All-Star race, which is great, and we’re proud of that.
“As for this weekend and next weekend, we’re hoping to win one of them, if not both of them.”Blake has been his typical busy self off-track as well, having speaking engagements this week in front of more than 800 attendees at the NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville, N.C., as well as the Davidson County Community College in Lexington, N.C.
He expects to do more speaking engagements in the coming weeks as he further spreads his “Five Tools For Your Life’s Tool Box” motivational message to young and old.
