Marstons Mills, MA – June 28, 2011- At the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, Jay Blake’s Permatex/Follow A Dream team reached its first national event final of the season. Driver Todd Veney ran three consecutive 5.67s in the preliminary rounds of eliminations and a 5.69 in the final against second-generation driver Fred Hagen Jr., who got the win with a 5.57.

“It was another solid weekend for our team,” Blake said. “Everybody worked well together to overcome a few obstacles, and it was great to be back in the final round at a national event.” With the runner-up finish, Veney moved back into seventh place in the national Top Alcohol Funny Car standings.

Veney got around old rival John Anderika in the first round of eliminations, Canadian Paul Noakes in the quarterfinals, and, in the semifinals, John Bojec, settling a score from a close loss to Bojec in the Charlotte semifinals earlier this season. “It was disappointing to get to a final and not win it, but we did well to make it that far,” he said. “This was the first of three races in a row, and I’m really looking forward to heading back to Lebanon Valley this weekend.”

Last year, the Permatex/Follow A Dream team won the Lebanon Valley, N.Y., Lucas Oil Series race with low e.t. of all three rounds of eliminations. Following that event, Blake and the team will turn right back around to head west to Chicago for the JEGS Allstars race and the Route 66 Nationals.