Marstons Mills, MA -June 27, 2012-Jay Blake’s Permatex/Follow A Dream Top
Alcohol Funny Car team set top speed at the Lebanon Valley Dragway regional
despite going out early in eliminations. Driver Todd Veney fell to eventual
winner Eric Lourie in the first round by 21-thousandths of a second, 5.77 to
5.80, but set top speed of the meet on the run at 252.89 mph.

“It was tough because when it’s that close at the finish line, you can’t see
the other guy even though you’re a few feet behind him,” Veney said. “I
never saw him the whole way down the track and couldn’t believe it when the
win-light didn’t come on in my lane, but I guess it’s a payback from
Richmond, where we beat him by the exact same margin – 21-thousandths of a
second.”

Veney qualified in the fast half of the field with a 5.83 at 251 mph before
dropping the close first-round decision. “This is part of the sport – the
bad part – and everybody goes through it,” Blake said. “It’s disappointing
and frustrating, but everyone on this team is determined to turn it around,
and we will.”

Off the track, the weekend was a huge success as the team hosted students
from the Porter and Chester Institute. The pit area was swarmed with people
all day on Saturday, and six students with perfect attendance were chosen to
join the crew on the starting line for the first-round match against Lourie.