Marstons Mills, MA -April 17, 2014-Jay Blake’s Permatex/Follow A Dream team turned its season around at state-of-the-art zMax Dragway in Charlotte, reaching the semifinals at the Four-Wide Nationals. Driver Todd Veney qualified just 16th in the Top Alcohol Funny Car field but took down No. 1 qualifier Steve Harker in the first round of eliminations and ran low e.t. of the quarterfinals, 5.59, bef
ore going up in smoke in the semi’s against eventual winner Dan Pomponio.
            “It was a great comeback, and it just goes to show that no matter where you qualify, you can win,” Blake said. “I don’t know how long it’s been since a No. 16 beat a No. 1 anywhere – years, probably. The whole team worked together to have the car ready for the first round, and it really responded.”
            Two connecting rods broke in the first qualifying session on a run that wasn’t just good; it was low e.t. by a mile to the quarter-track mark. “The car left hard and everything was business as usual until the engine blew up out of nowhere,” Veney said. “[Tuner] Tom [Howell] looked at the progressive-timing numbers, and that run was going to be a 5.56 or a .57. Harker ended up with low e.t. at 5.58, so who knows – that could have been low e.t. of the meet.”
            After missing the second qualifying session while changing engines, the Permatex/Follow A Dream team made it into the program with an on-and-off-the-throttle 6.15 in the pressure-packed last-ditch session and picked up dramatically to a 5.62 in the opening round of eliminations to upset Harker. An even better 5.59 in the quarterfinals covered Tony Bogolo, but Veney again went up in smoke in the semifinals and fell to Pomponio.