Follow A Dream/Permatex TA/FC Team’s Hope For Rebound Falls Short

Follow A Dream/Permatex TA/FC Team’s Hope For Rebound Falls Short

MARSTONS Mills, Massachusetts (July 26, 2016) – Jay Blake’s Follow A Dream/Permatex Top Alcohol Funny Car team went to New England Dragway (Epping, New Hampshire) this past weekend looking for a big rebound.

In a rare happenstance, the team uncharacteristically failed to qualify two weeks earlier in the NHRA Route 66 Nationals national event in suburban Chicago.

Instead of dwelling on the Windy City disappointment, team owner Jay Blake rallied his troops with high hopes heading to Epping.

Things began the right way there as driver Phil Burkart qualified No. 2 in a seven-car field in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Northeast Division match.

Unfortunately, the team’s hopes were stopped in the semifinals when the Follow A Dream/Permatex TA/FC lost traction (6.926 seconds at 241.32 mph) right off the starting line and fell to Matt Gill (5.786 seconds at 258.22 mph).

“The team worked incredibly hard. We fought through some issues and nobody was giving up. It’s definitely a letdown. But you’ve got to keep going.”

“You’d like to win every race, but the likelihood is you’re not. You want to win and get to the final round. Everybody was disappointed, but it’s what the sport is.”

The team has this upcoming weekend off to retune before hitting the road again for its final divisional race of the season, Aug. 5-6, at New Jersey’s Atco Dragway.

“We keep trying to find consistency,” Blake said. “We got to the finals at Atco last year, so we’re hoping to find that same consistency and good luck on our side.”

Burkart enters the race at Atco tied for first place in the Lucas Oil East Region standings with D.J. Cox, each driver with 278 points apiece.

With the championship on the line, Blake has high hopes, as the team has typically done well at Atco over the years.

“It’s going to take six good runs: three rounds of qualifying and three rounds of eliminations,” Blake said. “Atco has been a good place for us.

“We just need to go in there and get it done. We’re just going to try and massage it and find a happy point.”

After next weekend’s race at Atco Dragway, the Follow A Dream/Permatex team returns to the Lucas Oil Series national circuit with three more events remaining on its 2016 schedule: the legendary U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis; Charlotte, North Carolina; and the team’s season finale at Maple Grove, Pennsylvania.

Burkart is currently ranked 10th in the Lucas Oil Series national standings.

“We still have a lot of racing, and hopefully more wins, still left in us this season,” Blake said.