Permatex/Follow A Dream Team Tuner Tom Howell to Retire

With great sadness, the Permatex/Follow A Dream team announces the retirement of longtime tuner Tom Howell, who recently was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS - also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). His departure marks the end of an era for the team. Howell called the shots when team owner and crew chief Jay Blake began campaigning Alcohol Funny Cars in 2003, and under his guidance the team has won a regional championship, four national events, and 10 divisional/regional events, including three wins in 2015 with driver Todd Veney.

Howell's involvement in motorsports spans more than 30 years, including stints with Marc Rowe Race Cars, the Blue Chip IHRA Funny Car driven by Dave Rowe, and the Florence Motorsports dragster driven by Don Florence. He also has extensive experience with Super Modifieds and offshore racing boats. Longtime tuner Anthony Terenzio, who guided veteran Mickey Ferro to countless Alcohol Funny Car victories, including five in a row to conclude the 2010 season, will take over for Howell in 2016.

Permatex/Follow A Dream Team Earns Biggest Win Since 2006

Courtesy of Follow A Dream Inc.

At the SummitRacing.com Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, Jay Blake's Permatex/Follow A Dream team earned its biggest win in nine years and moved into third place in the NHRA national standings. Driver Todd Veney singled in the Top Alcohol Funny Car final when opponent D.J. Cox broke on the burnout, collecting his first national event title and the team's fourth overall.

"Winning an NHRA national event is a dream come true," said Veney, who grew up about 50 miles from the track, in Wadsworth, Ohio. "It's been my number one goal my whole life, and I have Jay and the entire Follow A Dream team to thank for it. We ran 264 mph three times, qualified No. 3, and didn't have any mechanical problems at all, so it was just a great weekend all around."

"This was a true team win," said Blake, whose Permatex/Follow A Dream crew also won the 2005 Spring Nationals in Houston, and in 2006 won the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla, and the NHRA Finals in Pomona, CA . "Everybody on the team did a perfect job, everybody worked together, and now we're as high in the national standings as we've ever been."

Veney qualified No. 3 with a 5.59 at 264 mph and instead of racing No. 14 qualifier Wayne Butler (who crashed in qualifying) in the first round, took down alternate Jay Payne, the winningest alcohol driver now that many-time world champion Frank Manzo has retired. After overcoming an early lead by Dan Pomponio in round two, 5.61 to 5.88, Veney dispatched Paul Noakes in the semifinals with the team's best run of the event, a 5.57.

Cox's car broke on the burnout in the final round, paving the road to the winner's circle for the Permatex/Follow A Dream team. The afterglow won't last long, though - the next race, the Route 66 Nationals, is this weekend in Chicago.

The SummitRacing.com Nationals from Norwalk, Ohio will be televised this Sunday, July 12, at 1 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2.

Blown Engine Sidelines Permatex/Follow A Dream Team

Courtesy of Follow A Dream Inc.

Marstons Mills, MA-April 1, 2015-Jay Blake's Permatex/Follow A Dream team qualified in the fast half of the field at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, as it has at every race this season, but didn't get a chance to parlay that performance into a deep run in eliminations when an engine explosion on the final qualifying attempt knocked the team out of the race.

"It wasn't tuneup-related," Blake said. "It was a parts failure. The spark plugs looked like they'd never been run, and the computer showed that everything was perfect until a connecting rod broke. It's a tough way to lose, and we just missed getting everything back together in time to make it to the lanes for first round."

After persistent rain Friday wiped out both scheduled qualifying sessions, driver Todd Veney ran a 5.57 at 262 mph Saturday morning. About three and a half seconds into what was going to be an even better run, a rod snapped and drove itself out the side of the block, setting off a chain reaction that ended when the supercharger backfired, blowing the burst panel out of the body and creating a mountain of work for the crew.

"I was already through the 'shake zone,' well into second gear and just about to hit high, when it blew up," Veney said. "It's a shame. We had low e.t. of the entire first session for the left lane, and the car wasn't that hopped up. [Tuner] Tom [Howell] got after it for the second session and the car responded. That was going to be within a hundredth of a second of our best run ever [5.52] until the rod broke."

The crew leaped into action as soon as the car returned to the pits and just missed completing the engine swap in time. A new engine was just coming to life in the pits when Veney's scheduled opponent, Gatornationals winner Ulf Leanders of Sweden, ran an on-and-off-the-throttle 6.07 to beat alternate Tyler Scott.

The next race is an East Regional April 24-25 at Virginia Motorsports Park in Richmond, Va., where three years ago the Follow A Dream team set low e.t. and top speed and won the race.

Permatex/Follow A Dream Team Back at Pomona for 1st Time in 5 Years

Courtesy of FollowADream.org

Marstons Mills, MA -November 13, 2014-Jay Blake's Permatex/Follow A Dream team heads to the birthplace of drag racing, the Los Angeles area, for the final race of the 2014 season, the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., where the team was runner-up in 2005 and won it all in 2006. It's the first appearance in six weeks for the team, whose season was highlighted by victory at Lebanon Valley Dragway, where they scored for the second year in a row and the third time in five years.

"We've had some great moments at Pomona," said Blake, who spoke at the Veteran's Hospital in Long Beach, Calif., and at the Universal Technical Institute in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., earlier this week. "Permatex's sponsorship made it possible for us to bring Follow A Dream's message of the power of positive thinking and self-determination to veterans and to the students at UTI. I was part of a ribbon-cutting ceremony at UTI for their new veteran's building, and none of that would have been possible without Permatex's involvement with our team."

It also made possible a lifelong dream for driver Todd Veney, a Southern California native who's competing at the historic Pomona track for the first time ever. "The first national event I ever went to was right here at the Winternationals in 1972," he said. "I was born out here, lived here until I was 10, and moved right back out to L.A. the day after I graduated from college, and I've always wanted to race here."

Qualifying begins Thursday and concludes with two sessions on Friday. The first round is Saturday, and final eliminations are set for Sunday. The event will be televised on ESPN2 Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. Eastern.

Brand Holds the Edge in 2014 TAFC Championship Race

Courtesy of Todd Veney/Pro Sportsman Association

It was a foregone conclusion that 2014 would be wide-open when all-time Alcohol Funny Car king Frank Manzo abdicated his throne late last year, and halfway through it, it absolutely is – the number 1 driver at this point probably isn't going to win the championship. 1995 Top Alcohol Dragster champ and four-time Alcohol Funny Car runner-up Jay Payne has won more rounds than any driver in either alcohol class this year (16) but he's also lost more (9).

It's another sure Top 5 or Top 10 finish for Payne, who has more career victories than any active driver in either Top Alcohol Dragster or Funny Car, but the favorite at midseason is a driver who's never even finished in the Top 10: Dale Brand, who had never run enough races to contend for a title until this year. He's been in the late rounds everywhere he's raced all year and with a little luck could have won all six.

Brand, who once terrorized IHRA Alcohol Funny Car racing, heads for the Allstars race and the Route 66 Nationals in Chicago as the defending Allstars champ. He's as quick – and as quick on the Tree – as anyone. He won the Chicago regional last month, broke through for a long overdue first national event title in Topeka, scored again last weekend at Tulsa, and is second in the standings, just 10 points behind Payne.

Brand has a better win-loss record (16-3, .842) than anyone in either alcohol class and is riding a three-race win streak. Only a red-light in the final kept him from winning in Gainesville; a broken throttle linkage stopped him in the second round in Charlotte after he'd opened a car-length lead; and in Houston, he fell to Annie Whiteley in the semifinals by just 11-thousandths of a second.

Annie Whiteley
 

Payne won the rain-delayed Houston regional final over Shane Westerfield by just eight-thousandths of a second, was runner-up at the regional event in Phoenix and the national event in Las Vegas, and just won again last weekend at the regional in Acton, Montana.

Early season leader Brian Hough stands third, 74 points behind Brand. He's 11-4 for the year and won his first two starts of the season, the Winternationals and the Phoenix regional. Westerfield, who moved into the Top 10 for the first time in 2012 and shot all the way up to third in the national standings last year, is one point behind Hough. He's also a two-time winner this season, at the Spring Nationals in Houston and the Las Vegas regional.

Hot off back-to-back final-round appearances in regional competition, Clint Thompson anchors the Top 5. He won Denver on a slight holeshot over Whiteley, 5.78 to 5.78, and lost the Acton final to Payne the same way, 5.72 to 5.69.

With two wins and three final-round appearances in five starts, Dan Pomponio, who finished a career-high fifth in the national standings in his breakthrough 2013 campaign, is sixth in the standings despite running fewer races than anyone in the Top 10. He's won two national events already this season (Gainesville and Charlotte – same as last year) and came within inches of winning the Lebanon Valley regional.

Kris Hool, Whiteley, Nick Januik and Todd Veney round out the Top 10. Whiteley, who has yet to finish outside the Top 5 in her young Top Alcohol Funny Car career, is the only current Top 10 driver without a win, but she has three final-round appearances in her last four outings, qualified No. 1 at all four, set low e.t. at three of the four, and just missed winning each time.

Under the radar and just outside the Top 10 are perennial Top 10 drivers Steve Harker, Chris Foster, Steve Gasparrelli, John Lombardo, and Doug Gordon, all past national event champs. Foster is 12th and has a win and a runner-up in just four starts. Gasparrelli and Lombardo have finished as high as second in the standings, Lombardo just last year. Gordon is 19th, but he's raced just three times this season and has advanced to at least the semifinals at all three.

The dark horse is Tony Bartone, the only active Top Alcohol Funny Car driver ever to have won a championship. He makes his 2014 debut this weekend with a new Murf McKinney-built Camaro tuned by Steve Boggs, and with a late-season push could still win it all. It would take a winning streak of epic proportions, but if he pulls it off, it won't be the first time: the year he won the championship, 1996, he won 37 rounds in a row.

JEGS Allstars: A battle of NHRA Sportsman ranks' brightest stars

Courtesy of Scott "Woody" Woodruff

2013 JEGS Allstars TAD & TAFC team champions

 

CHICAGO (June 24) -- An incredible field of the best NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series drivers from across North America will converge at Route 66 Raceway this weekend for the 30th annual JEGS Allstars competition.

This year's field includes 79 drivers representing 33 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. The group will compete for individual and team honors and a share of more than $120,000 at stake during the event, which will once again be held in conjunction with the Route 66 NHRA Nationals. Of special note, each qualifier and the 10 champions will be rewarded a newly designed trophy handcrafted by master sculptor Dan Dreisbach of Naked Sculpture.

The JEGS Allstars competition is a unique event that crowns individual champions in 10 separate eliminators, in addition to an overall team champion. Racers qualify for the prestigious event by earning points in their home divisions during yearlong battles in the following NHRA Lucas Oil categories: Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Street, and the exciting Top Dragster and Top Sportsman classes.

In 2013, the host team from the NHRA North Central Division pummeled the competition for a record-breaking seventh overall team title. Led by Top Dragster racer James Monroe and Top Sportsman racer John Scali, the North Central team accumulated 1,300 points, finishing well ahead of the Southeast Division team, which scored 1,000 points.

As defending champions, Monroe and Scali will have the opportunity to return and defend their titles. They will be joined by fellow returning champions Bill Reichert (Top Alcohol Dragster), Dale Brand (Top Alcohol Funny Car), Mike DePalma (Comp), Mike Crutchfield (Super Stock), Sherman Adcock Jr. (Super Comp), Kevin Moore (Super Gas), and Casey Grubb (Super Street).

The 2013 JEGS Allstars Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car team champions.
When NHRA announced two years ago that Top Alcohol competition would be divided among four regions rather than the traditional seven divisions, JEGS immediately devised a plan to keep the popular cars in the Allstars competition. As a result, Top Alcohol teams will compete for a special "regional" trophy, also designed by Dreisbach.

The Alcohol Dragster field is stacked with former world champions Reichert and Randy Meyer leading the way along with former Allstars winner Chris Demke and rising star Brandon Booher.

With 10-time Allstars winner Frank Manzo enjoying a well-deserved retirement, the Top Alcohol Funny Car title is once again wide open with current defending champ Brand facing a lineup that includes Clint Thompson, Dan Pomponio, and Todd Veney, three drivers currently ranked in the top 10.

The Northeast Division team is tied with the North Central team with seven overall wins and will be looking to break that tie against a team anchored by world champions Frank Aragona Jr. (Comp), Byron Worner (Super Stock), and Ray Sawyer (Super Gas).

Perennial Allstar Adcock will be the cornerstone of a very competitive Southeast Division team that also includes three-time world champion David Rampy (Comp) along with second-generation racers Robbie Shaw (Stock) and Ray Miller III (Top Dragster). The Southeast Division team has a long history of success in the JEGS Allstars competition, having won six overall titles in addition to their runner-up finish last season.

The defending champions from the North Central Division boast a stacked lineup that includes world champion Ray Connolly, Top Dragster specialist Marco Abruzzi, and Super Stock ace Jeff Dona.

A solid South Central Division team includes Slate Cummings, who is racing in two classes (Super Stock and Stock) for the third straight year, and Super Comp rep Austin Williams, who is perhaps the hottest Sportsman driver in the country this season. Past world champion Jimmy Lewis also gives the South Central Division team a hope of collecting another overall championship.

Amazingly, the West Central Division team has never won the JEGS Allstars overall title but has the manpower to do so this year as their impressive lineup includes world champs Bruno Massel Jr. (Comp), Gary Stinnett (Super Comp), and Phil Unruh, who is making his second straight appearance in the Top Dragster class.

The team from the Northwest Division has a lot to prove after scoring just 300 points in last year's competition. A repeat would be almost unthinkable because the 2014 team includes veteran Comp driver Ralph Van Paepeghem, Joe Sorensen (Super Stock), and Casey Plazier (Stock). Historically, the Northwest Division has won two overall JEGS Allstars team titles (1988 and 2005).

The squad from the Pacific Division, who claimed the 2012 overall title, will be looking to regain the top spot, and there is no reason to think it can't with a team that features reigning NHRA world champions Alan Ellis (Comp), Justin Lamb (Stock), and Rick Beckstrom (Super Gas).

The JEGS Allstars program has been a breeding ground for some of today's best-known Mello Yello Series Pros. Reigning Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. has been an Allstars representative for the North Central division six times, winning the Super Gas class twice. Other past Allstars participants include Top Fuel drivers Morgan Lucas (Top Alcohol Dragster, 2003 and 2004; won in 2003), current Top Fuel champion Shawn Langdon (Super Comp, 2005-07; won in 2005 and 2006), and Spencer Massey (Top Alcohol Dragster, 2007 and 2008; won in 2007) as well as Funny Car drivers Tim Wilkerson (Top Alcohol Funny Car, 1995) and Jack Beckman (Super Comp 2004 and 2005; runner-up in 2004).

While the JEGS Allstars is a highlight competitive event, camaraderie between racers and their crews is evident, especially during Friday evening's racer appreciation barbecue, which is open to all of the JEGS Allstars competitors, their families, and crews.

 

2013 JEGS Allstars Division 3



Permatex Follow A Dream Team Out Early at Norwalk

Courtesy of Follow A Dream

Marstons Mills, MA -July 11, 2013-Jay Blake's Permatex/Follow A Dream team moved up to fourth in the national standings despite an early exit at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio. Driver Todd Veney qualified 13th with a 5.71 and lost in the first round when the engine went silent behind the line following the burnout.

"The team put in a brand-new engine for this race, and we finally got the new supercharger that Jay had on order a long time ago," Veney said. "We qualified only 13th but we were just a few hundredths of a second from being in the top four, so we were really looking for big things in eliminations. But then we got back to the pits and our whole weekend turned around."

Touring pros Khalid alBalooshi, Phil Shuler, and Stevie Jackson showed up in the Follow A Dream pit with nine-year-old Jacob Delling, who lost both of his eyes to retinal cancer and really wanted to meet Blake. "Spending time with Jacob was the highlight of the event for us," said Blake, who gave Jacob an extended tour of the trailer and the car, highlighted by seat time in the car, where Jacob familiarized himself with the controls and fell in love with the air-shift buttons.

 "There will be other races," Blake said. "We've won before and we'll win again, but getting to spend time with someone like Jacob is what this team and Follow A Dream is all about. It was also great to see some folks from Permatex and TA/Petro this weekend. It's always nice to have guests of our sponsors enjoy a day at the track."

Reichert, Brand Top Jegs Allstars Fields

Courtesy of Todd Veney/Pro Sportsman Association
Photos courtesy of Mike Sopko

 

At the Jegs Allstars race at Route 66 Raceway, Bill Reichert edged defending event champ Chris Demke in a classic Top Alcohol Dragster final, 5.31 to 5.32, and Dale Brand, hot off a regional win over Frank Manzo, got the job done in Top Alcohol Funny Car with a 5.59, low e.t. of eliminations.

Reichert's victory was the third of his career at the Allstars race but the first without him also qualifying for the Route 66 Nationals, which is run in conjunction with the prestigious event. "It's been a long time since I didn't qualify," said the five-time world champ. "I couldn't even tell you when the last time was – probably right after we started running A/Fuel [in 2000.]"

He wasn't the only one. Of the four Allstars semifinalists – Reichert, Demke, John Finke, and Randy Meyer – Demke was the only one who made the cut for the Route 66 Nationals. In the first round, which doubled as last-shot qualifying for the national event, Finke ran a 5.68 over Gord Gingles, who shook the parachutes out, and Meyer ran the same e.t. on a single when Ray Martin was unable to appear.

Reichert ran a 5.50 in that round opposite Marty Thacker, and his previous best of 5.48 was a hundredth of a second too slow for the brutal Top Alcohol Dragster field. In the semifinals, which didn't count for qualifying for the national event because it was a run that non-Allstars didn't get, he picked up a tenth and a half to sideline Finke in another great race, 5.35 to 5.37.

"We figured it out one run too late," Reichert said. "We came up with something a few weeks ago at the regional here that looked like it was going to work, but it took us three runs this weekend to figure out that that it really didn't."

Demke, who beat Dan Mercier in the first round with a 5.32, singled to a 5.31 in the semifinals when Meyer was shut off after the burnout, and a consistent 5.32 in the final left him just short of Reichert's 5.31. "I've never thought I had a race won more than that one," he said. "We'd just run a .31, and we basically left it alone, so when it made it through low gear without shaking, I thought we had him. I had him by half a tenth at the 330, but he's crafty. There's a reason he's a five-time world champ."

"I left first – barely – but by 60 feet he was already out in front of me," Reichert said. "I could see his nose out there for a while and thought, 'I don't know about this,' but he started going away bit by bit and I just did get him."

Reichert won by .012-second, the same winning margin that Brand had over Todd Veney in the Top Alcohol Funny Car final. It was like that every round for Brand – one great race after another. He nipped Andy Bohl in the first round of eliminations, 5.65 to 5.66, and Annie Whiteley in the semi's, 5.65 to 5.64.

After three 5.65s in a row, Brand ran only the .50 of the day in the final, a 5.59, to beat Veney's 5.62. "It was an honor just to be in a race like this," said Brand, who also won last week in Cordova. "This is definitely one of the highlights of my racing career. The whole field qualified in the 5.60s, so it seemed like anybody could have won."

Veney defeated Chris Foster, who won the Chicago regional earlier this month, in round one, 5.66 to 5.84, and Steve Gasparrelli in the semifinals, 5.64 to 5.66.

Page, Manzo Win Maple Grove Regional

Courtesy of Todd Veney/Pro Sportsman Association
Photos courtesy of David Smith/PSA

At the Eastern Regional at Maple Grove Raceway, chassis builder Dan Page collected his second career Top Alcohol Dragster victory and Frank Manzo earned what surprisingly was his first win all year in Top Alcohol Funny Car.

Page, driving Art Gallant's A/Fueler, took the Top Alcohol Dragster final easily when defending champ Bill Reichert, who had won this event four times in the past five years, went up in smoke not far off the line. With a strong 5.34, Page, who had run low e.t. of eliminations (5.32) in the semi's, scored for the first time since July 2011.

"That was harder than it looked," Page said. "We were supposed to be in the lanes at 7:15, and at 10 to 7 we were taking a head off the car. One cylinder didn't leak that great the round before, and we checked it again before the final, thinking it was going to be the same, and found that it had gotten a lot worse. Who does a valve job between rounds?"

"I do," Gallant said.

Reichert, who didn't qualify until the last-shot session at Norwalk a week earlier, did it the hard way again this time. His 5.35 was good for No. 2 behind Trinidad's Rishi Kanick, who made the only run all weekend in the 5.20s, a 5.28. Sixteen drivers attempted to qualify, and the bump was Frank Schuster's 5.44 in Tom Jones' blown-alcohol entry. Among the surprise non-qualifiers were John Finke, Mike Kosky, and 2011 world champ Duane Shields.

Page edged Gainesville regional winner Richard Bourke on a slight holeshot in round one, 5.522 to 5.521, and Kanick in the semi's, 5.32 to 5.48. Reichert's Rislone dragster ran a 5.38 in the opening round against early season points leader Rich McPhillips, who went up in smoke, and a consistent 5.37 in the semifinals against resurgent Karen Stalba.

Down six-hundredths going into the final, Reichert hopped it up and went just 100 feet before losing traction. "I had to," he said. "I thought I saw a few places where we could improve, but the car said, 'No way.' They gave me the lane I wanted – the one I'd been in all day – but it didn't make it."

Manzo dominated Top Alcohol Funny Car, qualifying No. 1 with a 5.49 and running quicker on his worst run of eliminations (5.52) than any other driver did on his best. He singled to a 5.51 in the first round when Marie Ferriolo was unable to return after hurting a fuel pump in qualifying. A 5.52 in the semifinals covered Eric Lourie's 5.69, and a 5.50 in the final was more than enough against Todd Veney, who smoked the tires off the line.

"It almost didn't make it," said Manzo, famous for never being satisfied. "It was right on the edge, and I was lucky to make it down the track every time. I really thought I was in trouble."

Veney, driving Jay Blake's Permatex/Follow A Dream car, got around Matt Gill with a 5.58 in round one and alternate John Anderika with a 5.56 in the semifinals. Gill, making his first run ever with someone in the next lane, shut off to a 6.05 at 204 mph. Anderika got in as an alternate for John Headley and won the first round over D.J. Cox, who qualified No. 2 with a career-best 5.56 at more than 260 mph.

 

Permatex/Follow A Dream Team Reaches Semis in 2013 Debut

Courtesy of Follow A Dream Motorsports

Marstons Mills, MA –February 19, 2013-Jay Blake's Permatex/Follow A Dream Top Alcohol Funny Car team tied for low e.t. and reached the semifinals in its season debut at the Eastern Region event in Gainesville, Fla., this weekend. Driver Todd Veney ran a 5.59 on the team's first run of the season, the best the car has run since the 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte last April, and tied Kris Hool for low e.t.

Veney defeated John Headley on a holeshot in the opening round of eliminations, 6.32 to 6.30, and fell to eventual winner Dan Pomponio in the semifinals. "Killer air and a cold track made it hard to get down the track after that first run, but a semifinal finish isn't too bad for our first race of the year," Veney said. "The best part was watching the crew swap engines between rounds and having the new one run just as good as the one that came out of the car."

A lifter broke in Veney's first-round race with Headley, which made the boost skyrocket and led to a supercharger explosion. "The whole team worked together to get it done in time, and a little rain delay didn't hurt," said Blake. "We figured the extra time we got from the rain was Tom Dobruck looking down on us."

The team received word over the weekend that Dobruck, a staple at Permatex for many years, had succumbed to cancer just before the event. "We raced with heavy hearts all weekend," Blake said, "and we're dedicating this whole season to Tom's memory."

TAN