Blake Alexander Pre-Gainesville‏

Blake Alexander Pre-Gainesville‏

GAINESVILLE, Fl. – Funny Car racer Blake Alexander will be starting off his 2012 season at the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals this weekend, following a long off-season. Blake and team owner Paul Smith have been working all winter to put the right pieces into place to field a competitive Fuel Funny Car.

“A lot has been happening over the winter. Paul and the team put together a new chassis and motor, which will be hitting the track for the first time at Gainesville. The major achievement was putting together a nine-race schedule, promoting the Auto Service Plus brand,” explained Alexander.

Blake will be a part of the fierce battle for the Auto Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award, or Rookie of the Year. He joins rookies Courtney Force, Alexis DeJoria, and Todd Lesenko in Funny Car.

“I’m looking forward to going out and competing not just against the rookies, but the seasoned veterans of the class as well. I might not be running the full tour, but I’ll do the best that I can at the nine races, whether it’s for Auto Service Plus or Gates,” said the college senior.

“The first run down the track will be using our set-up from last year, and then we’ll gradually step it up with the new parts throughout the weekend,” Blake added. “We are looking to run between 4.14 and 4.17 at 300 mph+ on the first run of the weekend.”

Blake Alexander and the Auto Service Plus Funny Car team will begin their season this weekend, at the Tire Kingdom Gatornationals, March 8th-11th at Gainesville Raceway. Funny Car qualifying starts at 12:30 pm on Friday. Qualifying coverage re-airs at 5 pm, March 11th on ESPN2, with eliminations coverage following at 6 pm.

Blake Alexander Racing is a company that was started and maintained by nitro funny car driver Blake Alexander while in college. Blake worked his way up from Jr. Dragsters through the competitive sportsman ranks, now achieving his goal of driving a professional Nitro Funny Car. Through his efforts on and off the track, Blake secures corporate sponsorships and works actively with each supporter to activate and stimulate their respective brands from market to market. Blake Alexander drives for iconic master tuner Paul Smith, who owns and operates Paul Smith Racing out of Boynton Beach, Florida.

Companies that support Blake Alexander Racing include: Auto Service Plus, Gates Rubber Company, Exide Batteries, Tenneco Automotive, Valvoline, Standard Motor Products, and Pro Jack Race Car Stands.

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Media Contact:

Nate Van Wagnen

NVW Motorsports Promotion

440-986-1480