PR-BAYTOWN- Follow A Dream Team defeats Newberry for Spring Nationals win

For Immediate Release: April 12, 2005

Contact:
Jay Blake
Follow A Dream, Inc.
P: 508.420.8319
C: 508.566.5200
E: jay@followadream.org
www.followadream.org

Motorsports Worlds’ Only Team
with Totally Blind Crew Chief Wins NHRA Spring Nationals

“Follow A Dream” Race Team Beats Former World Champ

HOUSTON, TX—The motorsports world’s only totally blind crew chief, Jay Blake, says “victory tastes sweet,” as he celebrates the first place win for his Follow A Dream team, who won at the NHRA O’Reilly Spring Nationals race outside of Houston, TX on Sunday, April. 10th. Blake’s racing team, led by driver Dave Ray of Plaistow, NH, races an alcohol-fueled funny car in the sportsman’s division of NHRA (National Hot Rod Association).

The win was truly a David v. Goliath story, with the team struggling during qualifying rounds, performing well below their March 2005 Gainesville, FL performance. Blake, a professional motivational speaker whose face is synonymous with positive thinking, rallied the team. By Sunday night, they were paired up against former World Champ and multi-national event winner, Bob Newberry. The cars left the starting line with Blake’s driver Ray getting the jump. The Follow a Dream Team recorded a 5.65 second run at 254 mph for their first NHRA National Event win. As the team and many onlookers cheered, Blake leaned down and kissed the starting line. The spectators, who knew Blake’s personal story of tragedy and triumph, went wild cheering for the team and the blind man who had the vision and the perseverance to never give up. Since losing his sight in adulthood, Blake pursued and realized his dream of becoming a crew chief on a professional NHRA racing team. His proven gift for empowered positive thinking has resulted in a secondary career as a professional motivational speaker. Blake still has yet to achieve his goal of becoming the world’s fastest blind man, but the logistics for achieving this goal are still in the planning stage.

The Follow A Dream Team’s victory will be broadcast on ESPN2 April 17, 2005 at noon and again on April 23, 2005. The team, founded in 1999 as a non-profit 501(C)3 organization tasked themselves with the mission of spreading the message of positive thinking, using NHRA drag racing as its medium. The team’s sponsors include Permatex, Valvoline, Mechanix Wear, Lincoln Electric, Fram Filters, Moroso, Moduline Cabinet Systems and Jarvis Appliance.