Jay Blake's Blog

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

2011-12-28T11:52:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! I apologize I haven't blogged in a long time. We have been busy in the office wrapping up the year and preparing for next year. The crew has some time away from the shop and have been busy with their jobs and families. I hope you all got the newsletter, & if you didn't, make sure to get us your address so we can add you to our mailing list. The race car is resting and we've sent all the specialty pieces out to be recertified to adhere to NHRA safety regulations. Shop activity will pick up after the first of the year. I'll be blogging again so please check back.

Thanks

Jay

AT AAPEX SHOW WITH PERMATEX

2011-11-02T16:46:00.002-04:00

Hello All!

WOW....its been awhile. Sorry for the delay is posting to the blog-we've been busy, busy, busy. Spent some time at the shop after returning from Maple Grove at the end of September & then headed off to our final race of the season @ Silver Dollar Raceway in Reynolds, GA. Beautiful weather, great people & a really nice facility. We had some good runs & qualified 2nd in the field & then went on to compete in the finals where we lost to Mickey Ferro. We're holding on to 6th place in the national standings right now but have to wait for the outcome of the last couple races of the year out west to see where we end up. Will hope for a top 10 finish!

I flew out to Vegas on Sunday evening to meet Todd & the Permatex crew @ the AAPEX Show where we've been displaying the car & talking with show attendees. We'll finish up there later today & will load the car for the return trip to Massachusetts tomorrow morning. Eddie & his wife Noreen drove out ahead of me & will get the rig back to the Cape as well. My wife Ann is going to fly out tomorrow for a couple days of rest & relaxation & then we'll fly home Sunday.

Will be back in the office on Monday, getting prepared for the PRI Show at the beginning of December & working on preparing for the 2012 season.

Will touch base early next week.....I know......no promises I can't keep! Please check in again-I WILL blog soon.

Have a great day!

Jay

DRIVING HOME FROM PENNSYLVANIA

2011-10-05T17:49:00.002-04:00

Hey everybody,

We fought rain & cold weather all weekend at Maple Grove. The crew did a great job throughout the weekend & the car got quicker on every run. In the semi finals we shook the tires & lost to Frank Manzo, who set a new elapsed time record, won the world championship, & eventually won the race, all in one day. Congratulations Frank! Charlie, Ed, & I took the trailer to Goldrush Trailers in PA after the race for liftgate repairs. That went well thanks to Kevin, Jeff, & the whole gang there.

We're on our way home now, in Connecticut & expecting to be back on the Cape by 9pm. We'll get the car ready to leave in a week for Silver Dollar Raceway in Reynolds, GA for the last race of the year.

We'll let you know how things are going before we take off again. ESPN2 will air the Maple Grove event from this past weekend on Sunday, Oct. 9 @ 3pm.

Have a great day!

Jay

GOOD EVENING RACE FANS

2011-09-29T17:58:00.002-04:00

Hello All!

Well, after several stops, we're @ Maple Grove & getting the pit set up to begin racing in the morning. Most of the team is on the road in Massachusetts heading our way & will be at the track late tonight. An FYI for anyone planning a trip to the track this weekend, due to extremely wet ground conditions in the sportsman pit area, Super Comp, Super Stock, Stock & Super Gas will not compete this weekend, which changes our run schedule for tomorrow. We are now scheduled to run qualifiers @ 11am & 3:45pm. If you have questions, www.maplegroveraceway.com should be updating regularly with any additional changes.

On our way to Pennsylvania we made stops @ Gateway Community College in North Haven, CT & then at team sponsor Permatex headquarters in Hartford, CT on Tuesday. Got to show off the racecar to some employees that had never seen it & was able to also speak to a small group too. We then made our way to PA where we stopped Wednesday at Universal Technical Institute in Exton, PA. Spoke to a group for our friend & team supporter Steve Davies, who will be joining us at the track this weekend.

Not sure if I mentioned it or not but while at Cecil County in August we lost our awning to a wind storm. Just took delivery of the new one today when we got to the track. They tell me its beautiful, thank you Larry DeForrest @ Arrow Components for getting this done so quickly & for doing such a great job. Check out the photo above.

Well, hope to see some of you at the track this weekend, come by & say hi.

Jay

ON THE ROAD AGAIN...

2011-09-27T12:45:00.002-04:00

Hello Blog Fans!

Well, we're hitting the road again on our way to Maple Grove for the national event this weekend. Heading to sponsor Permatex in Hartford today for meetings & to showcase the racecar for employees. Spoke at Gateway Community College in North Haven, CT last evening & will be stopping at Universal Technical Institute campus in Exton, PA tomorrow to speak for students & faculty their. Then Charlie & I will make our way to the track & setup the pit while waiting for the team to arrive to begin competition on Friday.

Spent the last couple of weeks catching up in the office while some of the guys helped out at the shop preparing to hit the road. Ozzie worked on brackets for the awning, among other things & Eddie worked on cylinder heads.

Will touch base next week to fill you in on results from Maple Grove. Remember to check out our pit cam beginnng Friday to see all the action & log on to facebook for updates from the track.

Have a good day!

Jay

DRAG RACING IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART

2011-09-12T17:22:00.007-04:00

Hello Followers,

Sorry I didn't blog before we hit the road late last week for Etown. We pulled into Etown with high hopes & after 2 qualifying runs that went totally haywire we did not qualify for the event. The team kept their spirits up & we're preparing to test this week to ready for our next race @ Maple Grove Raceway at the end of the month.

However, all was not lost as we were informed as we loaded to come home that we had won Best Appearing Crew for the event. We were wearing our "Free To Dream Thanks To Our Troops" custom t-shirts (thanks to Maura) in memory of 9/11. I guess when it comes to the big picture we have to be thankful that we have the ability to go out there & participate.

We're back home & working in the shop getting ready to test mid week @ New England Dragway. Will touch base again later in the week.

Thanks for checking in.

Jay

HELLO DREAM FOLLOWERS

2011-09-01T17:16:00.002-04:00

Hi All,

We were very lucky here on the Cape following last weeks hurricane Irene. Got to work on Monday & had power & internet service. Not everyone in the area has been so lucky, some still without power. My father-in-law Ray Borski still doesn't have any power & has a downed tree across his driveway with live wires wrapped around it. As I said, we were lucky.

Busy doing all of the stuff that they don't talk about in Hot Rod magazine. Tommy is here putting a motor together to replace the one we hurt in Cecil. Ozzy serviced all the bearings in the motor that's in the car from Cecil on Tuesday night & Brandon & I will pull it out of the car tonight & put it back under the bench in the trailer for a spare. Joe Connelly was here on Tuesday too, getting a variety of things done & set up for Englishtown next weekend. Terri has been busy in the office this week & I've been working on adding more tie downs in the trailer. Always plenty to do & never enough time in the day to get it all done. We'll work next week on getting ready to leave for Englishtown & will update you before we hit the road.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend.

Jay

BACK AT THE SHOP

2011-08-23T19:06:00.002-04:00

Hey All!

Thanks for checking in. I wish I had more of an exciting blog to write but, we're back from Cecil County where things didn't go well. We tested on Thursday, which went fine & then Thursday night a storm came in. Fortunately, we got the car put away in time & as we were tying down the awning a gust of wind kicked up-around 60-70MPH & ripped the awning to pieces. The weekend had begun!

Friday things were held up due to water seeping through the track because of the heavy rains Thursday evening. We got one qualifier in where we broke a blower belt. Then on Saturday racing was held up again because of water coming up through the track again. Around 4pm we finally made out 2nd qualifying pass where we broke an intake rocker arm (engine part) which caused the engine to break-torched the head & the block. The crew worked extremely hard dropping a new engine in for first round of eliminations so we could meet up with multiple world champion winner Frank Manzo. We smoked the tires off the starting line & Frank drove off to victory once again. We loaded up & headed back to the Cape on Sunday morning. Charlie Connelly, Joe Connellys dad has been traveling with us for the last couple of races. Charlie's been driving the truck & helping out wherever he can & has been doing a phenomenal job. We very much appreciate all of his efforts. My stepson Brandon has also been to the last two races helping crew, and has been doing a great job too. He worked with me Monday at the shop getting everything offloaded & back into the shop. Today, Brandon & Eddie worked together getting the engine all apart so we can send the block & cylinder head out to Brad Anderson Enterprises for repair.

Will catch you all up again soon. Please also let us know if you have comments or have specific questions you'd like answered & we'll add info to the next blog.

Have a great day race fans!

Jay

JUST SURVIVED A WHOPPER STORM @ CECIL COUNTY

2011-08-18T18:46:00.002-04:00

To back track a bit-we went to Atco a couple weeks ago & struggled. We did not qualify for the first time in four years & the entire team was pretty disappointed. But we shook it off & headed home to get prepared for Cecil County this weekend. We arrived at Cecil early this morning for testing & we were able to make two passes. The track is very green with not much rubber on it & we shook the tires first run.. Second pass was better with a 5.75 which isn't bad for the track & weather conditions we're experiencing. We should be in a good spot for qualifying tomorrow. Had a severe storm this evening with marble size hail, heavy rain, wind, thunder, & lightning. We're all fine but our trailer awning didn't make it. It has served us well for a number of years & the fact that it was old & probably fatigued didn't help. I guess it's time to invest in a new one.

Everybody is in good spirits & looking forward to a super weekend of racing. Crew member Joe Mitchell wasn't able to make the trip due to illness. Hope you're feeling better soon Joe!

Well, back to work for me. Hope you'll all check facebook for updates throughout the weekend & don't forget, we'll have the pit cam up & running too.

Have a great weekend & see you at the races!

Jay

HEADING TO ATCO

2011-08-03T18:23:00.002-04:00

Hello All!

We're heading to Atco for the NHRA Division 1 event this weekend. Qualifying is Friday & eliminations Saturday. Come check out the action if you can. The crew has serviced the car while we were home & it's ready for action.

After returning from the points meet in NH I was able to get away with my wife Ann for a couple days to celebrate our wedding anniversary-5 years have gone by so fast! This week two of the guys on the team lost family members. Mitch Sullivan lost his mom Edith last Friday & Scott DeWitt lost his dad Bud as well. Our prayers & well wishes go out to both Mitch & Scott and their families.

Follow us on facebook this weekend, we'll be updating from the track. Will blog results next week.

See you at the races!

Jay

NEW ENGLAND DRAGWAY HERE WE COME!

2011-07-20T12:20:00.003-04:00

Hello All,

Had a great trip west. Todd, Eddie, & myself made a stop at Illinois Tool Works, Inc. (ITW), parent company of team sponsors Permatex & Wynn's on our way to Joliet & had the opportunity to introduce Follow A Dream to many of the folks there including the CEO David Speer-we even had him in the car for awhile! The people there were all very interested in what we do & enjoyed getting to check out the car. Then it was off to the Jeg's Allstar race & the Route 66 NHRA Nationals @ Route 66 Raceway. We had a good weekend with the Allstars, where we went to the finals. We were somewhat disappointed in our showing @ the national event, where we unfortunately went out in the first round. Team worked their butts off again & then we all headed home for a short time before heading to New England Dragway today. We'll test tomorrow & then participate in the division 1 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Friday & Saturday. Boy is it gonna be HOT, HOT, HOT!!

Hope to see some of you at the races & will fill you in on our progress next week.

Have a good day!

Jay

I'M STILL HERE

2011-07-05T17:06:00.002-04:00

Hello All!

We're in Illinois & the trip so far has been a good one. We had a great weekend in Norwalk where we went to the finals before losing that round & this past weekend went out in the semifinals at the Lebanon Valley division 1 event in New York. All the race recaps are on the website if you'd like to check them out. After leaving Norwalk we made a stop @ the University of Northwestern Ohio, where my nephew Jamie Blake is a student. I spoke throughout the day to some 2000 students. The weathers been great for the first half of the trip & Eddie and I are now in Illinois, where I'm speaking at the ITW headquarters in Glenview, IL tomorrow. ITW is the mother company of our sponsors Permatex & Wynn's. Then we'll be off to Route 66 Raceway where the team will meet us for this coming weekends race. If you haven't checked out our live stream of the racing please check our website for coverage from the pits. We're also updating facebook throughout the weekend as well so check that out too.

I hope everybody had a great 4th of July weekend. See you at the races.

Jay

GETTING READY TO TAKE OFF AGAIN

2011-06-16T18:02:00.002-04:00

Hello All,

Unfortunately, the Funny Cars Under The Stars show scheduled for last weekend at New England Dragway was rained out but we're all looking forward to the division 1 event there on July 22 & 23rd. We've been hard at work at the shop readying for our next trip. It's been a short trip home but the team has pulled together & serviced the car. We've built another motor that goes in the car tomorrow when Tommy comes down. Eddie & I will be headed to Norwalk on Wednesday with the team flying out to meet us on Thursday. We're excited about the next 3 races, where we'll be involved in the Jeg's Allstar race in Chicago. We're having guests at the track from the TA Travel Truck Stops while at the Norwalk race & Wynn's folks when we're in Chicago. Most of us are fighting colds & hoping to feel better before we take off next week.

Will be in touch.

Jay

MID SEASON

2011-06-07T17:23:00.004-04:00

Hello All,

We're back home, after a good trip to OH, PA, & NJ. The Permatex/Follow A Dream funny car drew lots of attention at the TravelCenter/Petro convention in Sandusky, OH & it was great to reconnect with some of the people who've taken care of us as we travel throughout the country. Then it was off to Maple Grove raceway, where there was much chatter as to whether the race would be postponed due to weather. It turned out to be a beautiful weekend, where we qualified 3rd. We lost in the finals to world champion Frank Manzo. Eddie & I stayed after the race to service the car for Englishtown the following weekend. We made a stop at Reading-Muhlenberg Career Center, where we spoke to students & faculty while displaying the racecar. We arrived at Etown on Wednesday & HOLY GOD it was hot! Temps were almost 100 & setting up the awning from the roof of the trailer felt alot hotter than that. The crew arrived on Thursday to prep for racing on Friday. Friday morning started a little differently than most. While we were unloading the racecar from the second floor of the trailer, a bearing on the right side of the lift blew out, causing the lift to stop moving on the right side. The car ended up at a 30 degree angle-one side a foot from the ground & the other side 4 feet from the ground. The team all pulled together to get the car ready to race while it was still on the gate. My brother Jimmy took over the work of getting the car on the ground & with the help of a forklift & lots of suggestions from an ever growing peanut gallery, he got the car freed up. The team showed great determination working through the difficulties Friday morning to record a semifinal finish on Sunday afternoon. Check out the race recap on the home page of the site.

We loaded up Sunday night & headed home. I spoke at Cape Cod Technical High School today & will be at Upper Cape Cod Technical tomorrow. Going to New England Dragway Friday night to get ready for Amalie Oil Funny Cars Under The Stars event Saturday evening.

Will be in touch-please come to New England to see us if you can.

Take care,

Jay

GETTING READY FOR THE ROAD AGAIN

2011-05-18T19:44:00.002-04:00

Hey All!

We've been busy at the shop. We did a picture layout with Permatex & the racecar last week that went really well. We're ready getting everything ready for the next two races. Ed & I are heading out on Saturday for a TA Travel Centers of America convention in Sandusky, Ohio and then meeting the team @ Maple Grove for the first division 1 event of the season. Then its off to Etown for a national event & the following weekend we'll be at New England Dragway for Funny Cars Under the Stars, Saturday, June 11.

Will blog from the road when I can. Keep an eye out on our website for the webcam in the pits on race weekends & check my facebook for updates throughout the races.

Talk soon,

Jay

HEADING HOME FROM HOUSTON

2011-05-03T17:05:00.002-04:00

Hello All,

The National Automotive Technology Competition in New York went great. The Permatex kick off breakfast was successful & there was a steady crowd throughout the show. I competed with a blindfolded ESPN analyst & retired Nascar driver Ricky Craven @ the Universal Technical Institute booth in a spark plug competition, removing four spark plugs from the cylinder head & then repplacing them. Ricky was a great sport & we both had lots of fun. He needs a little more practice doing it in the dark but not bad for the first time. I also competed in the General Motors booth against a sighted Dan Fuller, a former GM Tech instructor & current Bristol Tech High School Automotive Instructor in Bristol, CT. Dan got the better of me by just a little bit but was too afraid to be blindfolded. Congratulations to all the competitiors.

I flew to Houston with the team on Thursday for the 24th Annual O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals. It was a good weekend although the track was tricky-very hot & humid. The team worked very hard to get us another semi final finish.

Ed & I were on the road home Sunday evening & by Monday afternoon @ around 2pm we had a ttrailer tire blow out in Alabama, taking out one of the airbags in the suspention of the trailer. Thanks to our friends at the Petro Truck Service we got the trailer all fixed up & were back on the road this morning after a good nights sleep to continue our journey home.

Once again, thanks to the Dream Team for a great weekend. We're beginning to prepare for our next race & first of the season in Division 1 competition, in Reading, PA, May 27-28.

A special thanks to all the men & women of the Armed Services for keeping us all safe through their tireless work & determination. FREE TO DREAM...THANKS TO OUR TROOPS!

Jay

NORTH CAROLINA TO BOSTON TO NEW YORK CITY

2011-04-25T15:22:00.002-04:00

Hey All!

I hope everybody had a good Easter & a great long weekend. I'm in NY City for the National Automotive Technology Competition through Wednesday. When I last blogged, I was still down in NC where I visited Gaston College & NASCAR Technical Institute. We met a great bunch of students & instructors & I was very impressed with both programs.

Eddie & I parted ways at the end of last week, when Eddie headed to Houston to get ready for this coming weekends race & I flew home to get ready to leave for the NY Auto Competition.

Had a great weekend at home with my family & had Easter dinner @ my mothers. My brother Jimmy & I headed out Sunday evening to drive to the Big Apple. We set the show car up this morning @ the Javits Convention Center & will be attending a welcome dinner this evening. I speak @ the Permatex sponsored kick off breakfast in the morning, where some of the best high school auto students in the country will compete. It's always a pleasure to be part of this event-lots of fun & I get to meet some terrific people.

Thanks for checking in, I'll be back later in the week with updates.

Jay

MONDAY IN CHARLOTTE

2011-04-18T18:21:00.002-04:00

Hey All!

We're leaving the Charlotte track, just finished filling the fresh water tanks & emptying the holding tanks. We're now on our way to Gaston College in Dallas, NC, where I'll speak to students & faculty tomorrow.

Friday qualifying @ Charlotte went well, where we ended up #2 qualifiier with a 5.58. Saturday qualifying was cancelled due to the weather, fortunately we did not get hit with the tornados & extreme weather that was in the area but still got plenty of rain & a fair amount of wind. The weather did finally clear late afternoon & NHRA did a great job drying the track & getting it safe for racing to continue. We had first round of eliminations on Saturday night & won that round. The team then serviced the car & put it to bed for the evening. Spirts were high for Sunday & the car was running very well. Sunday we won second round, the team again did a great job-the car was getting quicker & faster. We got the car ready for the semi-finals, where we had a mysterious problem in the fuel system, causing a backfire, which shut the car off & allowed our opponent to drive around us. The team was very disappointed but kept their head in the game as we got back to the pits & took the car apart to figure out what happened. We were able to repair the car which had no major damage. We got the pit area cleaned up & we're ready for Houston in a couple weeks.

Thanks to the whole team for a great weekend. We'll go into Houston focused on the win. Will blog again later in the week.

Jay

GETTING READY TO GO RACING!

2011-04-07T20:02:00.002-04:00

Hey Everybody,

We've been busy at the shop after returning from the World of Wheels in Boston, which was a great show. Traffic was pretty steady all weekend and it was great to see some friends I hadn't seen in many years & meet some new fans too. My big fear was that we would be waiting to roll out of the show until late into the night but I must say, I learned from the best-my brother Jimmy is a maniac when it comes to getting out of these things. The show was over at 7pm & we were the first ones out the door & loaded by 7:30.

Had a great visit at Madison Park Tech in Boston on Monday & we're looking forward to returning & getting to speak to more of their students. Madison Park Tech is the only public tech school in the city of Boston.

We arrived back at the shop on Monday evening & Tuesday we started the racecar, which has a fresh motor in it all set to go. I really feel like we're ready to go get 'um.

Eddie & I will leave the Cape early Monday morning & will be stopping @ Bristol Tech in Bristol, CT that afternoon. We're planning a stop @ a TA Travel Center in Virginia on Tuesday & then off to zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, where we should pull in on Wednesday to begin set up.

It'll be a busy couple of days packing up & getting ready to hit the road. The entire team has been working extremely hard to get everything ready & I can't thank them enough for all they do.

Will blog from the road-talk to you all again next week.

Jay

WORLD OF WHEELS SHOW IN BOSTON

2011-03-31T18:20:00.002-04:00

Hey All!

Eddie I went up to Boston this morning to set the car up for the World of Wheels Show. We'll be partnered/displaying with HTC Racing, powder coaters out of Rockland, MA. If you ever need any kind of powder coating or ceramic coatings for exhausts or headers, these guys are the best-tell Tom & Maryann I recommended them. I'll be at the show all weekend.

This week I spent time in the shop & office. Trying to set some speaking events up & working on the racecar. Worked on getting the showcar ready for this weekend too.

I'll be speaking Monday morning @ Madison Park Tech in Boston and back in the shop on Tuesday. Then the push will be on to get ready for NC race.

Come visit us at the show this weekend & thanks for checking in.

Jay

ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE

2011-03-24T17:59:00.002-04:00

Hey Everybody,

Sorry, it's been awhile again. We're back at the office & most recently, we put a new motor in the car to get preped in case we need it in a hurry. We ran and timed that yesterday. Joe Connelly & I are going to pull that out tonight & we'll then put another motor in to get ready for NC race in a couple weeks.

To catch you up....the race in Gainesville went well. Recap of the events are on the homepage if you haven't already seen it. Everybody worked well together, Scott Spencer & Todd worked on the clutch together for the first time & that went really well. Ozzie & Ed did a great job with the motor. It was Joe Connelly's first time at the track as a crew member & he did a great job too with all the fluids & the oil pan. Tommy the tuner did his usual great job tuning, Maura did a wonderful job feeding us all, & Todd did a great job driving too! You always want to win when you go racing but, in reality it's not always the outcome, as was the case at Gainesville, where we went out in the quarterfinals. This was a great weekend, everybody worked well together, turning the car around & we're all really excited to get the rest of the season under way.

Working in the shop for now is keeping us busy & next weekend we're @ Boston World of Wheels. Then, before you know it, we'll be on the road to Charlotte for our next race.

It's great to have the support of the team & the support of my family & all of the families that allow us to do what we do. Thank you to everyone, hang on, the season has started & it's gonna be a great ride.

We'll talk again soon,

Jay

IT'S WARM IN FLORIDA

2011-03-08T16:56:00.002-05:00

Hey All,

The winter preparations are over & now it's time to go racing. Ed & I pulled into Gainesville Raceway today & the rest of the team will join us on Thursday. We'll work on getting the pit area set up, the car teched, & be ready for our first qualifying pass on Friday morning. Weather looks like possible rain on Thursday but the rest of the weekend looks good. We'll be updating on Facebook throughout the weekend. Check the website too, we're going to try to get our webcam up & running. Testing on Monday after the race & will blog again on Tuesday to update you all on our progress.

Have a great day!

Jay

GETTIN' READY TO GO RACIN'

2011-02-15T17:39:00.002-05:00

Good Afternoon,

It's Tuesday evening & we're working away at the shop. Ed's CC'ing cylinder heads, Scott Spencer & Joe Connelly are coming by tonight to work too. Scott's going to check out the rear end & Joe and I are going to do some work on the trailer. We've got the bearings & brakes on the trailer done, and tonight we'll continue to work down the winter maintenance list-at least the list is getting shorter!

If you're out there & reading the blog-email me any questions you have & I'll see if I can answer them. Sometimes I wonder how much information you really want to know. It's not always real exciting-just another day at the office.

Hope to hear from you & thanks for checking in!

Talk soon

Jay

THE CAR RUNS!

2011-01-27T20:01:00.002-05:00

Spring is in the air! We fired the car today in preparation for the Maratta Auto & Cycle Show in Hartford, CT this weekend. Boy, did it sound awesome. You want to know the best part though??? We shut the car off, and not more than 2 minutes later, Terri walks out of the office telling me Tommy Howell is on the phone. Tommy's in Afghanistan! I think he heard the car from over there-he's ready to go racin'. It was great to hear from Tom & to know he's doing well.

We got the car loaded into the trailer & we're all ready to hit the road in the morning. Thanks to the whole crew; Terri, Spencer, Ozzie, Eddie, & Joe for all their help. It's a true team effort that makes it all happen-this team is the best!

I'll blog again next week to recap the weekend. If you're in the Hartford area, stop by & see us.

Jay

HOLY COW IT'S COLD!

2011-01-24T17:37:00.002-05:00

I'm really glad I'm able to be working inside today. I'm not sure if we had cold like this last year but, once a year is more than enough. Scott Spencer, Terri, & I have been working away at the shop. More of the same, cleaning, repainting the office, & getting the car ready for the Maratta Auto & Cycle Show in Hartford, CT this coming weekend. Check out their site, www.fmautoshow.com to see what the weekend has to offer. If you're in the area, come check us out at the show, we'll be firing up the car on Sunday afternoon.

I'll check back in again next week, we'll be working more toward getting the show on the road for the racing season & should have more to share.

Have a great week!
Jay

HELLO FRIENDS

2011-01-07T16:03:00.002-05:00

I always talk about cleaning but HOLY COW-this week, & I mean ALL WEEK, Terri, Scott, & I cleaned & organized the entire shop. Its not done yet, I'm not sure if its ever done but, we've certainly made it over the hump. We'll be working on the racecar and getting it ready for the season. We've got a few more pieces to be sent out for recertification that we do every year & restocking up on parts.

I'll talk with you all again next week, thanks for checking in.

Jay

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2010-12-29T17:25:00.002-05:00

Hey Everybody!

I've been to SEMA, PRI, and had the trailer wrapped since I last blogged. You can check out the photos of the trailer wrap on our homepage. We're working at the shop now, mostly office work trying to get everything in place for the 2011 season. We have one of the motors apart that needs to be repaired from last year.

I purchased a plow truck for snow removal. Scott Spencer & I have been working on that, getting it in good shape. So far we've had a about eighteen inches of snow this year-the Gators can't come soon enough!

Although it won't be overly exciting, I'll keep blogging once a week or so to keep everybody updated during the off season. I hope you all have a great New Years & we'll touch base again next week.

Jay

HEY EVERYBODY

2010-10-27T13:11:00.002-04:00

We're home now. The season has come to an exciting close with a big win at Atco, our last race of the year. The race in Reading, PA didn't go as well as we'd hoped it would, we lost in the second round. We were able to make the rescheduled Atco race the following weekend, so Ed & I stayed in PA for the week before driving to Atco. On Monday while we finished loading in Reading, Doug Foley had his drag racing school at the track & I was offered the opportunity to get in & go for a ride in his two seater dragster. WOW-what a great experience. Thank you so much to Doug & his driver Jeff. Wednesday, we did a display at the Bordentown, NJ Petro Truck Stop on our way to Atco. We arrived at Atco on Friday to set up & the weather was beautiful, the sun shined all weekend. Tommy was due to leave for Afghanistan on Wednesday of the next week, it was great to get a win at the final race of the season for a multitude of reasons. We wish Tom the best & safe return. Looking forward to seeing him in the beginning of March & getting ready for our return to racing action at the Gatornationals soon after that. Monday we left the racetrack & visited a TA Truck Stop in Paulsboro, NJ where we displayed the racecar. Tuesday we drove to Whitestone, NY to speak on Wednesday at the Lincoln Technical Institute located there. After a great visit at LTI Ed & I headed back to Cape Cod. We're now home & preparing for the 2011 season. Cleaning the shop, getting the car out of the trailer, & getting ready to head to SEMA next week in Las Vegas.

Will update again soon, thanks for checking in.

Jay

WAITING FOR THE SUN

2010-10-06T19:13:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone!

Ed & I are hanging out at the Petro Truck Stop in Bordentown, NJ, approx. an hour from the Maple Grove track. Due to all the rain they've had in the area over the last couple of weeks, all of the grassy area at the track is mud-so they're holding off getting folks set up in the pit area until tomorrow.

Monday & Tuesday of this week I spoke at Pennco Tech in Blackwood, NJ & Universal Technical Institute in Exton, PA. Many of the students are automotive technicians in training but some were from a variety of other programs. We had a great visit at both schools.

Check out my facebook for updates from the track this weekend. We'll be trying to stream live video from the pits as well-hoping we have better internet service @ Maple Grove than we did last weekend. Check it out on the home page of our website.

I'll update you all again next week. Have a wonderful weekend and if you're at the track, come see us.

Jay

MONDAY

2010-10-04T13:14:00.002-04:00

Hey Everybody,

It's Monday & I spoke at Pennco Tech in Blackwood, NJ this morning. On our way to Universal Technical Institute in Exton, PA to speak tomorrow. It definitely feels like fall is in the air-it's cold & rainy here.

Racing at Atco this weekend was cut short due to rainy weather. We qualified Saturday with the second qualifier also counting as the final round make-up from Englishtown where we shook the tires & broke the output shaft in the transmission. At that point the race was over & Frank Manzo got the win. Sunday the remainder of the Atco race was called due to track conditions & bad weather. The race has been rescheduled to be completed in two weeks.

Friday night our clutch man Charlie Mitchell was notified that his father John Mitchell had passed away unexpectedly. This was a shock to everybody on the team. Charlie, his son Joe, & the rest of the crew struggled through the weekend with heavy hearts and our thoughts and prayers with John. To offer condolences to the Mitchell family, please log onto www.brewittfuneralhome.com.

We'll be racing in Reading, PA at Maple Grove this coming weekend and will touch base later in the week.

Thanks for checking in.

Jay

WE'RE AT ATCO

2010-09-30T17:38:00.002-04:00

Hello Race Fans-

Charlie, Eddie, & I visited sponsor Permatex at their headquarters in Hartford, CT yesterday & had a great visit with lots of positive feedback from all.

We drove to ATCO last night for the last Division 1 event of the season. The weather tomorrow is questionable with things turning around by Saturday. We're excited for a good weekend of racing & hope that the weather cooperates. We'll be setting up the webcam in the pit so you can see us as we work on the car throughout the weekend-keep checking the website.

The remainder of the crew will show up at the track tonight & we'll get ready to run tomorrow (weather permitting). Don't forget to check the webcam on the site & we'll be facebooking too-keep checking in. Will blog again on Monday.

Thanks & Have a great weekend!

Jay

ON THE ROAD TO ATCO

2010-09-28T19:14:00.002-04:00

Sorry once again for the lapse in communication. Charlie, Eddie, & I have been working at the shop all day getting clutch stuff all ground up & loading the truck & trailer to get moving. We're going to the Permatex Headquarters tomorrow morning to display the racecar & speak to the employees. Then we're headed to Atco for the division 1 race this weekend. Will update you all again tomorrow, believe it-I really am going to try to do a better job of keeping up with the blog.

Talk at you later.

Jay

AT A TA TRUCK STOP IN NORTH CAROLINA

2010-09-14T17:11:00.003-04:00

Hey Everybody!

Charlie, Todd, & I are hanging out at a TA Truck Stop in North Carolina. We got the truck washed & had a leaking tire repaired. We'll be getting to the track & setting up the pit area in Concord, NC tomorrow afternoon.

We had a great weekend @ Englishtown last week. Rain was expected on Sunday, so they pushed to get all the racing in on Saturday but came up against the curfew & had to shut things down before getting the finals in for several of the classes. TAFC being one of them. We're in the finals up against Frank Manzo, who else-& will run the final at a race to be determined.

The entire team has been working hard & their efforts are showing in our race results. Hoping that we'll keep the momentum going through the end of the season.

Check back on Thursday, I'll blog again then.

Thanks for checking in.

Jay

GETTING READY TO HIT THE ROAD AGAIN!

2010-09-09T19:03:00.002-04:00

Hey all,

Charlie & I just finished loading the racecar, the trailers loaded, & we're headed to Englishtown for racing this weekend. We're going to try to get the webcam up & operational again on Saturday afternoon during qualifying & again Sunday for eliminations. I'll send facebook updates too. Check it out if you get the chance.

Its been a busy week at the shop. We've serviced the engine, new connecting rods, checked all the valve springs, went through the clutch, & did some work on the body.

We're beginning four races in a five week stretch with a couple of speaking engagements & racecar displays thrown in the mix, so it will be a busy time.

I'll try to keep everybody updated & will blog again early next week. Have a wonderful weekend!

Jay

CATCHING UP

2010-08-31T16:29:00.003-04:00

Hey Everybody!

Cecil County went well. We lost to Frank Manzo in the finals, 5.65 to a 5.67. The whole team did a great job. When you lose to Manzo, you've lost to the best. We've beat him before, and we'll beat him again. It was a great weekend. Unfortunately, the USO was unable to pull together the soldier visit this time around so we'll try again at another race-we'll keep you updated. We used the webcam in the pit area for the first time @ Cecil. We had some success as well as some trouble. We hope to do it again at Etown-please check out the our homepage to catch us working on the car. The facebook posting went well too.

We're back at the shop working on everything from the truck & trailer to generators & racecars. All in preparation for the next block of races-4 races in a 5 week stretch.

I hope everybody has a great Labor Day Weekend, we'll be back in touch next week.

Talk soon,

Jay

TESTING @ CECIL COUNTY

2010-08-19T13:54:00.002-04:00

Good Afternoon,

We arrived at Cecil County Dragway last evening after spending the day at the corporate headquarters of the National Federation of the Blind in Baltimore. Wonderful people & a great tour of the facility.

We'll be testing this afternoon & then the remainder of the team arrives at the track to prepare for qualifying tomorrow @ 5pm.

Wanted to let you all know that we'll be trying to update our facebook page this weekend after each run. Please check it out if you have a chance. Also, we'll be streaming live video from the track, you can click on the link from the home page of the website to keep track of what we're up to in the pits throughout the weekend.

Have a great day & will be back in touch early next week.

Jay

BACK FROM VACATION

2010-08-17T15:24:00.002-04:00

Holy Cow! Took my wife Ann on a cruise to Bermuda for a week, it was very relaxing & the weather was great. Returned to Massachusetts on Friday & then Saturday night we went to Fenway Park (home of the Boston Red Sox) for a J. Geils & Aerosmith concert. We had a blast!

Thanks to the hard work of the team while I was away, we're all loaded up & ready to hit the road for the division 1 race @ Cecil County this weekend, August 20-21. Will be making a stop tomorrow at the National Federation of the Blind in Baltimore on our way to the track. We're also hosting a group of wounded soldiers from Ft. Meade in Maryland on Saturday. We're all looking forward to meeting the guys & offering our thanks for their service & sacrifice.

We're going to try to get our webcam up & running in the pit this weekend. Keep a lookout on the home page of the website to see if we have a link to the live stream up. Also, check out our facebook page-we'll be updating after each run.

Will be back in touch soon.

Jay

I'M STILL HERE

2010-08-05T12:54:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone! Sorry for the disappearing act. I don't know if you're getting as sick as I am of the previous statement-I know I sure am. Will work on posting on a more regular basis. I do appreciate all of you checking in.

Mitch & I took the showcar down to the motorcycle ride in memory of fallen soldier from Cape Cod @ DY High School on Saturday, July 24. Wow, what an awesome experience. While I was there, I ran into a friend of mine that I hadn't seen in at least 10 years. It was great to see him & have a chance to catch up. Last time we'd seen each other he had been diagnosed with what was thought to be terminal cancer-not so. He's doing well & moving on with his life. After that, it was time to get the car finished up & readied to go testing. We had to put new crbon fiber front brakes on the car on Monday. Tuesday afternoon Eddie & I loaded the truck & trailer. Ed & his buddy left Tuesday evening for New England Dragway where we'd be testing. Wednesday morning we all arrived at the track, got the car out of the trailer & st up the pit area. When we were spinning the engine over for oil pressure we found a wobble on the lower pulley attached to the crankshaft. After inspection & disassembly, we realized the crank hub was no good. After getting this problem squared away, we had time for one pass. Took the car to the starting line, did the burn out & at that point we realized the body was not latching properly. Tommy gave the shut off sign to Todd & that ended the evening. Thursday we took the car to the Carroll Center in Newton, MA where I spoke with 40 students that were there for the summer. Had the car on display for them & then started the car up so they could all experience what 3000 HP sounds like. As always, it was a great visit. Thursday night we drove back to the Cape & got ready to take the racecar to Ozzie's shop on Friday morning, where we worked on the body latch issue. By the end of the day we were loading the car back into the trailer, ready to return to New England Dragway for more testing over the weekend. Saturday morning we arrived back at the track, where we were able to make two passes. The first one, 5.69 @ 257mph & the second was a 5.66 @ 257mph. That put a cap on Saturday. My brother Jimmy was running his car, my nephew Jamie was racing his car, & my niece Patty was driving her car too. It was kinda cool having all those Blake's racing-it was alot of fun. We had a great dinner that night-thanks to Maura. Then everybody got a good nights sleep. Sunday we pulled the car out again to make some more passes. We ran a 5.62 & a 5.63, & by the end of the day we had reset both ends of the track record-a great accomplishment for the entire team. We stayed over Sunday night to work on the car again on Monday, then loaded it up & brought it back to the Cape.

I would really like to thank Joe & all of the staff at New England Dragway for their hospitality, track preparation, and help. New England Dragway is one of the finest facilities in the Northeast.

Back at the shop we unloaded the trailer and will do some more work on the car servicing cylinder heads & clutch stuff in preparation for our next race at Cecil County, August 20.

I will talk to you all one week from Monday, August 16, as my wife Ann & I are going on vacation tomorrow. YAHOO!!!

HELLO FROM FLORIDA

2010-07-20T16:56:00.002-04:00

Hey everybody,

Down here in Orlando, FL where I spoke yesterday at the NACAT Conference. Will be helping Tom Dobruck set up the Permatex booth tomorrow & will be in the booth the rest of the day & then again on Thursday. Fly home Thursday evening.

I flew into Orlando from Syracuse Sunday night after a great weekend at the Syracuse Nationals, a Right Coast car show. There were some 8500 cars of all kinds-street rods, rat rods, antique cars, & just a full array of custom cars. There was even one guy driving around in an old Army truck (a troop mover)with the back of the truck converted into a swimming pool! There were thousands of people at the show every day and there was a motorsports thrill show each night. Charlie & I met all kinds of great people and had alot of fun. There was a number of Follow A Dream fans who came by to congratulate us on the win at Lebanon Valley & to commend the team on what a great job we're doing. I was impressed that they knew who we were.

On Monday morning Charlie drove the truck & trailer back to the Cape & unloaded. Today, Charlie, Tommy, & Eddie are in the shop working on the car getting it ready to test @ New England Dragway next week, July & August 1.

Mitch & I will be taking the car over to D-Y High School in Yarmouth, MA this coming Saturday, July 24 for a memorial motorcycle ride in honor of the fallen soldiers from Cape Cod, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The ride will cover a 28 mile route through the mid Cape area and will begin and end at the DY High School. The ride pays tribute to Marine Cpl. Nicholas G. Xiarhos from Yarmouth, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Gates open at 8am, ride begins at 11am. The event includes live entertainment, food vendors, motorcycle vendors, and raffles. For more info, please log onto www.ngxride.com. All are invited to get involved & participate in this great event.

Terri has been working on getting a web cam set up so stay tuned-we should be streaming live video from the track & the shop soon.

Will get back to blogging at the beginning of next week-stay tuned friends. Look forward to seeing some of you in Yarmouth on Saturday.

Jay

BIG WIN AT LEBANON VALLEY

2010-07-13T19:37:00.003-04:00

Hey Everybody!

Well, its been quite the ride since I last blogged at you. Sorry for the lapse in communication. I started to get a tickle in my throat Thursday at Lebanon Valley, & at the doctors office by Tuesday of the following week. Have been home, sick in bed with some kind of sinus infection since. Back to work now though & boy-lots to do.

Now that's behind us-HOLY COW-WHAT A WEEKEND IN NY!!! By Friday noon time, the whole team had arrived at Lebanon Valley. We had made one test pass on the Thursday prior to start of racing. The conditions did not make sense to try anymore test passes so we got busy preparing the car for first qualifier Friday evening. The car needed new rods, the cylinder heads & clutch were both serviced, and we were warming up in plenty of time for qualifying Friday evening. Qualifying went okay-we ended up #4 qualifier going into eliminations. Everybody arrived at the track Saturday morning excited for a great day of racing. We won first round of eliminations with a 5.66, which was low et of first round, giving us lane choice in the semi finals to none other than Frank Manzo. It was very exciting to have lane choice over Frank, although we had a lifter come apart on that first round, the team all worked together & was able to repair the engine & replace the lifter. We did however have the spare motor out from under the bench & in the doorway ready to go into the car if need be. There was no time to hold anything back. Fortunatly we were able to repair the motor that was in the car & we ready for the semis. The cars started, burn outs were done, & once again,we were racing Frank. The lights flashed on the Christmas tree and away they went. Frank goes in to violent tire shake & eventually shuts off & Todd drives down for the victory. WOW-we finally got Frank. The team was full of excitement to say the least. We headed back to the pit to ready for the finals. Everything went well between rounds-it was time for the finals & at the end of the weekend, we were in the winners circle. A perfect end to an amazing weekend. The entire team worked so hard to make it all happen. My brother Jim & his son Jamie were there racing Super Comp so it was really nice to share the win with them as well. It was awesome to get another win, and for some of the team, it was their first. Everyone is still glowing & they all deserved it.

Now back at the office & preparing for our trip to Syracuse, NY for the Right Coast National car show @ the NY State Fairgrounds this coming weekend. We'll be leaving MA on Thursday morning & heading that way.

Will post again at the end of the week my friends. Thanks for checking in.

Jay

For those of you on facebook, I'll be starting to update my facebook page after each round of racing beginning with our next race @ Cecil County in August.

ON OUR WAY TO LEBANON VALLEY

2010-06-30T17:07:00.002-04:00

Hey Everybody!

I hope you've enjoyed hearing from Meaghan & Todd. Its been a very busy time and we're still on the road. Right now, I'm sitting in a truck wash outside Albany, NY heading to Lebanon Valley Dragway, where we'll test on Thursday in preperation for this weekends race. Eddie, Charlie, & I had a great visit at the Solon, OH Permatex plant, where I spoke to two groups & we displayed the racecar for the day. Some Permatex employees also came out to enjoy the race in Norwalk-it was great to have them there. Also had a visit from team supporter Jim Reed from TA Travel Centers of America. He had his sons & some other guests with him. This was quite an experience for all as it was their first time at a drag race. We finished loading the trailer Sunday night just as the rain came in. Charlie, Eddie, & I headed off to Lodi, OH TA Truck Plaza, where Monday morning I had the chance to speak to a group of technicians & display the racecar. It was a great visit-if you're ever in the area & need service or just a fuel stop, drop by the TA in Lodi, they're a great group of folks. Then off to Harborcreek, PA for another Travel Center visit where I again spoke & displayed the car. We had a special treat that evening-we went out to Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant for dinner, a sports bar with a racing theme, with cars hanging from the ceiling & gas pumps for the door handles. We had lots of fun & were right in our element! Tuesday we made two more visits on behalf of TA Travel Centers, one in Pembroke, NY & the other in Waterloo, NY. Today was housekeeping day-we did laundry & filled water tanks. Now we're off to the races-shortly we'll be pulling into Lebanon Valley & getting ready for tomorrow. We're looking forward to a great weekend. Ann, Carly, & Brandon are coming to the races-their first of the season. My brother Jim & his son Jamie will be at the track racing as well. We'll be celebrating 2 team birthdays this weekend, clutch machinist Alan Hadfield & Scott Osborns daughter Carrie's. YEAH- Cake!! It should be lots of fun.

Check back Tuesday & I'll catch you all up on the events of the weekend.

Happy & Safe Holiday!

Jay

BACK IN THE SEMI'S

2010-06-28T12:39:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone. This is Todd. Norwalk turned out to be another great outing for the team – our second semifinal finish in a row at a national event and the second time in a row that a race was even more special for me personally.

My wife, Jacque, and I got married during the Englishtown event, about 50 miles from the track in New York City. Norwalk held extra meaning because my parents threw a wedding reception for Jacque and me about 50 miles from the track, in Wadsworth, Ohio, where I grew up.

It was at their house, and the whole team came. Everybody flew in Thursday except Jay, Eddie, and Charlie, who had driven the rig to Norwalk after first stopping at a Permatex plant in Solon, Ohio. It was great having everybody there with my family and all of my relatives. (In September, on the Saturday of the U.S. Nationals, Jacque and I are having our own reception at our new house, which is just a few miles from Indianapolis Raceway Park.)

Thursday morning, I picked up Jay, Charlie, and Eddie at the track and took them to Wadsworth, where Jay delivered a motivational speech to the Lions Club. It was the first time I've ever gotten to hear him speak, and it was awesome. Jacque and my dad were there, and everybody loved it. Event organizers said it was one of the best presentations they've ever had. The coolest part, other than Jay's speech itself, was that my eighth-grade English teacher, Mrs. Casey, is a member of the Lions Club and was there for the speech. She got a kick out of the fact that I grew up to be a writer and remembers that I always wanted to be a drag racer.

From there, we all went to my dad's shop, which is just a few miles away, and my dad gave Charlie, Eddie, and Jay a tour of the place, showing them the CNC machines, his four-engine tractor puller, and the supercharged 270-cubic-inch Hemi engine he built for his street rod. I don't know who enjoyed it more – my dad or the guys. After the reception that night, it was back to Norwalk for what always is one of the biggest races of the season.

We came off the trailer with a 5.72 Friday morning and picked up to a 5.67 that afternoon that was extra cool because the car barely made it. It hazed the tires on the launch and it felt like it was going to kick 'em loose at the top of low gear, but when I shifted into 2nd, the shake was gone and it charged to the finish line. After a consistent 5.70 Saturday morning, we entered eliminations in the number 5 spot.

We beat veteran Larry Dobbs, who's been racing Alcohol Funny Cars since 1982, in the first round, and John Anderika, the same guy we raced in the second round a couple weeks ago at Englishtown, in round two. In the semi's, there he was again: Frank Manzo. We've been to the semifinals at three national events this year, including our season debut in Gainesville, and we've had to run him every time.

This time, we didn't get the chance. As I was bringing the engine up, probably less than a second from staging, the engine quit. I couldn't imagine what happened – everything was fine. Tuner Tommy Howell quickly figured out that the new safety device we installed on the car this weekend – something designed to shut off the fuel, kill the ignition, and throw out the parachutes after the finish line if the driver hasn't already done it – somehow kicked in and silenced the engine on the starting line.

It was a lousy end to the race – we would have loved to see how the changes Tommy made for that run worked out – but it didn't keep the weekend from being a success on all fronts. The best part: we're up to eighth in the national standings. Our next Division 1 Lucas Oil Series race, in Lebanon Valley, N.Y., is just a few days away. Talk to you soon!

WE HAVE A GUEST BLOGGER

2010-06-17T10:14:00.002-04:00

Hi Friends,

Wanted to fill you all in on last weekends SuperNationals in Englishtown, NJ. No better way that I can think of than to get a fresh perspective. Please take a look at what team member Joe Mitchell's girlfriend, Meaghan Foulds had to say about her weekend. Enjoy & will be back at you all soon.

Jay

Hey Everyone,

This past weekend at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ for the Super Nationals was bittersweet. I could not write about this weekend without first taking a moment to think about Neal Parker, who was in a fatal accident on Friday during the qualifying session. Neal Parker, who drove “The Excavator,” was also a Top Alcohol Funny Car driver, and that certainly affected the rest of the weekend for this class. In his honor, the other drivers in this class put a black line through the numbers on their cars. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and crew.
However, this weekend the Follow a Dream team also had a lot to celebrate. For one thing, they made it to the semi-finals. Also, their driver Todd Veney was married to his beautiful bride Jacque. There certainly was a lot of happiness for them.
The weekend started on Thursday. Joe and I left a little later than we planned and after braving both traffic and weather, we arrived at the track around 7pm. We were not allowed to drive in, so Charlie and Spencer picked us up in the golf cart and took us to the pit area, which was all set up. The best part was that we were next to a walking path, so spectators were able to walk adjacent to our pit area and see everything. We only stayed at the track for a couple hours, and then Joe, Spencer, Pam, Ozzie, Mike and I headed to our hotel to check in and make it an early night.
Early Friday morning, Joe, Spencer and I headed to the track. I took my usual spot at the table with my book, although I did help Pam make some toast. If you needed to find Pam at any point this weekend, it would have been by the grill cooking up some delicious food for us. She certainly kept us well fed.
Shortly after eleven, we headed to the staging lanes for the first qualifying session. Right as we got into the crowd by the starting line, the Top Alcohol Funny Cars began racing. Shortly after, we heard about Parker’s accident, but it was not until we were back in the pit that we learned the full extent. Everything was put on hold until about 4pm. At that time, Linda invited me and Pam to her suite for a tour, which was awesome. We sat in there and watched some of the Pro Stock Motorcycles. It was nice to be out of the heat, and I really enjoyed it. Then we stood on the balcony and watched some of the Pro Stock Cars. After walking around the pits, collecting hero cards, we went back to our pit to prepare for our race. It wasn’t until close to 7pm that we ran our first qualifying session. Todd ran a 5.64, and we were currently qualified third. It was a great start.
Shortly after, Todd and Jacque went to Central Park to be married. They had met on June 11, 11 years ago, and they wanted to be married on this date. They were- at 11:30 that night. We were all very excited for them. The rest of us had a BBQ, and the boys were hard at work getting the car ready for the next day. Once they were done, Joe, Alan and I went and sat in the stands to watch the Top Fuel Funny Cars. I love watching them under the lights. Right after, Joe, Charlie and I watched the Top Fuel Dragsters, and we saw Corey Mac make history by running a 3.752, the fastest time in 1000 foot history. It was pretty exciting. That ended up being a late night. The boys put the car away, and we all sat around talking. We weren’t back at the hotel until midnight, and we went straight to bed.
We got to the track early the next morning, and Joe, Spencer and I took the golf cart to where the fuel is tested after the races. The NHRA official took me on a tour of the trailer and showed me how the fuel is tested. He explained that it takes too long to run the full test for every car, so they are randomly selected. I found it interesting.
Shortly after this, Mr. and Mrs. Veney were dropped off at our pit in a limousine, which provided some excitement for us. During our down time that day, Donna and I went to the Geico trailer for free backpacks, and Pam and I went to the Copart trailer for free t-shirts. Who doesn’t love free stuff? Also, Alan was having the whole team sign a hero card for his neighbor, who just happens to be Siobhan Magnus from American Idol. How exciting is that?
At 1:30, we went up to the staging lanes and we certainly caused a scene by writing JUST MARRIED on the hatch of the car and by tying a string of cans that Jay had made to the wheelie bar, which proceeded to fall off along the way. It was hilarious. Unfortunately, during this run, Todd crossed the center line, hit the block and was disqualified. We did, however, end up qualifying 4th.
After this, I had more down time, and the boys worked hard to turn the car around. I took a nap, and we had lunch around 5pm. Joe, Spencer, Jay and I went for a walk to speak to a vendor. Then Joe and I went on our “date” we have at every race, which is to take the golf cart to buy a fresh squeezed lemonade for the outrageous price of $6. Delicious!
First round was that evening, just as the sun was setting. It was a beautiful night. We were racing Wayne Morris and beat him by running a 5.59.
The boys had a lot of work to do, and it was pretty late by the time we got everyone together for a reception for Todd and Jacque, complete with hors d’oeurves, chicken cacciatore, a champagne toast and cake. It was such an amazing night, and I loved it. It was also an extremely late night, and we went to the hotel for a few hours of sleep.
Sunday was the big show, but rain was in the forecast. I walked up to the stands just in time for a moment of silence and the National Anthem. Jacque came and found me and we watched first round for the Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars. Just as we got back to the pit, the team was getting ready to head up to the staging lanes. It was unbearably hot. We were up against John Anderika, and we knew it was going to be a close race. We beat him by running a 5.63, and we were headed to the semi finals against Manzo. The guys had their work cut out for them, but the rest of us were trying to stay out of the heat. Jimmy, from NHRA, came over to say that we were scheduled to run at 2:30, but that the rain was also expected at 2:30.
In the end, the temperature did drop a lot, but the rain held off just long enough for our semi final round. We smoked the tires, and we were not able to get the win light, but it was still a great weekend.
The skies opened up just as pit takedown began. I have never seen them take the pit area down so quickly. Goodbyes were quickly said as everyone rushed to get out of the rain and on the road. And my and Joe’s weekend ended the exact same way it began, sitting in rain and traffic.
All in all, it was certainly an emotional weekend, in more ways than one. I am certainly looking forward to my next drag race.

Best,
Meaghan

WE'RE IN ENGLISHTOWN

2010-06-10T16:52:00.002-04:00

Hey Everybody!

We're in Etown all set up to start racing tomorrow & most of the crew has arrived. Although it is currently raining, the weather is supposed to be good for most of the weekend.

Charlie & I had a great trip down to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. It was Charlie's first time at Walter Reed and he was very humbled by the whole experience. We spent most of the day there, had the troops sign the back deck of the racecar, & we also passed out "Free To Dream" t-shirts. It's the most amazing experience & so awesome to be able to have the opportunity to give back just a little bit. We're looking forward to the possibly of doing something later in the year with Walter Reed-stay tuned.

Back to racing-in 2003, this race was the very first race that we campaigned the Funny Car & Todd was the driver. Last year this race did not treat us well, but we're very excited to get under way & we're all optimistic that we'll have a great weekend of racing.

Todd & his long time girlfriend Jacque are planning a trip into NYC tomorrow evening to get married in Central Park. We all wish them the best.

I hope all of you have a great weekend. You can tune into www.nhra.com to listen live or www.dragracecentral.com to stay updated throughout the weekend. I'll get back in touch on Monday to fill you all in.

Jay

HEADED TO WALTER REED

2010-06-07T15:49:00.002-04:00

Hi Everybody,

Its Monday afternoon & Charlie & I are in the truck headed to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in DC. This past week we had the car in the shop. Ozzie checked the lower end & everything seems happy. Charlie & Joe put a new clutch in the car & the car looks all ready for the first qualifier in Englishtown this coming Friday. All thats left is for Tommy to put his finishing touches on the tune up. We'll have the hero cards out in Etown in a beautiful new hero card stand, built by Ozzie-using up the bent front wheels we had laying around the shop-it is amazing! Charlie & I are scheduled to arrive at Walter Reed tomorrow morning & we're looking forward to a great visit there. Then we'll head to Bordentown, NJ where we'll display the racecar at a Petro Truck Stop. Then off to the track to set up & get ready for a busy weekend.

June is a busy month of racing, three races in four weeks. Thanks to the entire crew for all their hard work & dedication. I'll check back later in the week. Have a great day!

Jay

HELLO ALL!

2010-06-01T17:16:00.002-04:00

I hope everybody had a great Memorial Day & remembered to be thankful for the freedoms that we have. Remember-freedom is not free!

The race in Indy went well. We qualified third, and lost in the semi final round. After returning from Indy, Scott, Mitch, & I did a brake job on the trailer, while Charlie cut floaters & discs. Then Charlie, Scott & I loaded the trailer and hit the road. We picked Eddie up on our way out of town and headed for Maple Grove. It was a very busy couple of days.

The team met up in Reading, we tested on Thursday, which went well. We qualified #2 on Friday. Saturday we freshened the motor as scheduled & then Saturday evening had first round of eliminations. Eliminations didn't go as well & we lost first round. We ran a 5.70 to a 5.69 against Fred Tigges. The crew dragged themselves back to the pit area, frustrated with the outcome. The only thing left to do was load up & head home. It was great to be back at our first division 1 race, got to see some folks we haven't seen since last year. Saturday afternoon we had a special visit from Nick, a boy I met seven years ago in Maple Grove. Nick is fighting Juvenile Batten Disease, which is a terminal illness. One of the effects of the disease is loss of sight. Check out his website, www.nicksbattle.com if you want to know more about Nick & his fight. So, it was great to see Nick & his family as always. We also met a young boy name Kevin, who has recently been paired with a great foster family. Kevin's foster dad brought him to the races for the first time. We had a great talk & he promised me he'd be back in October for the national event. Can't wait to see both Nick & Kevin again.

Driving home Saturday night, somewhere around 1am-my phone rings & I hear a voice say, "is that you in the Follow A Dream truck?" A friend of mine from high school was driving right in front of us. We stopped at the TA for fuel & spent an hour catching up with my old buddy Ed. I also met Amanda, who has been a fan of Follow A Dream & couldn't wait to meet us. She drives a junior dragster & her & her dad were on their way to race in Englishtown. Great to meet you Amanda & good luck on your graduation!

I'm home now for a week. I went to a Memorial Day Parade on Monday. Had my father in law Ray, my mom, & my daughter Marybeth over for a delicious dinner to celebrate Ray's birthday. Its great to be home for a couple of days to enjoy some family time.

This week will be all about getting ready for Englishtown & our visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in DC prior to the race.

I'll get back to you all soon-have a wonderful week.

GOD BLESS AMERICA! Thanks to our troops for their dedication-it's because of their many sacrifices that we can DARE TO DREAM.

Jay

BUSY WEEK MY FRIENDS

2010-05-20T17:18:00.002-04:00

Hey All!

Its Thursday afternoon & I'm in the office. The truck, trailer & racecar have just arrived in Indianapolis to complete the rain delayed divsion 3 race from 2 weeks ago. Its weird, being at the office & having the car somewhere else. But, I'm thrilled to be speaking for a group of blind vets tomorrow in Hyannis, MA, where Alan Hadfield & I will have the show car on display. Then off to the airport to meet up with the crew in Indy.

The week was filled with car maintenance, office work, & shop organization (continued improvements). Monday morning I spoke for a group at Career Opportunities in Hyannis. Great folks & I wish them all success in their job search. Tuesday night Charlie & I went up to Norwood, MA, where I spoke for a group from the Association of Fleet Maintenance Supervisors. Didn't think we'd get to show the car off with the weather but got lucky & had access to a carport. Another great group of folks & lots of fun.

Its been a busy week but a good week. This is always a busy week in my head-May 22 is the anniversay of the accident that caused me to lose my sight thirteen years ago. Because of this, the race this weekend adds a bit to the pressure to do well-just because of the timing. It's truly amazing what we've accomplished since that bad day at the office as I like to call it.

Thank you to my wonderful family, the dream team, & all of you for your support & encouragement throughout the years-it means so much to me.

Get back at you next week.

Jay

CHECKING BACK

2010-05-13T17:09:00.002-04:00

Hey All,

Jared from Red's Reconditioning got the truck & trailer all beautified and ready for the road again. Terri's been hard at work behind the computer & Alan's still cutting discs. I've been tinkering, cleaning, & doing office work. The truck & trailer will leave next Wednesday for our return engagement in Indy. We've got three speaking events next week & have to get the whole operation loaded and ready to hit the road. Ozzie's done some great fabrication to the body dolly so the Impala body fits, the dolly was originally built for the old Avenger-now the showcar. Nothing too exciting but wanted to update you all. Will be back in touch at the beginning of next week.

Have a great weekend!

Jay

RAINED OUT IN INDY & NOW WE'RE HOME

2010-05-03T12:32:00.002-04:00

Sorry everybody, I lost track of time. We traveled from Vegas to Indy for the division 3 race, April 23-25. Rain was predicted all weekend and they weren't far off the mark. Thursday morning we made a stop at BOSMA Enterprises in Indianapolis to speak for their group. The BOSMA organization is dedicated to empowering people who are blind or visually impaired by creating opportunities that lead to the achievement of each individual's employment, economic, social, and self-determination goals-a terrific program & a great group of people. Thursday afternoon we visited the Whitestown, IN TA Truck Stop-thanks to Lorie & the whole crew for their hospitality.

After arriving at the track we set up the pit area. Thursday night Todd & his fiance Jackie invited us to Todd's for a homemade dinner. Division 3 TAFC racer & old friend of Todds, Andy Bohl & his team were also invited. We had a great time & enjoyed the company.

Friday was a complete wash out, no racing at all. Saturday we were able to make one qualifying pass. Tommy did a great job tuning. We were the first car down the track, ran a 5.72 which held up as the #3 qualifier. It was a perfect tune up to send us right down the track to put us safely in the field. Unfortunately, the weatherman was right and Sunday was a complete washout too. The race has been rescheduled for May 21 & 22-we'll be returning to Indy to finish up then.

We had a major brake failure in the trailer on our way to Indy so Sunday morning Ed & I braved the wet weather & put new brakes on. In the meantime, the rest of the crew started to load up for the trip back East. Lupo flew home to Florida, Tommy flew home to Massachusetts, & Ed, Charlie, & I jumped in the truck & headed home. By Monday morning around 9:15 we had arrived home & had unloaded at the shop. Everybody headed home to get some much deserved rest. The odometer on the truck had increased by about 8500 miles. It was quite a journey & thanks to our crew-both the travelers & those at home-we were able to get it done. Since we've been home I've been working at the shop cleaning up, trying to organize, & working the phones. Alan's been hard at work cutting floaters & discs. This week will be more of the same-I'll check back later in the week.

Thanks & have a great day.

Jay

ON OUR WAY TO INDY

2010-04-19T14:48:00.002-04:00

Hello All!

We're on the road headed East to Indy.

We pulled into Vegas excited for a great weekend. Charlie was going to get to visit with his youngest son Andrew, who is going to school in Vegas. Friday nights presentation at the Petro in North Vegas went well, we met some great techs, service writers, managers, & drivers. Thanks so much to Frank & Mary for their hospitality & efforts!

Qualifying did not go as well as we'd hoped. The first qualifying pass we had a wire tie break that holds the throttle cable lock-only allowing us to go to half throttle. After losing that run, each run kept getting better. We qualified 11th & prepared for first round Saturday evening. We ran a 5.72 @ 254mph in the first elimination round & lost to a 5.67. It was a close race, but losing that first qualifying pass kept us a run behind all weekend. Everybody was very disappointed. Sunday we spent the day servicing the car & getting ready for the race in Indianapolis. Monday morning we went back to the North Vegas Petro & had new Bridgestone tires mounted on the trailer. Thanks much to Petro for their assistance & service, we really appreciate it.

As you read this, we're driving across America-3pm EST. Ed's driving, Tommy's in the passenger seat, Lupo is resting on the couch, & Charlie & I are at the dinette working.

Thanks for checking in, we'll get back to you in a few days.

Jay

WE'RE IN VEGAS!

2010-04-15T12:42:00.004-04:00

Hello All!

Sorry for the lapse in communication-its been a busy time. Visit to the Greater New York Auto Dealers Assoc. Tech Competition in New York went very well. It's a great program & I'm always happy to be involved. It's also great to touch base with the terrific students & instructors that we meet each year.

The Houston race is behind us and unfortunately, it was not one of our better outings. The first qualifying pass went well where we ran a 5.63. After that nothing went as planned. Our second qualifying pass, we had battery problems & the car shut off at about 100'. Saturday we fought rain most of the day & got in the first round of eliminations late Saturday night, which ended with a red light in our lane. It was a disappointing weekend for everybody & on top of not running well we had much of the crew struggling with illness. Marybeth, Spenc, Joe, Ozzie, & Pam flew home to Boston on Monday. Lupo, Charlie, Tommy, Ed, Todd, & I worked on the car Sunday putting another motor in the car. This allowed us to take out the motor that was in the car & keep it as a spare, all ready to run if we have a catistrophic problem. Tested in Houston on Monday to prep for Vegas race this weekennd. We made three test passes & then broke down the pit area & headed west toward Vegas. It was approx. 12:30am when we had done all our chores, had dinner, & were on our way. Arrived in Vegas on Wednesday morning. Todd & I did a display at the Petro truck stop in North Vegas with the racecar Wednesday afternoon-lots of fun. I'll be going back Friday evening to speak for some managers & techs that work at the facility. Today we'll service the car & get it ready to race tomorrow.

Will probably not have the opportunity to blog over the weekend, will try to update you all on Monday. Wish us luck!

Thanks for checking in,

Jay

IN THE BIG APPLE

2010-04-05T14:30:00.002-04:00

Hey Everybody!

Its Monday afternoon & Charlie & I are at the Javits Center in NY, NY with Tom Dobruck of Permatex for the National Auto Tech Competition where I'll be the keynote speaker at the kick off breakfast tomorrow morning. We picked the Avenger body for the show car up at Circus Custom Paint yesterday & got into the city last evening. It's been a long time coming & alot of hard work but we finally have our show car ready. Charlie's first visit to the Big Apple & he's completely blown away by the whole atmosphere. Stay tuned, he's going to fill you in with his own blog/story of the entire trip when we get back at the end of the month. Eddie & Spencer are on their way to Houston, had a flat tire this morning on the Georgia/Alabama line. Got through that & are back on the road headed to Houston.

Thanks to the entire team for all the hard work over the last couple of weeks to get the operation up & out the door once again. We've got a great group of very hard working folks whose dedication helps make it all work.

Will be back in touch mid week.

Jay

HOUSTON-VEGAS-INDY

2010-03-26T20:39:00.005-04:00

Hello, all. It's been a busy week. I told you I'd write back soon. Well, it's not soon, but I'm writing back.

It's Friday evening, and the car's jacked up, the motor's apart, the heads are freshened, and new rods and pistons are ready to go back in. Alan has been hard at work cutting floaters and discs. Ozzie has been working on parachute system stuff and numerous fabrication projects.

The show car is being prepared for the vocational school competition at the New York International Auto Show, where I'll be the keynote speaker at the breakfast that kicks off the show. It's at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in downtown New York City, and this is our fourth year representing Permatex there. We're leaving Easter Sunday to pick up the body at Circus Custom Paints in New Jersey, and then we're off to New York.

From there, it's straight to Houston for the Spring Nationals. Guess what? That's not going to be our only race for the next month. When we leave Houston, we will, as the great and fabulous Ed Parker says, turn left instead of right. We're not heading back to Massachusetts; we're going to Las Vegas for the SummitRacing Nationals.

The Division 3 race in Indianapolis, Todd's hometown, is right on the way back home from Vegas, so we're running that race, too. We're all excited about this opportunity to run back-to-back races. I really appreciate the Dream Team and everybody's dedication.

Hope you all have a great weekend! I'll talk back at you at the beginning of next week.

Jay

BACK HOME

2010-03-18T16:36:00.002-04:00

Hello All,

Arrived back at the shop around 1:30 this afternoon after a stop @ Coventry Regional Career & Technical Center in Coventry, RI. The culinary department made us a wonderful breakfast & then I spoke to 1000 students. Had the Permatex funny car on display outside the school-what a beautiful day! While I showered this morning, Charlie was awoken by a Coventry, Rhode Island police officer banging on the back door. He was requesting that we move the truck & trailer off of school property because we were in the way & we were early-a full 24 hours early, the event wasn't scheduled until Friday morning! Charlie didn't know what to do & by the time I got out of the shower, I was starting to get concerned that I had the date wrong. Took about a half hour to work it all out & everything went fine-we were right-today was the day.

Our first race of the season in Gainesville, FL went well & everyone is excited about moving forward with the 2010 season. I'm looking forward to keeping everybody updated as we continue the season and will touch base again soon.

Have a great day.

Jay

GREAT SEASON DEBUT IN GAINESVILLE

2010-03-17T13:48:00.001-04:00

Hi, everyone. This is Todd. My first weekend back in Jay's car couldn't have gone much better. Other than a couple of blasts off the starting line in Valdosta, Ga., a few days before we got to Gainesville, I hadn't been down the track in years, so to reach the semifinals at a huge race like the Gatornationals was a dream. I've gotten three runner-ups in the past, but even they weren't as good as Gainesville 2010.

Rain on Friday limited qualifying to just two shots, and we ran a 5.66 at 256 mph right off the trailer. (The best I'd ever run before this weekend was a 5.67 at 255.) In eliminations, we took out Ulf Leanders of Sweden in the first round and Alexis DeJoria in the quarterfinals. Everybody's nemesis, Frank Manzo, beat us in the semi's, but even that had a positive result: I went 259 mph, another career best.

If it wasn't for an unbelievable thrash by the Dream Team, we never would have made it to the line to race Frank because the burst panel blew against Alexis and the guys had to completely rebuild the engine. Everybody pitched in, and it was a beautiful thing to see. We made it up there just in time, and they obviously had everything right because, like I said, the car went almost 260 mph.

We stayed to test on Monday, and, right when things couldn't get any better, they did again. Tommy put just the right tuneup in the car, and it responded with a 5.58 – my first .50 and by far the best I've ever run – at just shy of 260. Jay's speaking in Rhode Island on Thursday, and Eddie, Charlie, and Spencer will finally get home after a long, hard, and very successful trip. Houston is next, and we may have a few surprises to announce, so stay tuned!

WE'RE IN FLORIDA

2010-03-10T11:14:00.002-05:00

Hello From Sunny Warm Florida!

It's Wednesday morning and we have arrived in Gainesville. Got to the track last night around midnight and Todd, Charlie, Ed, Scott Spencer, & I sat around shooting the breeze until about 2am. Woke up this morning ready to set up the pit area, get the car teched (NHRA saftey inspection), and ready to race. Testing at South Georgia Motorsports Park on Monday & Tuesday went well. We got Todd all fitted in the car and made all final adjustments. Todd made four runs, getting acclimated to the car and did a phenomenal job. The new parachutes on the car worked great. Steve Baker of SB Video Productions and his friend Fred (photographer)were both with us in Valdosta and got some great photos & video. Check the site and we'll get some of those up for you to see soon. Today & tomorrow we'll be servicing the car and putting new connecting rods in and then Friday begins qualifying. The entire team has worked unbelievably long hours with tireless dedication to get us ready to start the season. I can't say enough about what a terrific crew we have-they are the best!

Well, gotta run for now. Stay tuned to the blog-we'll try and update you all throughout the weekend.

Thanks & have a great day!

Jay

ON THE ROAD HEADED TO GEORGIA

2010-03-06T18:20:00.002-05:00

Hey Everybody!

It has been a busy week. Eddie, Charlie, Ozzie, Scott, Terri, & I have been putting in long days to get us ready. Some longer than others-eighteen plus hours some days for myself & Charlie. Ozzie got the new chute launchers all squared away, Charlie got the new safety shutdown system ready, & everything is loaded. We're now sitting on Cape Cod in traffic, if you can believe that. The Sagamore Bridge is under construction! Charlie is now taking a nap, Eddie is driving, & Scott Spencer's head is spinning-not sure if he know what he's gotten himself into! We're due to arrive in Valdosta, Georgia on Sunday evening & will then offload the rig and get the car ready for testing Monday & Tuesday. Jimmy & Todd will be meeting us there on Sunday. Stay tuned, I'll try to update the blog on Monday night to keep you all informed of our progress.

Have a great weekend!

Jay

EVERYONE PULLS TOGETHER AT THE SHOP

2010-02-28T21:58:00.000-05:00

Wow – what a day! What a week, really. It's been busy.

The trailer is back on the ground, the discs and the floaters are all ready to go, and all the wiring and plumbing are back together in the driver's compartment after changes were made for Todd. Ozzie has been working hard on the chute launchers that will go on the car this year to shoot the parachutes far out into the air.

Yesterday, there was a whole gang at the shop: Alan, Ed, Charlie, Jerad from Red's Reconditioning, Mitch, Terri, Terri's husband Bob, who was working on the trailer A/C and heater, Maura, who does custom sewing and embroidery, and me. Alan took some videos of all the work that was going on, and it will be up on the Website soon, so keep checking.

It's just five days now until we pull out of the shop to head for Valdosta, Ga., to test. These next five days are going to go by so fast, and we still have so much to do. Thanks to this amazing team, we'll get it all done and be on our way. Terri is back from shoulder surgery and oh my gosh it's GREAT to have her back!

I can't believe this season is about to begin, how excited I am, and how excited the whole team is. I will try to give everyone an update on a daily basis. I'll write at you soon.

Jay

MONSTER JAM

2010-02-21T18:13:00.000-05:00

Hello all. It is Sunday, and I wanted to bring you up to date. Last night, I went to Monster Jam in Worcester with Marybeth, Brandon, and Scott for Scott's birthday. Thanks to Adam, the driver of the Taz truck and to Permatex for the backstage look and for letting me sit in a monster truck. What a great experience and a great show.

Alan has been working in the shop machining floaters and discs for the clutch as well as cleaning and helping us organize the shop. Friday, Ed came over and worked on putting cylinder heads together. Scott Spencer has been working on repacking wheel bearings and brakes on the trailer.

Thanks to HTC Racing in Rockland for the powder-coating and for rebuilding the calipers. Saturday, Mitch was back at it too, working on redoing some air valves and air lines on the trailer while Rich from In A Flash Welding installed some D-rings and brackets on the trailer.

I have been doing a variety of things in the office and the shop and trying to work on my computer. Thanks to all the great volunteers who make all of this possible. There's no way we could do it without them! I'll be back soon and hope you are well.

Thanks for reading!

BACK HOME!

2010-02-16T13:58:00.000-05:00

Hey all!

I survived two weeks of computer school at the Carroll Center For the Blind. I finished up Friday night, and boy, was it great to be back home.

Saturday morning, Mitch, Scott, and I unloaded the race car and got the trailer backed into the shop. We got the brakes and hubs apart to service them for the upcoming season and sent all the calipers to HTC Racing to be rebuilt and powdercoated.

Sunday and Monday, I worked from home and played the good husband, doing laundry and cooking dinner and trying to get Ann to take it easy because she's been fighting a cold for two weeks.

Today, I'm on my way to speak for the New England Ford Truck Club. I talked to Tommy Howell this morning. He sounds good and can't wait to get back home.

This week, we're working on getting Todd's firesuit designed and new uniforms made for the team. It's still rainy and snowy on Cape Cod. I can't wait for the warm weather to get here! The Winternationals were last weekend, and it was great to see racing on TV again – you can tell the season's finally getting started. We at Follow a Dream will be back racing before we know it.

Stay tuned. I'll be back soon!

Jay

ANOTHER BUSY WEEK LEARNING COMPUTERS

2010-02-12T11:55:00.000-05:00

Good day, everyone

Sorry for the lapse in posting. If I remember right, my last blog was before the weekend. Charlie and Eddie got the car set up at the Frank Marrata Auto & Cycle Show on Friday. Thanks to them for a great job. I arrived Friday evening around 7, and we also had Tom Dobruck from Permatex and Tom from Wynn's there for the weekend.

Todd arrived on Saturday afternoon, and the rest of the crew showed up that night. It was great having everyone together again. Sunday, we closed the show with a service of the car, then we started it up. The crowd and the team seemed to love hearing it run.

Eddie, Charlie, and Todd went straight to ProStart Race Cars to fit Todd for the car. Todd flew home Tuesday, and the guys headed home, trying to outrun a huge snowstorm.

I got back to the Carroll Center Sunday night and was back in class Monday morning. My head was swelling by noon!

This week, I have worked more on Outlook and started on Excel on Wednesday. I find it amazing that less than two weeks ago, I could barely turn on a computer and now I'm posting this blog. I'll write soon, and thanks for checking back!

Jay

FRANK MARATTA AUTO & CYCLE SHOW

2010-02-06T10:05:00.000-05:00

Hi everybody!

It's Friday afternoon, and I'm on my way to Hartford for the Frank Maratta Auto & Cycle Show. It's been a busy few days of computer training at the Carroll Center. It's really been cool learning the Internet and checking out stuff like nhra.com.

Using a screen reader, you have to listen and use key commands. It gets a little frustrating because you have to be patient and listen to what the computer's saying, but the reality of life is that Windows and the Internet are based on visuals – I can't exactly point and click! I'm not complaining, though. Repetition will be the key - the more I do it, the easier it gets. I can write an email just as easily as anybody else now.

Todd's flying in from Indianapolis for the show, and practically the whole team's going to be in Hartford. Should be fun! Sunday night, Eddie, Charlie, and Todd are headed to ProStart in New Jersey to get Todd all fitted for the car, and I'll be back at the Carroll Center all week.

Talk to you soon.

Jay

LEARNING HOW TO EMAIL

2010-02-03T10:32:00.000-05:00

Hey all!

Another day at the Carroll Center. Today was spent working on Outlook for me email. By the end of the day, my head was pounding! I'm not complaining - the teaching and the knowledge I'm gaining is awesome.

It's so weird having so much time on my hands with nothing to do, but I'm thankful for this opportunity. Thanks for reading, and if you send me an email, I'll respond. My email address is jay@followadream.org.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

J

LEARNING COMPUTERS

2010-02-02T12:21:00.000-05:00

Hello, everyone!

I just finished my first day of training at The Carroll Center For the Blind. My instructor's name is Heather, and she's wonderful - very patient, and fun too. We worked on Microsoft Word for most of the day and learned a little about computer setup and other general stuff. It's kind of weird being back here and getting flashbacks from 12 years ago. Once again, all the people are great. I'll blog again tomorrow. See ya!

Jay

GETTING READY

2010-01-31T12:48:00.000-05:00

Hi, everyone!

I'm at the Denver airport, waiting to catch a flight home. I just spoke to service managers, general managers, and technicians at Brakes Plus' annual awards banquet, and it went great.

The car is close to being race-ready. Charlie was at the shop last week, setting up and installing the clutch and servicing the transmission. Eddie and Ozzie were there getting everything ready to run, and we fired it up to make sure it's good to go for the Frank Maratta Auto & Cycle Show this weekend in Hartford, Connecticut, which happens to be Permatex's corporate home. Alan was in the car for the fire-up, and let's just say he loved it! Charlie, Eddie, Scott, and I then loaded it in the rig for the trip to Hartford.

Todd's going to join us at the show, then the car will head to ProStart Race Cars in New Jersey, where Todd will be fitted for the cockpit. I won't be making that trip. I'll be at the Carroll Center For the Blind the week before and week after the Maratta show, where I'll be learning to use a computer – the Internet, Word, Excel, everything. Stay tuned – the season's almost here!

Work At The Shop

2010-01-20T17:13:00.001-05:00

Hey Everyone,

We had a head we had to send out to BAE for service. Got a couple of cranks getting checked too. Mitch & our buddy Rich from In A Flash Welding have been working this week on redoing the exhaust in the Freightliner. It was in desperate need of a muffler & Mitch redesigned it so we can build a storage box under the truck to haul some tables. Todd went to Impact Racing this week to get measured for his firesuit. Charlie is going to come out of the North country early next week to help get ready for Maratta's Auto & Cycle Show in Hartford, CT on Feb. 5-7. We'll all be at the show throughout the weekend with the start up of the racecar on Sunday afternoon. In a couple weeks I'm going to Denver, CO to speak on behalf of Brakes Plus. Looking forward to the trip & hoping I don't get snowed in! I don't ski.

Talk again on Monday & thanks again for checking in.

Jay

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2010-01-12T17:21:00.000-05:00

Hey Everybody!

Happy New Year, I hope everyboy had a great Christmas & New Year. Temperatures have been consistently in the twenties here on the Cape for the last couple of weeks so we're all moving kinda slow. I've been in the office working the phones, out in the shop cleaning & organizing, and tomorrow I'm bringing a short block in & going to disassemble it, get the crank shaft in, and make sure the cylinders are happy. We're going to get to work in freshing up some cylinder heads too. Alan Hadfield has been over helping to clean up the clutch area and getting ready to grind some discs.

Thanks for checking in, we'll get back at you in the next couple days.

Jay

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!

2009-12-23T16:42:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone!

Cape Cod got hammered with 2 feet of snow last weekend. It's a good thing we're not trying to race today. Fortunately, I only had to do a little bit of shoveling. Looks like we'll get some rain this weekend so some of the snow should melt. I spent alot of this week on the phone, wishing people a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. Serviced the generator on the Freightliner, did some more picking up in the shop with lots still to do. It never ends & keeps us busy. I spent evenings shopping & preparing for Christmas. Going to take tomorrow off to help Ann get ready for the holiday and then over to my mothers for Christmas Eve. Family will all meet there for dinner & presents-a long time tradition since we all grew up & moved out to start our own families. Christmas day we'll be home in the morning & then over to my father in laws in the evening for dinner. I'll be back to work at the shop on Saturday-going to get some cleaning & organizing done with the tunes cranked up.

Wishing everybody a great Christmas. I hope Santa is good to you all and for all of you on the naughty list-I hope it was worth it! Will be in touch again next week.

Jay

WORKING AT THE SHOP

2009-12-17T17:03:00.000-05:00

Hey All!

Cool pictures will accompany this blog....As you'll see, we unloaded the car last night and got it into the shop. Charlie is down from NH helping out. It's great having him around. He pulled the clutch out so we can send that off for recertification. I just finished making up a 60' extension cord to plug the trailer in while its outside. Unfortunately, I underestimated by a couple of feet-Son of a gun, I came up short! We'll be doing a variety of other work in the shop over the next couple days. I'm going to take advantage of Charlie's help while he's here. It's brutally cold here so we're doing our best to stay inside to work.

I'll update you all again early next week. Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by.

Jay

BACK FROM PRI SHOW

2009-12-14T17:04:00.000-05:00

Hey Everybody!

Its been a busy week but we're back from Florida. The Performance Racing Industry (PRI)Trade Show was a great show. Jimmy & I spent three days walking the show, shaking hands, doing some research, and talking with people in the industry. We got alot of positive feedback on the car that was set up in the Permatex booth. We're back at the shop now and will start to prepare for the racing season. Will be taking some time over the holidays to hang out with my family. Otherwise, busy here in the shop & office as usual. Thanks for checking in & if you have questions...please let me know.

It's a crazy time of year so, take a moment in all the craziness & remember to be thankful for all that you have.

Jay

Updates From The Road

2009-12-07T17:12:00.000-05:00

Hey Everybody,

Eddie & I are driving I-95 South in Georgia, it's a little bit warmer here. Eddie just commented, "not by much". I want to thank team members Mitch & Ozzie for all the hard work they put into the truck before we left Massachusetts. Rich, from In A Flash Welding donated lots of time to help us out as well, thanks Rich! The truck has been running great!

We dropped the Dodge Avenger body off with Jesse at Circus Paints in NJ on our way to Florida. He's going to repaint the Avenger to match the Impala paint, so they will look identical. This will be a big plus for our sponsors so that we have a matching show car for when the Impala is elsewhere racing.

Eddie and I will arrive in the Orlando, FL area early tomorrow for the the PRI Show. Set up for the show is Wednesday, where the car will be in the Permatex booth throughout the show. Jimmy will fly down to meet us on Wednesday. Tom, Barbara, & Fred from Permatex will be meeting us & working the booth as well. It'll be good to see everybody and it should be a great time.

Check back later in the week for updates from the show. Thanks for checking in, I hope you're all having a wonderful day!

Jay

HAPPY TURKEY DAY

2009-11-25T17:05:00.000-05:00

Hey All,

Working in the shop, the office, and on the truck. Mitch has been helping to winterize the truck and get it ready for the trip to the PRI Show at the beginning of December. Will be nice to head south for a couple of days, although the weather here in New England has been absolutely great for this time of year.

We're going to try something new today and post some photos of the new paint on the racecar. Thanks to Jesse LeJeune @ Circus Custom Paint in New Jersey, I think it looks great. Let us know what you think.

Will be going to my moms with the family tomorrow for turkey. My sister Bonnie and her family are here from NJ and brother Jim will be down to help celebrate as well. It should be a great time and very filling!

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! We'll be back in touch next week.

Jay

WORKING AT THE SHOP

2009-11-18T17:22:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone!

The weather has been great here in New England. I've spent the last week doing a variety of things in the shop & office. We have the truck that pulls the racecar trailer inside, giving it a once over. Our pal (and one of our biggest fans), Mitch Sullivan came down to the shop this past Saturday to service the truck. Changed all of the fluids, and have ordered some replacement parts that we'll get in when they're delivered. I'm also doing some reconfiguring to make some more storage area under the bed of the back of the truck. Jared of Red's Reconditioning was here as well, working his magic to make the inside of the truck look like new after a long season of race weekends and our recent journey West. We're headed to Texas Roadhouse in Danvers, MA tomorrow evening for a visit & racecar display. If you're in the area, stop by and say hello. Just a one evening event and then back to work in the shop & office. Will touch base again in a few days, thanks for checking in.

Jay

Back from AAPEX

2009-11-11T17:28:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone,

Lots to talk about today. It was a great trip to AAPEX, I'm back in the office, & Eddie has returned from Vegas with car in tow. I flew out Sunday night, Nov. 1 and arrived in Vegas late. Monday morning we moved into the show, Todd Veney arrived from Indy. Todd helped us set up and had his first opportunity to get behind the wheel of the racecar, where he was pushed through the convention center to the booth. Monday night Todd & I went to a dinner hosted by Permatex at Smith & Wollensky-a world renowned steak house. The best filet I've ever had! I'm no food connoisseur but everyone else at the table agreed. Great food, great company, great night! No gambling that night, off to bed for all. Tuesday we were up & at the show by 9:30, meeting & greeting customers and introducing Todd to Permatex & Wynn's folks. John Force, Robert Hight, & Ashley Force Hood stopped by the booth and John in his usual great humor had everybody laughing. It was great to see them all and have the chance to congratulate them on their successes and Roberts possible and hopeful championship. Todd & I went out Tuesday evening for dollar beers at Casino Royale. We met a lovely couple from Philly (they stopped at the Permatex booth on Thursday to say hi) and hung out for awhile. Went and got some dinner and again, bed early. No gambling for us! Wednesday was much of the same, spent the day at the show, met with some good friends at Clevite, and spoke with our friends at Wynn Oil. Todd flew home Wednesday afternoon. Tom Dobruck and I stopped and had a couple beers after the show closed for the evening. Then, my wonderful wife Ann showed up. Wow, a much better roommate than Todd for sure! Ann & I went to dinner at a Mexican joint and had amazing guacamole & chips. Called it an early night as Ann had been traveling from the East all day. Aaand....again.....no gambling! Thursday down on the show floor by 9:30 again for the last day of the show. Eddie & I took a quick trip across town to the SEMA Show, where we visited our friends & supporters at Meguiar's & ARP. We were out of time and had to rush back to AAPEX to move out of the show. The show ended at 5pm, we loaded the racecar into the trailer, and sent Eddie on his way back East. I hung out with Tom as they closed up the booth. I met up with Ann for a nice dinner and then called it a night. That's right....no gambling. Friday we slept in and Ann and I kicked around the strip, got tickets to see Jay Leno that night, and visited the wildlife sanctuary at the Mirage where they have dolphins, white lions, & tigers. It's amazing to think that lions & tigers make their home in the middle of the Las Vegas strip, in their own little world. That night we went to the Leno comedy show, which was absolutely terrific. After the show, we hung around the back door to wait to meet Jay Leno. Thanks to Ann, we found the right spot and were able to meet him and have our picture taken. I took the opportunity to pass him some info on Follow A Dream, maybe we'll get an invitation to the show. By this time it was early Saturday morning, time for bed and up early for flight home. I got out of Vegas without losing a dime.....again....thats right.....no gambling. Ann & I arrived home Saturday evening where Marybeth & friends picked us up at the airport. Back to our crazy schedules and the lives of our busy teenagers. Have been working in the office the last couple of days, catching up and gearing up for PRI and the 2010 season.

Thanks for checking back, will post early next week.

Jay

DID YOU SEE THE NEWS???

2009-10-27T18:21:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone!

If you haven't seen it yet, I'd like to let you all know that Todd Veney will be the new driver for the Follow A Dream/Permatex Funny Car. We're ery excited to have Todd in the seat, he's a great team member and an all around terrific guy! The entire team is very excited and can't wait to start racing. I've been working in the office with Terri on the new race schedule and readying a new newsletter. Working a bit in the shop as well. Tonight Scott Spencer and I are working on the pit floor-nothing overly exciting but something that need to be done. I received a message from Eddie a few minutes ago-he's in Flagstaff, AZ on his way to Vegas. All is well and he's making great time.

Thanks for checking in! Talk to you again toward the end of the week.

Jay

BACK TO BLOG LAND

2009-10-26T17:30:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody, sorry I've been missing in action. Things have been busy since I returned from Florida & DC. We've been preparing the racecar for its trip to Las Vegas to be displayed at the AAPEX Show. The body has been @ Circus Custom Paint in NJ where Jesse put a brand new beautiful paint job on the car. Pictures coming soon! Eddie departed the shop on Friday, picked the body up on Saturday, and is headed West to Vegas. He's hoping to get there in time to catch the National event there this coming weekend. Terri & I went to Hartford, CT-home of Permatex World Headquarters and we're excited that Permatex will again be on the car next year. We had a good meeting and as always, it was great to see our friends & supporters there. They're all such great people, with great products, it makes our job so easy to represent them.

We've been extremely busy in the office-working on a variety of major changes that are happening around here. Check the website tomorrow to look for a big announcement. I'm such a tease!

Will be in touch again tomorrow folks, thanks for checking in.

Jay

Advance Auto Parts

2009-10-08T14:33:00.000-04:00

Hello Friends!

Have been working the Advance Auto Parts Commercial Sales Conference & Auto Show here in Orlando all week. Yesterday morning I spoke to a group of about 500 Commercial Sales Managers and we displayed the racecar throughout the day. It was a great day and the energy was amazing. We moved the car out of the vendor show last evening and Eddie is on his way back to Massachusetts. I fly to DC this evening to speak tomorrow morning for Service Specialists Assoc. at their annual conference-then home tomorrow afternoon.

Wanted to let you all know that our 2009 team t-shirts have been discounted, you can see them and place an order from the home page of our site!

Will be in touch soon,

Jay

Sunny Florida

2009-10-06T16:09:00.000-04:00

Hey All,

I'm in Florida, where it's 95 & sunny! We're down here with Advance Auto Parts & Permatex. Tonight we're moving the racecar into a trade fair, and tomorrow I speak for 500 commercial sales people. Eddie and I had an uneventful trip down South until we got to Southern Georgia, where we lost an air valve on the trailer. Thanks to Petro for their help, they had us back on the road pretty quickly. Great people, great service! This morning I spoke for a leadership group for Advance. Spilt orange juice on my Braille N' Speak this morning as well-have sent that out for repair but in the meantime, I'm without my "life"-contacts, schedule, all lost....until I get it back. I've been having a problem with my ear so I went to a walk in medical place this morning. Diagnosed with an ear infection and prescribed antibiotics-should be feeling better soon. That's it for the time being-will be in touch soon.

Jay

Back To Blogging

2009-10-01T17:26:00.001-04:00

Hello Friends!

Been a long time and I apologize. We've been in and out of MA for the last several weeks, racing and speaking. Went to the finals at Etown divisional and lost to Frank Manzo. The computer read 4 points past the decimal and all 4 were zeros. It was the closest race in history according to what we've heard since. It was a great race and a terrific way to gear up for NC Nats. On the way to Charlotte, we stopped in Raleigh and participated in the TMC SuperTech Competion, where we display the car and I spoke to all of the attendees to kick off the event. Wednesday evening we visited sponsor Texas Roadhouse's Charlotte location, where we displayed the car and met some customers. Then we headed to the track where we spent late Wednesday night setting up the pit. Spent Thursday putting new connecting rods in the motor, servicing cylinder heads, and the clutch-pretty much getting ready for the team to arrive and Fridays qualifying rounds. We worked through rain delays most of the weekend but qualified 6th. Friday evening I left the team and flew to Washington, DC where I spoke at a national meeting of Mack & Volvo Parts, Service, & Body Shop Managers. I spent Saturday evening in the Permatex booth at that event and met alot of great people. I returned to NC Sunday morning for the races. We lost in the semi finals to none other than Frank Manzo-again! That guy kills me! That was a wrap on our season. We dropped the racecar body off at Circus Custom Paint in NJ on our way home to get it ready to go to Vegas for the AAPEX/SEMA Show in November with our sponsors Permatex & Wynns. Have put the old car together for a show car. Went to The Carroll Center for the Blind to introduce their new President, Mike Festa. Mr. Fest is replacing outgoing President Rachel Rosenbaum, who is retiring. Went to the Touch-A-Truck event in Hyannis, MA last Saturday, which was part of the grand opening of the new recreation center there. Monday morning I spoke to some 20 students from the Southeast Alternative School based in Hyannis. We're preparing to head out this weekend to Orlando, FL with the racecar for an Advance Auto Parts convention. I will leave there and fly to DC again to speak for the Service Specialist Assoc. at their annual convention. Between events I've been cleaning up the shop and squeezing in some office work. Terri & I will work harder at keeping you all up to date. Thanks for visiting!

Jay

WEEKLY UPDATE

2009-09-03T17:34:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody!

Spoke at Ben Franklin Institute of Technology in Boston today. It was a quick trip up and back to the Cape with Eddie. We're pulling the operation together to hit the road middle of next week for the Englishtown division 1 event and then off to NHRA Nationals in Concord, NC. Have some events between races-trying to work some Texas Roadhouse store visits into our plans and will be visiting Pennco Tech in Bristol, PA next Thursday morning. Lots going on, will blog again beginning of next week. Have a wonderful holiday weekend-hope the weather where you are is as beautiful as it has been here on the Cape.

Blog soon friends,

Jay

BACK FROM THE RACES

2009-08-28T17:05:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone!

Would love some feedback on Meaghans blog, if you've seen it. We're back in the shop after race in Reading, PA last weekend. Made some stops on the way home. Displayed the racecar for Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Islands Bereavement Camp, a camp for kids who have lost a parent or loved one. It's a great two day event where the kids get to have some fun and meet others who have been through a loss. We try and help out every year and it's always a very uplifting experience. Also stopped to display the racecar at the Texas Roadhouse in North Dartmouth, MA that evening. Had a great time and met some terrific people. Marketing manager Dave Pacheco was very welcoming and we're planning some more events for him at other stores.

The car is back in the shop, where we'll do some maintenance to get ready for Englishtown. Catching up on some office work too and will touch base with you all again early next week.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jay

Maple Grove Race

2009-08-25T18:22:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone,

I guess I should introduce myself first. My name is Meaghan, and I am the girlfriend of Joe, one of Follow a Dream's crew members. This past weekend, I went with the team to their race at Maple Grove Raceway in Pennsylvania. It was a great weekend, although weather conditions kept everything slow.

After about a 7 hour ride, Joe and I arrived at the track on Thursday night around 8. The body of the car had been wrapped, and looked much better than when I had seen it the week before. There was still a lot of work to do though. The pit area looked great with a brand new mat, and we were pitted next to some of the top fuel guys. We worked on setting up some tents and lights so the crew could work in the dark. They put the car away and focused on getting the body ready for the race. Eventually, we had some dinner, and then Joe, Rich and I headed off to the hotel.

Friday morning, we got up early and after a quick stop for an iced coffee for me, we were off to the track. They were planning on having their first pass around 1:30, so there was plenty of time, but they had some last minute things to do. It was so hot and humid out, we tried to stay cool. We all just kept complaining about the heat and how much we were sweating. Family members and friends came, and we watched them warm up the car and prepare for the race. I helped Rich with some English muffin toasting for breakfast. We all knew a storm was in the forecast, Marty was checking the radar on his phone, and we all hoped it would hold off.

Finally, it was time for their first qualifying pass. We piled into the tow vehicle and onto the golf cart and headed for the staging lanes. Pam and I walked towards the starting line to watch some of the other cars make their passes. The darkest, most ominious looking clouds covered the track. The temperature seemed to drop about 20 degrees and it got really windy. We watched as 4 pairs made their passes, and then it started rain. We walked over to the car; they had placed a cover over it, but it started to downpour. I managed to get completely drenched, and I was cold the rest of the day. Hard to believe that we had all been complaining about being too hot that morning.

The guys did some things with the car, but mostly we just all sat around waiting fot the rain to stop and for them to dry the track. Jay decided that ice cream was a good idea, and a few of us headed off for a golf cart ride and some ice cream cones in the rain. It was great! Eventually, we realized that we were not going to get our first qualifying pass that day, and we had dinner and relaxed. The rumors were that the weather on Saturday was going to be even worse. Some speculated that we wouldn't get a qualifying pass in at all. It was being said that the eight cars that had qualified would be the top 8, and the bottom 8 would be based on our rank in points. If this were the case, then we would qualify unlike some other teams who would not be able to race at all. Everything was up in the air.

When we left the track that night, there was still no schedule or plan for Saturday. We weren't sure if there was going to be any racing. Joe, Rich and I decided to spend the night at the club at our hotel, which was a lot of fun. We woke up the next morning and called Jay, but he said nothing was established yet, so we got brunch and then took a nap. Then Jay called back and said that we should head down, they were hoping to run some races soon. We went to Walmart, where we literally spent half an hour in line because we didn't know the zip code for the credit card. We thought we would never make it.

Turns out, there was no cause to be alarmed. We did race on Saturday, but not until about after 5pm. It was another hot, muggy day, but the track was wet. After every couple of runs, they would have to stop to dry the track. It seemed like we would never race. I sat around reading my book like I usually do. Everyone was just talking and walking around. We spent some time watching the fuel car crews work on their cars. I was impressed.

Eventually, we headed to the staging lanes. We found out that they were going to consider this the 2nd qualifying pass. If you had raced the day before, then you would have 2 times, they would go by your better time. If this was your only pass, then you would have to use this time. I didn't think it was very fair, but someone has to make the hard decisions. I went to the starting line to watch the Top Fuel Funny Cars, and there was a bit of a delay when Ashley Force Hood's car exploded at the end of the track. Luckily, everyone was okay, and we sat around waiting some more. That is the theme of drag racing, "Hurry Up and Wait."

Then we were up. This was going to be our first run since the mishap in Englishtown. The car had been tested the weekend before at New England Dragway, but this was the big comeback. It didn't go quite as well as everyone had planned, and we ran a 5.93. I walked down to the finish line, where I watched that 5.93 light up the board in huge red numbers as the bump spot. Luckily, we were able to hold on and qualified 16. I walked back to the pit to hear what I already assumed: we would be up against Frank Manzo. The guys were servicing the car really quickly, and I thought we were planning to race again that night, but we weren't. Rich, Pam and I took a trip to the store, and we all had a relaxing night. The guys took their time servicing the car. The main thing we knew was that we had to get to bed early because we were racing Sunday morning at 9:30.

Sunday morning, we got there bright and early; the track was pretty much empty. People that hadn't qualified had already left. I walked around, got myself a cappuccino, and then I sat in the stands to watch some of the stock cars. Then, we once again piled into the golf cart for Round 1.

Soon our first round of eliminations were underway, and I watched as car after car were elimated from the competition. Next, we were up against Frank Manzo. We certainly gave him a good race. We ran a 5.66 to his 5.56. Unfortunately, we had lost. On a more optimistic note, this was the 3rd fastest time in this round. If it had only been our second qaulifying pass like it should have been.....

After that, we spent some time packing up the trailer. Everyone had agreed that although the run hadn't been enough to win, it had still been a great run. It put everyone in high hopes for Englishtown in just a few weeks. We will see! Thanks for taking to the time to read about my experience at the race. Hopefully, you'll be hearing from me again soon.

Best,
Meaghan

Testing & Getting Ready for Reading Race

2009-08-18T13:33:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone!

It's been a bit crazy. We tested up at New England Dragway over the weekend and-OH MY GOD, was it hot! It had to be 100 degrees up there. The whole team worked incredibly hard in the heat, the track temp was almost 140 degrees. Saturday we made one half-track pass, 202 mph in the 1/8 mile. The chutes worked great and the car went straight. We prepared for Sunday. Made two passes on Sunday, a 5.76 & 5.71. Everything looked good. We headed back to the shop, where we serviced the car yesterday. Loading the trailer today to head to PA for the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals this weekend.

Thanks to all of our sponsors and fans for their support as we have worked through this process. We're all very excited to go to Reading and resume racing. I will not be blogging again until next week-will fill you all in then.

Have a great weekend.

Jay

WORKING ON THE RACECAR REPAIRS

2009-08-06T17:19:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody!

We're still here. Arthur finished up all the carbon fiber work on the racecar and the body is back at the shop. Ozzie is going to do some body work and get the car in primer for testing next weekend at New Englad Dragway. We plan to be there both Saturday & Sunday, Aug. 15-16. The chassis is up on jack stands, the short block is in it, and new front wheels and tires have been added. There is lots of cleaning & assembly work to be done, Tommy will be here tomorrow to help with that. Joe Mitchell will be here working on Saturday and if all goes well we'll start the car up then.

Sunday I'm going with Ann & the kids to NY City for a couple of days on vacation. We're planning on seeing the Statue of Liberty and touring the big city. Will be back to work on Thursday, hard at it to get ready to go racing.

Will touch base when I return to work, will fill you all in on our family adventure. Hope all are well.

Jay

LOTS GOING ON

2009-07-23T17:03:00.000-04:00

Hey Race Fans,

Sorry again, we let the blog slide! Wanted to catch you all up on the latest Follow A Dream news. We went to the Syracuse Nationals last week, although we were behind a bit due to mechanical problems with the Freightliner. Had to make a pit stop at Utica General Truck in Utica, NY where they had to replace the injectors. They were terrific-got us back on the road in record time! Had a great time thanks to John Weston & Bob O'Connor of the Right Coast Assoc. for all their hospitality. We had the Follow A Dream/Permatex Dodge Avenger on display. Andy the Aardvark & some staff from Texas Roadhouse came out to the event to promote TXRH and to hand out appetizer coupons. Everyone really enjoyed that.

Returned to the shop, getting some organizing and maintenance done on the truck & trailer. Arthur is making good progress on the racecar body. We're waiting for the new nose to be done at Roush and then delivered to Arthur to complete the work.

Mitch Sullivan will be at the shop this weekend putting new shocks on the Freightliner and do some light work on the truck as well.

Will touch base next week. Have a wonderful weekend friend!

Jay

WE'RE STILL HERE!

2009-07-09T17:04:00.000-04:00

Hello Fans,

Sorry about the lapse in communication it has been a busy couple of weeks all around. We're still working on getting the racecar back in shape for Maple Grove in August. The chassis is all set and the brakes are back from Strange (manufacturer)and all checked out. Eddie & I are going to go down to NJ to pick up the chassis early next week and drop off the body at Arthur Gallants to get that repair done. Tom Howell is going to be helping with that as well. I've pulled the old racecar out of the trailer and have been cleaning up the chassis & body to be used for the Syracuse Nationals Car Show @ the NY State Fairgrounds next weekend, July 17-19. Getting both cars ready has kept us very busy.

Took it easy over the holiday, spent time with the family & enjoying the pool. My daughter Marybeth's puppy Camo had an accident last week, got kicked in the head by a horse and has been very sick. Doctor says she'll be fine in time, which is great news for all involved. Poor MB-she's had a week!

Jared from Red's Reconditioning has been helping too, putting a good shine on all of the equipment for our upcoming trips. Red does fabulous work, there's nobody like him. He really is the best-give him a call if you're local to the Cape and need your vehicle detailed. 508-815-7305.

Will give you all a shout when Ed & I get back from NJ and before we take off for Syracuse. Have a great day!

Jay

June 22 - Back at Home and Back at Work

2009-06-22T20:31:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody;
I hope all of you fathers out there had an awesome Father's Day. I spent the weekend taking it easy and trying to fight off a cold and I guess misery loves company because Ann was doing the same...fighting off a cold!
Back in the office today, doing some office work and then into the shop where we began cleaning dirt off of engine parts, car parts and the like. The good news from Pro Start Racing is that the chassis is in good shape! We'll begin working on the body and before too long hope to be back at the track.
Marty is doing well and is ready to get back to racing...as are we all.
I think it's important to remind us all, that although sometimes things don't always work out the way we'd like, it's the power of keeping a positive attitude that keeps us on the path to where we need to be.
We love to see your comments and questions on the blog!! Please always feel free to ask us, let us know how you feel or just give a shout out. I will get back to you as soon as I can.

WEEKEND RECAP

2009-06-17T16:49:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody,

Sorry to disappear on you but things got crazier than I ever would have thought or for that matter, would have liked. We ended up qualifying 6th in a field of 19 cars and felt confident going into round 1 of eliminations. Round 1 of eliminations were rained out on Saturday so eliminations began on Sunday. We ran a 5.59 in round 1 to take the win, and we were all very excited as we prepared for round 2. We set the car up for round 2, where Marty left the line first. The car slowed to a 5.62, with Tony Bartone's car getting the win with a 5.54 @ 259mph. At that point, everything changed. The parachutes failed to blossom, so the car was not stopping. Marty was pulling on the brake, the car started bouncing, the end of the track was getting closer, the end of the track came, and the car went into the gravel pit and then into the catch net. Thankfully, Marty was okay. I spoke with him today, and he's gone for a run and not hurt at all. That's whats most important. The body of the racecar is badly damaged and we are going to bring the chassis down to Kurt at Pro Start Racecars in New Jersey to have it checked out. Hopefully, we'll know that the chassis is a-okay by the middle of next week. We are still working diligently to figure out our options with the body, so we can get back on the track as soon as possible. I believe we will miss the next two races on our schedule but hope to be back for the National event at Maple Grove later in the summer. From what I'm told, there is TV footage of this mishap that will air on ESPN, Sunday, June 21 @ 11am.

The most important thing about all this is that everyone is okay. This is just an unfortunate part of the sport. Don't you worry for a second, we'll be back and stronger than ever.

Will touch base again soon.

Jay

June 12 - Guess Where?

2009-06-12T19:12:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody;
Well it's Friday evening and you'll never guess where I am. Last night I was on I-91 Northbound, heading through Connecticut to Lynn, MA. I am now back on I-95 Southbound back to New Jersey after the graduation ceremony at Lynn English High School this morning. My address to the graduates went very well and I received terrific feedback. However, the highlight for me was that Charlie was able to sit up on the stage with me and when it came time for his son Andrew to receive his diploma, they asked if he'd like to present it to his son. In short, it was just AWESOME!
We're now traveling to NJ caravan style with Charlie, his older son Joe and Andrew, my daughter Mary Beth and her friend Judy all heading for Englishtown.
Tommy tuned the car for our first qualifying run this morning. The Follow A Dream/ Permatex/Wynn's/Roadhouse Impala ran a 5.68 @ 254 mph. That was good enough for the #5 qualifying spot. Unfortunately rain kept us from 2nd round qualifying today. Second round qualifying will take place tomorrow morning, and eliminations will begin in the afternoon.
I'll keep you posted as the action heats up.

June 11 - Englishtown Bound

2009-06-11T20:47:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone;
My daughter Mary Beth graduated from Barnstable High School on Saturday and it was just Great! The rain managed to stay away and during the ceremony the sun came out and made our day even better.
Charlie and Mark worked late into Saturday night on the clutch. The team took Sunday off and we loaded up on Monday. Tuesday was spent dealing with some last minute minor details, and we headed out Tuesday night. We drove to Bordentown, NJ, and stopped at the Petro to have the truck serviced. I have to tell you that they took great care of us and a big shout out to the folks at Petro for their excellent service.
We proceeded and got to the race track. As we sat outside the truck unwinding, Eddie noticed the sunrise and we all decided that it was time for a nap.
We got up Wednesday and Eddie, Paul and I set up the awning and the pit area. We're now all set up in Englishtown and ready for the racing to begin.
Right now, I'm on my way back to Massachusetts for my commencement address at Lynn English High School, tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. Right after that, we'll be turning around and heading right back to Englishtown for the next week or so. We're hoping that the rain stays away and that the weekend is beautiful.
I'll be keeping you all updated throughout the weekend.

June 5 - Preparing for Englishtown

2009-06-05T11:59:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone;
The team and I are working hard preparing for the National Event in Englishtown, NJ next weekend. Charlie is working on the clutch this weekend and Scott DeWitt and Scott Osborn will be back working with us for the Englishtown meet. We are REALLY excited to have them back with the team.
We're also putting gift bags together to hand out at Pennco Tech in NJ and PA. We're looking forward to welcoming all of the Permatex guests that will be visiting with us at Englishtown.
I continue to prepare my speech for the graduation ceremonies at Lynn English High School, and also am extremely excited that my daughter, Mary Beth, is graduating from Barnstable High School this coming Saturday. It makes a father proud.
Stay tuned for another update on Sunday and thanks for continuing to check the Blog.

A Beautiful Sunday, May 31

2009-05-31T16:20:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone;
The team and I are taking the day off and enjoying an absolutely gorgeous day here on Cape Cod.
Yesterday, we had an open house at Anderson Hardware in Centerville, MA, displayed the car, met lots of great folks, handed out Fast Orange and Ultra Cherry samples from Permatex and took in WAY too much sun! It was really a great day.
Friday we were supposed to show the car at an event supporting the Special Olympics, but bad weather put a "damper" on our plans and we weren't able to attend. We'll have to wait for our next opportunity.
Tomorrow I'm going to be pulling the motor and putting in some new connecting rods getting ready for a big weekend in Englishtown, NJ, June 12-14. The whole team is really excited about our chances in Englishtown, and I'm really getting confident about our chances for the rest of the season; you could say I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I'm also beginning preparations for the Lynn English High School commencement address that I'll be delivering in Lynn, MA.
Tommy is in Australia tuning an alcohol dragster, but he'll be back in time to work with us for Englishtown.
More news for you some time mid week. See you then.

May 25 - Memorial Day and Home from PA

2009-05-25T08:07:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody;
On Saturday evening the Follow A Dream team was ready to resume our quest for another victory. The team had worked hard to tweak the car for the following rounds. Some engine mods resulted in a few more horses and some added clutch work gave us a bit more bite. When we got to the line, Marty hit the pre-stage light and then began to roll into stage, but ended up deep staging. As a result, when the lights came down, the new combination resulted in a red light, and our stay in Maple Grove, although initially encouraging, was over for this time around. So, we packed up the truck, drove through the night and ended up back home on the Cape in the early morning hours.
The team will be taking Sunday and Monday off to celebrate Memorial Day weekend with family and friends.
We hope you will remember, as you do the same, that about 233 years ago some of our forefathers "followed a dream" which lead to the beginning of our great country. One of the few countries in the world where each of us can be free to follow OUR dreams whatever they may be. I ask that as you enjoy whatever activities you have planned for this holiday weekend, you take pause for a moment or two to remember those who have given their all in service to you and your family, to provide the freedoms that make America great. I know the beach and the bar-b-ques and the sales at the mall are all great, but let's remember the men, women and their deeds that allow us to enjoy this weekend the way we do; that's what this holiday is all about.

May 22 - A Beautiful Day @ Maple Grove

2009-05-22T20:27:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody,
A couple of great days here at Maple Grove. We tested yesterday and Tommy put a fresh motor together. After a half track and then a full track pass, the car ran a .68. The car was "happy". We felt confident going into qualifying today. After the first run, we qualified in 3rd place with a 5.73. We went back to the garage area and made some minor tweaks. Later in the afternoon, our second pass moved us into second place with a 5.64.
The team did a GREAT job! The car is happy! We've got a late start tomorrow; probably around 5:00. The weather here's been excellent and in the 80's.
For May 22nd, It's a BEAUTIFUL day!

May 18, Off to PA

2009-05-18T17:40:00.000-04:00

Worked in the shop today in preparation for departure tomorrow. Warmed up the car and then loaded the truck. Speaking at the Lion's Club in Acton, MA tomorrow night, then Eddy and I are off to PA for the weekend. Barry Carrus is going to be writing the Blog for me as I continue to contact him. Barry will be working on some exciting upcoming projects for us as we continue on, so you'll be seeing his name from time to time. We will, of course, keep you updated.

I'm Still Here!!

2009-05-15T14:51:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone, thanks for continuing to check on our blog. I apologize I haven't been in touch. This week has been spend in the office, the shop, & the trailer. Alan's been cutting floaters, Tommy's been working on getting a new motor together, Charlie's been on the clutch. Lots going on. I've been bouncing around doing a variety of things. I got the motor pulled out and about ready to go back in the trailer. New motor is in the frame rails. If all goes according to planned, we'll fire it tomorrow afternoon in preparation for Maple Grove. Wednesday, Eddie & I will be on the road to Maple Grove for our next race. I'll be speaking Tuesday night for the Lions Club of Acton, MA.

I'd like to thank K&N Filters & Auto Meter for their continued support this year. Two great companies, we're honored to have on board.

Will write on Monday to let you all know how the weekend goes. Have a great one!

Jay

2009-04-25T13:53:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody!

Had a nice day at Porter & Chester last Thursday. It was a beautiful day and my face got fried, looks like I've been on a cruise-wishful thinking!

Got back to the shop on Friday and we've been working to get ready for VA Div 1 race. Charlie, Alan, & Mark have all been working on clutch stuff in the shop. Tommy & I have been working on motor stuff, Tommy serviced the heads and put new rods in, making sure everythings happy.

Continuing to try and organize is a never ending battle at the shop but we're working on it. Terri's been hard at work in the office keeping it all going. She's convinced me (against my better judgement) that its time for FAD to go green. Going to try recycling bottles, cans, cardboard, paper, etc. We'll see-she says she'll take care of it so, we'll give it a shot!

We're going to load up and head out to VA on Tuesday. I'll talk to you all later.

Have a great weekend!

Jay

National Automotive Technology Competition

2009-04-15T17:13:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody,

Sorry for the delay in getting a blog up, been really busy.

It's Wednesday afternoon and Eddie and I are leaving the Javitz Center in New York City where we've been at the National Automotive Technology Competition for the last couple of days. Our third year in a row! We moved into the show on Monday and I spoke at the kick off breakfast on Tuesday morning. We had the Permatex/Wynn's/Texas Roadhouse funny car on display, where Tom, Chris, Andy, & Mark from Permatex were all there to demonstrate Permatex's dedication to training and educating the technicians of tomorrow. This morning, former Nascar driver Ricky Craven and I kicked off the start of todays competition.

Had the opportunity to see some of the folks that we haven't seen since last years competition and that was great.

Heading to Stratford, CT tonight where we'll display the racecar tomorrow for Porter & Chester Institute from noon to 6pm.

Returning to the shop on Friday and will blog again soon. Have a great day!

Jay

I'M HOME

2009-04-01T15:26:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody,

Ed & I arrived back at the Cape at about 10am this morning. Eddie drove his butt off, 8-10 hours a day since we left Houston.

It's great to be home and now the daunting task of cleaning the truck/trailer from the trip. Terri's done a great job starting to get things cleaned up from the disaster we brought home-all the mud in Texas and just the usual road debris.

I'll unload the car tomorrow. I took off from the office early this afternoon and am home doing laundry. Looking forward to a long hot shower.

My mom came by the shop today to say hello and it will be great to see my wife Ann and all the kids this evening.

Will touch base again soon. Have a great day!

Jay

GREAT WEEKEND IN HOUSTON

2009-03-30T12:15:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone,

It's Monday morning and Ed Parker & I are driving home from Houston. In Louisiana right now and heading East. It's been a great trip but we're excited to get home and spend some time with our families.

Had a great weekend in Houston. We had our last qualifying pass on Saturday morning and ended up 3rd qualifier going into first round of eliminations later in the day.

Arnold Gacita & Edward Ibarra from Wynn's came to the races on Saturday. Arnold brought his son Andrew with him and it was great to have them there to experience the racing. They really enjoyed themselves and we were glad they could join us.

The whole team worked hard to ready the racecar for the first round of eliminations, where we won the round. We gave the car a service after the run to prepare for second round on Sunday morning. Woke up to sunny skies and much less wind on Sunday-just a beautiful day for racing. Rich made us all a great breakfast and we got ready to go racing. Ran a 5.71 @ 255mph in the second round of eliminations that got us through the round and into the semifinals. Everybody was extremely pumped up and ready to work quickly to get the car ready for the next round. Short turn around between rounds and before we knew it, it was time to stage again. Won the semifinal round as well and everybody continued to be excited and very satisfied that all the hard work throughout the weekend was paying off. Going to the finals with the Permatex/Wynn’s/Texas Roadhouse Chevrolet Impala SS Top Alcohol Funny Car!

Our opponent in the finals was Steve Harker, who had the racecar to beat all weekend. Unfortunately, we came up on the losing end with a 5.61 to Harkers 5.63 due to a red light. It was disheartening to lose but we were greatful to be there.

The team worked really hard all weekend to get us to our first final of the year. Not our last though, as we're getting closer all the time. Tommy's getting more comfortable and we seem to be getting a better handle on the car with every run.

I can't thank our sponsors enough for giving us this opportunity. Again, it was great to have some folks from Wynn's join us. We also had visitors from San Jacinto College, where we spoke last week before getting to the track. Also saw some folks from Texas Roadhouse at the track. It was great to have friends and fans with us.

Will get home later this week and begin to ready the car for Div 1 race in Petersburg, VA at the beginning of May. In the meantime, we'll be making some appearances in the month of April. Keep checking the site for updated schedule of events and we'll keep you updated on the blog as well.

Have a great day!

Jay