Positive Results Give Alexander Confidence Heading into Atlanta

Courtesy of Paul Smith Racing
Photo Courtesy of Roger Richards

COMMERCE,GA – College student and Funny Car racer Blake Alexander just finished a week of challenging finals, working on earning a degree in Communications. Now he heads toAtlantafor the NHRA Southern Nationals to complete another challenging task: pilot the Auto Service Plus nitro Funny Car down the hot Atlanta Dragway. Career-best numbers at his previous race inCharlottegive Blake extra confidence.

“I think it raises the confidence in everyone on the team, but at the same time we’re just going to take it one step at a time. The conditions in Atlanta will be unlike any that we’ve raced in all year, so we’re going to take it step-by-step to see how the new supercharger fits in,” said Alexander.

This event marks the first full year that Blake has been driving a nitro Funny Car. He began testing and licensing runs in the Paul Smith’s Top Fuel School Funny Car following this event in 2011. Now three competitive events in to his Funny Car career, Blake says he’s more confident in his driving.

“Every time I drive the car I get more confident in my driving abilities, and Paul feels the same way. This is the perfect time for me to be getting comfortable because it’s getting hotter. I think it’ll probably work in our favor,” Blake says.

On top of the pressure of being a rookie in one of the top classes in NHRA drag racing, Blake has the added pressure of racing in front of employees from Uni-Select, parent company for Auto Service Plus.

“There’s definitely an added pressure to perform well at this race,” explains Alexander. “I really want to perform well in front of the executives and employees from Uni-Select and Auto Service Plus. I want to get the job done in front of them and I think we can do that.”

Blake Alexander and the Auto Service Plus Funny Car will first take to the track on Friday for Day 1 of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. Qualifying starts at 4:30 on Friday evening and continues through Saturday afternoon. Eliminations begin on Sunday morning. ESPN2 will air two hours of qualifying coverage at 7 pm (ET) Saturday, with eliminations coverage starting at the same time on Sunday.