Blake Alexander Back in Auto Service Plus Colors at Norwalk

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotions
Photo by Roger Richards

NORWALK, OH – After a few weeks off the NHRA Full Throttle tour, Funny Car driver Blake Alexander is ready to get back in the seat of the Auto Service Plus car.  The weather forecast for high temperatures at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals plays well into the plans for crew chief Paul Smith. In a class that prefers perfect conditions, the Smith-tuned car can lay down consistent laps in the heat all day.

“This will be the first race where we can’t complain about it not being hot enough. Every race we’ve been at this year, the track has been relatively cooler on race day. Atlanta was a hot track, but we weren’t able to capitalize on that. We’ll be trying to take advantage of the summer sun this weekend,” said Alexander, who is entering just the seventh race of his Funny Car career.

Though he’s been away from the driving side of being a Funny Car driver, Blake has been busy with the business side of the sport. Smith and the Auto Service Plus team had a productive few weeks away from the track, too.

“I’ve been working on proposals over the break, along with going over plans for the rest of the season. I have also been doing a lot of wakeboarding over the past couple weeks,” said the former competitive wake boarder. “The team has been gathering new parts, making sure they have everything they need to give me a fast race car. “

Blake, Paul, and the Paul Smith Racing team will put that hard work to use this weekend at Summit Motorsports Park, racing in front of grandstands filled with passionate race fans. The Ohio stop on the tour is regularly one of the highest attended races all year. Alexander looks forward to the opportunity to be a part of the legendary shows that the Bader family puts on at Norwalk.

“I raced my Comp car here last year and tested the nitro Funny Car on Monday, and I was just excited to be doing that. They always put on a great show at a great facility. This year, the race falls on Fourth of July weekend, so that just adds to an exciting atmosphere. It’ll be awesome to be a part of it.”

Funny Car has qualifying sessions at 5 and 7 pm (ET) on Friday, with two more at 12 and 3 on Saturday afternoon. ESPN2’s coverage of qualifying starts at 6 pm Saturday. The eliminations show begins at 8pm on Sunday.