NORWALK, OH – Pronto Auto Service Center driver Blake Alexander became the 105th different driver to win in NHRA Top Fuel Sunday afternoon when he defeated Terry McMillen at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. Driving for team owner Bob Vandergriff, Alexander was appearing in his second final round this season in Top Fuel.

After persistent rain showers shortened qualifying to just two sessions at Summit Motorsports Park, Alexander qualified No. 12 in the Ron Douglas-tuned Pronto Auto Service Center Top Fuel dragster with a 3.983-second pass at 306.46 mph.

Alexander started Sunday eliminations by knocking off three-time world champion Antron Brown in one of the closest races of the day, with Alexander’s 3.802 at 319.75 defeating Brown’s 3.808 at 326.71. The former Jr. Dragster driver used a sizable holeshot advantage and a 3.798 at 330.15 to defeat eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher’s 3.779 at 330.31. In the semifinals, Alexander beat Leah Pritchett, the third Don Schumacher Racing driver he would face in eliminations, with a 3.799 at 329.91 to advance to the final round.

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ENNIS, TX – Blake Alexander will continue his Funny Car journey this season at the AAA Texas Fall Nationals. The race, contested Oct. 15-18 at Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas, is the first event in which Alexander will compete since his semifinal finish in Gainesville in March.

Alexander and Paul Smith have advanced past the first round of competition at the last three events they have entered and will look to continue their streak in Dallas.

“We are excited to unveil the new Monroe Shocks/National Pronto Association livery on our Dodge Charger Funny Car.” said Alexander. “Racing in this event holds a lot of meaning to me and the guys since this is where I got my license when I was a junior in college. It also will hold a new special meaning as the National Pronto Associations Headquarters’ is located nearby in Grapevine, Texas. I want to first thank Monroe Shocks for helping us lay a foundation for the program we hope to build in the future.”

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GAINESVILLE, FL – NHRA Funny Car driver Blake Alexander hit the loud pedal for the first time in the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour this past weekend. What ensued after the smoke and nitro cleared was another successful outing for the Paul Smith-led team.

The Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida was Blake’s first event since stunning world champion Jack Beckman in round 1 at the U.S. Nationals last September. The team met qualifying with cautious but optimistic enthusiasm. A $1 part on the Leahy safety shut-off system broke on the team’s best qualifying pass which led to a less-than-stellar No. 15 qualifying effort. Never discouraged, Paul Smith, John Smith, and the entire crew worked tirelessly to get the 10,000 horsepower Bexar Waste Funny Car back in perfect working order for raceday Sunday.

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BROWNSBURG, IN – NHRA Funny Car driver Blake Alexander is getting ready for his return to the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour this weekend. Racing at the 60^th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Aug. 27-Sept. 1, Alexander will be back behind the wheel of Paul Smith’s Monroe Shocks and Struts Funny Car.

“The Big Go” will be Blake’s first event since racing to the semifinals at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte this April. A change in the marketing plans of some of his partners late in the offseason presented a challenge for the youngest driver in the Funny Car category that he continues to meet with resolve and enthusiasm.

“While I haven’t been racing nearly as much as I would like this year, I’ve stayed plenty busy,” said Alexander, 25. “I’ve been working hard on securing sponsors for the balance of next year and beyond. I’ve been working day in and day out while also learning deeper intricacies of the marketing side of racing.”

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CONCORD, NC – Funny Car driver Blake Alexander returns to zMax Dragway this weekend, where just a year ago the young nitro pilot raced to his first-ever Funny Car runner-up finish. Twelve months later, Blake still feels the excitement that came from his final round appearance.

“I’m confident that the Monroe Shocks team will have another strong outing at the Four-Wide race. I feel that I continued to improve as a driver over the last year since we went to the finals here. Combine that with all the data we have compiled with the set-up that was fairly new at this point in last year, and I think we have the potential to win more rounds here this year,” Alexander commented.

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GAINESVILLE, FL  – Blake Alexander will return to the seat of Paul Smith’s Funny Car in 2014, with the duo beginning their quest for a trophy at Auto-Plus Raceway in Gainesville, Florida, March 13-16.  Last season marked young Alexander’s most successful season in the NHRA Mello Yello Series Funny Car class, with a career best runner-up finish in Charlotte and a semi-final showing in Bristol.

“We have been working hard on the business end and at the shop down in South Florida to get things ready for 2014.  I am excited to have great associate sponsors that allow us to be out racing while I work on new primary sponsorship.  We will be poised to show we have a competitive car along with a driver that is up to the task.” Blake stated. “The continual support from Monroe, Exide, Dynomax, Valvoline, Gates, Wix, and Standard have been a catalyst for my professional career and I look forward to promoting their products and solutions to the professional technicians and motorsports enthusiasts rooted in NHRA’s diverse fan base” said Alexander

Plans and event locations are fluid as new sponsorships are developed, however Blake did note that the team is heading to Gainesville and Charlotte to start their 2014 campaign. Blake and Paul will be taking advantage of other opportunities in the NHRA Heritage Series / IHRA throughout the season when not racing the NHRA big show.

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MOHNTON, PA – Auto Service Plus Funny Car driver Blake Alexander will conclude his second full season at the event where his Pro career began, the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals. The race, contested October 4-6 at Maple Grove Raceway, is an important event for Alexander, who turned 25 last week.

“This race holds a lot of meaning for me. I’ve raced at this event several times, whether it was in my Exide Comp car or the Auto Service Plus Funny Car. The conditions always enable record-setting performances, so everyone gets excited for this race. It’s like the ultimate test before the end of the season,” Blake said.

“I’m proud to be driving the Auto Service Plus powered by Auto-Plus Funny Car for the third consecutive year going into the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals. Uni-Select and Auto-Plus have been a catalyst for my professional career.”

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NORWALK, OH – Funny Car sophomore Blake Alexander will return to Summit Motorsports Park this Saturday, August 10^th, for the track’s legendary Night Under Fire match race event. Driving his Paul Smith-tuned Auto Service Plus powered by Auto-Plus Funny Car, Alexander is one of four headlining NHRA Mello Yello Series Funny Car drivers set to compete at the largest single-day drag racing event in the world.

Blake will be joined by Funny Car rookie Chad Head, Robert Hight, and fifteen-time champion John Force. On top of the four current nitro-fueled Funny Cars, the scheduled show includes gassers, jet dragsters, monster trucks, several other exhibition vehicles, and the Bader family’s renowned fireworks show.

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NORWALK, OH – Racing in just his second season in the nitro-fueled Funny Car class, Virginia’s Blake Alexander has already reached one semifinal (Bristol) and a runner-up finish (Charlotte). As his Paul Smith-tuned Auto Service Plus powered by Auto-Plus Funny Car races into Norwalk, Ohio for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Alexander and his team will be looking to build on their strong performances of late.

“It was nice to get consecutive round wins at our last two races. Hopefully we continue to make progress with the car. Some of the things we’ve been trying haven’t been working. In our pursuit to go faster, we’ve gone a bit slower. We need to get back to square one to get back to where we were towards the beginning of the season when we were qualifying well and winning rounds,” Blake said.

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