Follow A Dream's Marty Nothstein Reaches Finals at Maple Grove Raceway
Former Olympic Gold Medalist Finishes Second to Frank Manzo for Second Straight Race


/Bicycling News Articles/ - READING, PA, June 03, 2008 - For the second straight NHRA Northeast Division 1 Top Alcohol Funny Car final, Marty Nothstein squared-off with defending champ Frank Manzo.

Manzo beat Nothstein and his Follow A Dream/Permatex/Wynn's/Texas Roadhouse 2008 Chevrolet Impala SS by less than a tenth of a second in the Saturday night finale. Manzo ran a 5.639 to Nothstein's 5.735. It was the second straight race that the two met in the finals, and Manzo's 46th consecutive round win.

"We're really making some great progress," said Jay Blake, who is Follow A Dream's team owner and chief mechanic, and the only totally blind crew chief in motor sports. "We improved all weekend long and gave Manzo a good run in the final. I'm proud of how far the team has come in just three races."

Blake added, "In order to be the best, you need to face the best, and Frank's the best. We're ready for the challenge, and look forward to our next battle with him."

"I'm happy that we got back to the final," said Nothstein, the 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist in track cycling. "Manzo is the guy you want to face, because he makes you better each time you square-off with him. We've learned a lot in the last two races, and look to use what we've learned to make us better."

Follow A Dream advanced to the final with Nothstein running a 5.744 in the opening round of eliminations. Nothstein was to have faced Eric Lourie, but Lourie didn't make it to the line. In the semifinals, Nothstein beat Mickey Ferro, who began the weekend as the Division 1 points leader. Nothstein ran a 5.681 to Ferro's 7.692.

Maple Grove Raceway holds special meaning to Blake, who during a 1998 visit to the track, decided to follow his dream and create a drag Top Alcohol Funny Car racing team. This past Thursday marked the 11th anniversary of Blake's industrial accident that left him totally blind and without taste and smell.

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