Marty Nothstein Houston wrap up

FOLLOW A DREAM TEAM MAKES FINAL ROUND APPEARANCE

Marstons Mills, MA – March 30, 2009–The Follow A Dream Top Alcohol Funny Car team continues to improve with each appearance. Driver Marty Nothstein piloted the teams Permatex/Wynn’s/Texas Roadhouse 2008 Chevrolet Impala SS Top Alcohol Funny Car to a second place finish at this past weekend’s NHRA O’Reilly Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas.

The team lost in the final round of competition to Steve Harker. Unfortunately, Nothstein came up on the losing end with a 5.61 to Harkers 5.63 when he red lit.

“This is obviously not the ending we wanted”, said Nothstein, who is a former Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist in track cycling. “I’ve been an athlete competing at the highest levels and have experienced some incredible highs and lows but, the feeling I had after clicking on the red light was one of the worst feelings I’ve ever experienced in all the time I’ve spent in competitive sports.”

“That’s racing,” added Jay Blake, team owner and crew chief of the Follow A Dream race team. “The entire team worked really hard all weekend to get us to our first final of the season.” “Not our last though, as we’re getting closer and getting a better handle on the car with every run.”

Nothstein qualified third behind first place qualifier Harker and Chris Foster during Friday and Saturday’s two-run qualification rounds, and then beat Lee Callaway in the first elimination round late Saturday afternoon. Nothstein then beat Steve Gasparrelli in the quarterfinals and Chris Foster in the semifinals. Nothstein’s round one pass was the best of the season for the Follow a Dream team with an elapsed time of 5.609 seconds and a speed of 257.48 MPH.

“Overall, it was a very good weekend and I’m very pleased with the progress we’ve made as a team,” said Nothstein. “The team did an awesome job and I have a lot of confidence in the guys and the car.”

The O’Reilly Spring Nationals NHRA sportsman finals will be broadcast April 4, 2009 @ 10:00AM ET on ESPN2.

Follow A Dream will return to racing at the Northeast Division 1 season opener at Virginia Motorsports Park in Petersburg, Virginia on May 1-2, 2009.

About Follow A Dream
Established in 1999, Follow A Dream is a non-profit 501(C)3 organization. The organization’s message is uniquely delivered through NHRA drag racing as its medium. As racing’s only totally blind, race crew chief, Follow A Dream Founder, Jay Blake draws upon his personal experience of overcoming adversity and achieving his dream of auto racing, and shares his inspiration with others. For more information go to www.followadream.org.


About Marty Nothstein
Marty ‘The Blade’ Nothstein is one of the most recognized cyclists in the world having won an Olympic Gold Medal in the 2000 Games in Sydney and Silver in Atlanta in 1996. Nothstein is America’s most decorated track cyclist with 35 U.S. National titles, three World Championships, four Pan-American Games Gold Medals, plus he’s a World and Olympic record holder. Since retiring from professional cycling in 2006, Marty is focusing his need for speed in the world of drag racing. 2009 will mark Marty’s forth season in a Top Alcohol Funny Car. Nothstein will drive for Jay Blake, the Founder and Crew Chief of “The Follow A Dream Team”. Blake is the only totally blind crew chief in the world of motorsports. After a successful rookie season in 2006 in his Top Alcohol Funny Car, Nothstein found the winner’s circle twice during the 2007 NHRA Drag Racing Series season, and made 3 division 1 final round appearances in 2008. Nothstein also made the fifth fastest pass in Top Alcohol Funny Car history at the NHRA SuperNationals at Englishtown in June 2008.

About Permatex
Permatex, Inc. is a leading manufacturer, distributor, and marketer of premium chemical products to the automotive maintenance and repair markets. Since 1909, Permatex has been an acknowledged leader in the development of innovative new products and services for the automotive aftermarket.

About Wynn’s
Wynn’s traces its history to 1939 when the original Wynn’s Friction Proofing Oil Treatment® formula was first developed and introduced to the automotive market. In the 65 years following the introduction of that single product, Wynn’s has grown to become a leading worldwide manufacturer and marketer of innovative, groundbreaking automotive specialty chemicals and service equipment, as well as Complete Automotive Maintenance Programs. For more information, log on to www.wynnsusa.com.

About Texas Roadhouse
Based in Louisville, Ky., Texas Roadhouse opened its doors in 1993. In just 15 years, the company has grown to more than 290 locations in 44 states. In 2006, readers of a national magazine voted Texas Roadhouse as the top concept in the Pub/Grill category, and Forbes magazine ranked the company as one of the 200 Best Small Companies. For more information, visit www.texasroadhouse.com.
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Media Contacts:
Jay Blake 508-566-5200
jay@followadream.org

Terri Donlon 508-420-8319