Dirt
New Beginning
Blake Alexander returning to
Funny Car with own operation
By Nate Van Wagnen
P
ronto Auto Service Center driver
Blake Alexander will return to Funny
Car for the 2019 NHRA Mello Yello
Drag Racing Series season. The two-
time Top Fuel event winner will own and operate
his equipment out of Tim Wilkerson Racing in
Springfield, Illinois, in a working partnership.
Alexander will field his team at 12 races with crew
chief Daniel Wilkerson.
“I am thankful to be in this position and have
so many people that have helped me along the
way,” said Alexander, who appeared on the cover
of the 2018 D rag I llustrateD 30 Under 30 Is-
sue. “This has been a lifelong dream and taking
this huge step will be stabilized with Daniel and
Tim’s expertise. We will hit the ground running at
Phoenix and are excited to continue building on
the success of the Pronto Nitro Club promotion.
The Funny Car class is stacked with talent and I
am excited to get back into the fold.”
“We are excited to continue our partnership
with Blake Alexander Racing and our vendor
partners who have supported us to provide the
Nitro Club promotion to Pronto members and
their customers nationwide,” said Robert Roos,
Vice President of Sales and Marketing, National
Pronto Association. “The 2018 season was a great
one and we have been working hard to continue
providing a valuable program for Pronto mem-
bership in 2019.”
Alexander, who has been one of NHRA’s young-
est competitors in Top Fuel and Funny Car since
he made his professional debut in 2011, will now
establish himself as NHRA’s youngest current
team owner in 2019. Alexander and Daniel Wilk-
erson are both 30, leading a team of similarly aged
crew members with experience in the nitro ranks.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to race with
Blake and our strong crew in 2019,” Dan Wilk-
erson said. “Many friends who are former crew
guys from my dad’s team will be assisting us at
our 12 events. Pronto and their local members
give us everything it takes to be competitive in the
loaded Funny Car field and I’m looking forward
to getting started in Phoenix.”
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Issue 142