By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Former Top Fuel pilot Blake Alexander has switched back to Funny Car in 2019. He has purchased Brian Stewart’s Funny Car operation.
He will partner with Tim Wilkerson and plans to race 12 events in 2019 as a team owner and driver. Daniel Wilkerson, who is a former Funny Car pilot, will be Alexander’s crew chief.
Blake Alexander competing in Funny Car during the 2013 NHRA season (Photo by the NHRA)
“I am thankful to be in this position and have so many people that have helped me along the way,” Alexander said. “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.”
Alexander won both of his Top Fuel events in 2018 with Bob Vandergriff Racing. He began his career in the Funny Car class.
He switched to Top Fuel in 2017 with Del Worsham’s team. He will continue to be sponsored by Pronto Auto Services.
“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,” Robert Roos, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at National Pronto Association. “The 2018 season was a great one, and we have been working hard to continue providing a valuable program for Pronto membership in 2019.”
Wilkerson, the son, previously served as a crew chief for Stewart’s operation.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to race with Blake and our strong crew in 2019,” Dan Wilkerson said. “Many friends that 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.”
Alexander will get his first opportunity in a Funny Car in 2019 at the 35th annual Magic Dry Organic Absorbent NHRA Arizona Nationals, Feb. 22-24.
He previously competed in Funny Car for five seasons with Paul Smith. He has not competed in Funny Car since 2016, according to his own web site.
