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Following a Dream It's said that if you're truly lucky, your work will be your passion. And while far too many of us can't claim that to be true, it's inspiring to know that those people do exist. In fact, our FYI reporter Yolanda Vazquez has found a man who is passionate about his work in every sense of the word. So she headed to pit row to see first-hand why his story is so inspiring. – John Davis
YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: And at the age of 43, Jay Blake is livin' the dream. JAY BLAKE: "You guys ready?" PIT CREW MEMBER: "Yup." JAY BLAKE: "The shoes are off. PIT CREW MEMBER: "Yup." JAY BLAKE: "Slow." He's the owner and pit crew chief of a professional drag racing team with major wins in NHRA's top alcohol funny car class. JAY BLAKE: "We've finished as high as 8th in the world. We have won some of the biggest races in the country." YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: A remarkable feat, considering the man who oversees this team-and most of the car's mechanical work-is completely blind. JAY BLAKE: "May 22nd 1997, 5:30 in the afternoon, I had a forklift wheel and tire assembly explode in my face." YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: Blake was flown to a local hospital where doctors worked for hours to rebuild his face and save his life. JAY BLAKE: "After my accident, my whole world had changed. I had no idea what I was going to do with the rest of my life." YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: The loss of his sight cost Blake a successful career as an auto tech but it gave him a new vision for the future.
YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: Against all odds, he started his own race team. Blake had to learn how to fundraise, solicit sponsors, build a team. He also wanted to work on the car. JAY BLAKE: "Can you tell if these are all new plugs or if they've been run? I think they're all new." PIT CREW MEMBER: "They are." As crew chief, Blake does everything from changing out spark plugs, to leaking the motor. He says he uses his hands to see. JAY BLAKE: "Through touch I build a picture in my mind of what I'm working on." YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: He also uses this device called Braille n' Speak. JAY BLAKE: "These six dots right here make up a Braille cell." YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: To write down and retrieve contact information. JAY BLAKE: "MotorWeek Television." YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: "MotorWeek Television. Yep."
YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: Yeah, we don't want to play that! YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: Blake moves around the pit area without a walking stick. He may stumble at times, but like life he knows how to get around things. CHARLIE MITCHELL: "I'm with Jay so much, a lot of times I forget he's blind." YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: Long-time friend Charlie Mitchell says Blake motivates the crew to do their very best. CHARLIE MITCHELL: "Everybody as a team helps out but you know Jay's the glue that keeps it all together. And he accomplishes stuff that a lot of people that can see don't seem to be able to accomplish." YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: Tommy Howell, the man responsible for tuning the car, says Blake can do anything he puts his mind to. TOMMY HOWELL: "He had a realization that he could do this and he went out and did it. And I think he just wants other people to know they can do it too." YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: When he's not in the pit, Blake travels the country as a motivational speaker, his life story profiled on network news. TV ANNOUNCER: "They call it blind ambition. A remarkable race driver." YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: Blake uses the opportunity to encourage others to pursue their passion(s). And what do you tell them? JAY BLAKE: "What I try and tell people is they don't have to get hit in the head as hard as I did to wake up and go for it." YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: A simple message backed by the indomitable spirit of a man who knows what it takes to "follow a dream." JAY BLAKE: "We all have stuff in life that we have to deal with, and if you deal with it with a positive attitude, it won't stop you."
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JAY BLAKE: "My true love has always been cars."
JAY BLAKE: "I had absolutely nothing to lose. I had plenty of time on my hands. I was just going to go for it. I was just going to follow my dream."
JAY BLAKE: "And then your home number."