PLANO, TEXAS – Safety-Kleen Systems announced today a product sponsorship of Jay Blake's Permatex/Follow A Dream Top Alcohol Funny Car racing team, which competes on the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) tour.

Follow A Dream was founded in 1999 by Blake, who was the head mechanic for a transportation company in May 1997, when he was blinded in an industrial accident. While enrolled in an intensive rehabilitation program, Blake began to follow his dream of owning a professional auto racing team. Turning his dream into a reality, Jay combined his renewed participation in drag racing with his desire to spread his true-life success by inspiring others to accomplish their goals through the power of positive thinking, self-determination, and teamwork. Jay leads his team of racing professionals in NHRA competition, where they finished the 2010 and 2011 seasons ranked seventh in the national standings.

"As a sales organization that is in the trenches day-in and day-out all across the country, we hope to apply some of Jay's attitude into our daily work life," said Curt Knapp, Chief Marketing Officer for Safety-Kleen. "Our staff can learn a lot from Jay."

"We're extremely excited that Safety-Kleen has decided to sponsor our efforts," said Blake. "I've used Safety-Kleen exclusively throughout my career and am honored to partner with leaders in the industry."

The Safety-Kleen-backed Follow A Dream/Permatex Funny Car is a 2008 Chevrolet Impala SS powered by a 526-cubic-inch Hemi engine that produces more than 3,000 horsepower. Todd Veney is the driver. For more information about Follow A Dream, log on to www.followadream.org.

"In sales, attitude is everything," said Safety-Kleen Motorsports Marketing Manager Buddy Judy. "If our guys aren't feeling it, they can't perform well. Jay gets up every day and never lets the fact that he is blind keep him from preparing a Top Alcohol Funny Car that competes at the highest level in drag racing. He can't have a bad attitude – lives are at stake. We want to learn from his example and not let hurdles stand in the way of our company's success."

During the 2012 racing season, the team plans to race in 13 events –five regional- and eight national– including the Tire Kingdom Gatornationals (Gainesville, Florida), O'Reilly Spring Nationals (Houston), Mac Tools U.S. Nationals (Indianapolis), and Auto-Plus Nationals (Reading, Pennsylvania).

About Safety-Kleen

Safety-Kleen is a leading North American used oil recycling and re-fining, parts cleaning and environmental solutions company, with approximately 4,300 employees serving more than 270,000 customer locations in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Safety-Kleen provides a broad set of environmentally-responsible products and services that keep North American businesses in balance with the environment. For more information, please visit www.safety-kleen.com or call (800) 669-5740.