TAMPA, FL - Last February, Blake Feese made his first trip to East Bay's Winternationals with the hope of making a name for himself. This year the driver from Saybrook, IL, is determined to prove he's one of the top young sprint car drivers in the country while mixing it up with some of the best drivers in the sport.

"I'm really excited to get the season started since we ended last year running pretty well," said Feese. "The biggest thing for me is to get on the track and hope that all of the bad luck we had last year is behind me. We had some good runs in 2001, including down here, but too many times bad luck killed our nights. It's a new year and we've got new optimism."

Feese, who turned 20 on last Friday, is beginning his fourth season in a sprint car and will be driving his family owned #1f Maxim in the East Bay Winternationals. In last year's Winternationals, Feese opened many eyes in the second preliminary program when he chased Joey Saldana for lead during most of the "A" feature before a fuel pump malfunction cost him a runner-up finish. Feese knows that for him to have a successful weekend that he'll have to be on his game from the start.

"With the competition down here, you have to be at your best every time you hit the track," said Feese, who's 2001 season highlights included a victory at Knoxville Raceway and a top ten finish at the Channellock Challenge prelim at Bristol. "This biggest thing is qualifying in the right spot. You never know what the track is going to do, so qualifying well starts your night on the right note. With the big money on the line in Saturday's race and it being a points deal, you've got to have three good nights just to have a chance."

"Last year, we came down here and drove Kenny Mulligan's car just trying to get people to see what I could do. This year, we've got to have some good results on paper. My confidence is really high and we've got some great equipment. There are a lot of people that have helped us come down here and race like Hoosier, Weld Wheels and Durst Motorsports, so we'd like to make a good showing all four nights."

Following the Winternationals, Feese will return home and continue preparing for the 2002 racing season. He plans on racing with a variety of series throughout the Midwest.