2007 |
Previous News and Banquet Photos and Stories
| 2006 |
2005 | 2004 |
2003 | |
|

John Blewett, III
1973-2007
Although we
only had just gotten to know you John Blewett, we will
always remember the professionalism you showed for our racing and
the respect you showed our organization and its members. We'll always
remember the kind words and especially the smiles. You are in our hearts
and prayers as we race on... God Speed
ISMA
|
|

ISMA's Mike Lichty moved
from sixth to first in three laps of the
MSA-Oswego Days Inn 40-lap Challenge Saturday at Sandusky
to take command of the lead which he never gave up.
A green-white-checkered finish saw challenger Dave Shullick Jr.
pull alongside, but it was Lichty at the line for his second straight
Sandusky September feature win. ... Mike Johnson photo
|
|

www.wirtgenamerica.com |
|
WIRTGEN AMERICA
AND ISMA
STILL “HOOKED UP” FOR 2007 |
|
Oswego, NY - Some may
not believe this but the snow is almost gone in Oswego! This translates
into
Darrell Waltrip’s famous words “Boggity-Boggity-Boggity, let’s go racing
boys!”
ISMA (The International SuperModified Association) and Wirtgen are
partners again in 2007! This is great news for the fans, the race
tracks, and most of all, our first class team of competitors. New
milestones will be made in 2007 with our schedule of 16 races; from New
York to Maine to Ontario and Connecticut to Pennsylvania to Ohio to
Michigan. Throw in a non-point show that has been added in the
North-East Shootout in North Carolina in November and you’ve got one
heck of a season. These are all strong markets for ISMA and Wirtgen.
It’s a win-win situation for both of us!
The fan base for the famed winged warriors of supermodified racing is
expanding, the grandstands are
full, the franchise spots are sold out and Bentley Warren has a new knee
so he can kick some ass!
Wirtgen would like to thank all involved with ISMA for a great 2006 and
we just can’t wait much longer
to get 2007 “fired up.”
The ISMA season begins at Waterford Speedbowl in Connecticut on
Saturday, May 26. Write PO Box 2753,
Liverpool, NY 13089 for a full color schedule card. |
|
|
ISMA BEGINS 33rd
SEASON AT WATERFORD SPEEDBOWL WITH A 17-RACE SLATE ON TAP |
Oswego, NY - The International
SuperModified Association (ISMA) is just around the corner from the
start of its 33rd season of winged supermodified racing. And, once again
this year's schedule looks to be an exciting one that takes the Wirtgen-sponsored
group from New England, to Canada to as far west as Michigan. The season
starts in Connecticut at Waterford Speedbowl and ends in Connecticut at
Thompson. Main sponsor Wirtgen is back on board and the sun is shining
so let's go racing!
Chris Perley raised the bar to new heights in Wirtgen-ISMA racing last
season with ten feature wins, but his competitors assuredly have spent
the winter trying to meet or beat that level as racers are prone to do.
Perley started the season last year with a win at Oswego but this year
the inaugural race is at Waterford - a venue that has not been kind to
the Miller race team. Perley, who was taken out of the inaugural race in
2005 at Waterford in the very early laps, made 17 circuits in 2006
before being involved in a multi-car pileup, which took him out and left
Randy Ritskes with a broken wrist. Justin Belfiore, in one of his best
runs, picked up the win over Dave McKnight and Nokie Fornoro. Saturday,
May 26 will tell if Perley's luck changes at Waterford or if Belfiore
can repeat.
A couple weeks after the opener, ISMA travels to Toledo(OH) on June 15
where the action is always hot and heavy. Last season what turned out a
great battle for the win in the latter stages of the race, looked to be
a run away for Chris Perley prior to that. Unfortunately, Perley met
with a couple slower cars on lap 38 sending him to the pits with a
broken lower radius rod. The remainder of the race was between Lou
Cicconi, Nokie Fornoro and Dave McKnight. 2006 ISMA champ Chris Perley
was 1 for 3 at this point last season.
It's on to M40 Speedway for ISMA on June 16. ISMA ran this Michigan
three-eighth's mile oval in 1998 and 1999 with Plaistow, NH's Dave
Simard winning the first 75 lapper. Simard was trailed by his Shea
Concrete teammate Randy Ritskes while Russ Wood set a new track record
of 10.53 before a standing room only crowd. Liquid Lou Cicconi claimed a
curfew shortened 1999 event trailed by Joey Payne and Russ Wood.
In July Jennerstown Speedway hosts the second year of Twin 30 events on
the 7th. Stafford follows quickly on Tuesday, July 10th with a little
over two weeks transpiring before the annual Sandusky Hy-Miler weekend.
(July 27 and 28) These three July trips were good to Chris Perley last
season as they began his unprecedented “win run” after having won Oswego
in May and Mansfield in June.
August takes ISMA back to Ohio and Mansfield Motorsports Park for a
two-day show on August 10 and August 11 with 40 and 75 lappers
respectively. In last year's doubleheader, Lou Cicconi snuck a win from
Perley on Friday night but Chris came back to pick up his eighth feature
of the 2006 season on Saturday night.
Lee USA hosts the Ollie Silva Memorial on August 17, which was won last
year in a squeaker by racing phenom Bobby Santos III. Santos snuck by a
battling Chris Perley and Lou Cicconi to steal the thunder. Santos was
just off a great run which saw him cop a $50,000 prize at Stafford in
non-ISMA competition.
The very next night the ISMA group returns to Oxford Plains Speedway in
Maine after a brief two-year hiatus. Chris Perley won the last 75-lapper
there in July of 2004 chased by Pat Abold. Bob Santos III won his
first-ever ISMA feature at Oxford in 2003 driving for Howie Lane with
Mike Ordway (2) and Nokie Fornoro (1) holding Oxford title wins prior to
that.
The September swing begins at Oswego Speedway on September 1 for the
annual ISMA Super Nationals. This year a special $25,000 bonus has been
set up for the driver who can win both the Super Nationals and the famed
Budweiser International Classic 200. With first place purses of $5,000
and $20,000 respectively; a double event winner could take home $50,000
for a two-day win streak. Ironically, while no driver has ever won the
winged and non-winged show in the same year in the history of the two
events, the last driver to come closest is none other than Bobby Santos
III. It was in 2004 when he claimed the Super Nationals and almost
bonsaied Greg Furlong for the Classic win the next day in a last lap
that ended in both crashing after the checkered. Is there a $50,000 déjà
vu here for Santos this year?
The traditional Star Classic 200 will, in 2007, be at the renamed All
Star Speedway and will be the inaugural event under the new ownership at
that New Hampshire oval. The Star Classic has a storied history and the
new owners plan to carry on in the same vein. Lou Cicconi won last
year's 200-lapper, his second in that prestigious race where Russ Wood,
Bentley Warren and Ollie Silva have garnered big win totals over the
It's back to Delaware Speedway in Ontario, Canada on Sept. 28 for a
second year of racing after a 22-year absence at that half-mile track. A
large super-starved throng of fans watched USAC star Mike Lewis, driving
for Howie Lane, almost steal the ISMA thunder. But, Lewis crashed trying
to pass his teammate and Chris Perley went on for the win, his ninth of
the season.
Berlin is next up on Sept. 29 to round out the month. Last season's
event at the Marne, Michigan oval was plagued with rain delays and
finally was checkered at the halfway mark with Chris Perley out front of
Nokie Fornoro and Lou Cicconi when the final flag dropped as severe
weather threatened.
And, last but not least, Thompson International Speedway wraps up the
33rd season on October 14-15 with the traditional World Series of
Racing. ISMA and winged supermodified racing dates back to April 1976 at
this Connecticut oval and the win list here is a who's who of racing
dotted by Bentley Warren, Doug Heveron, Jim Shampine, Eddie Bellinger
Jr., Russ Wood and many more. Chris Perley, who had already locked in
the 2006 title when he hit the Thompson oval last year, was on a
three-straight win streak (2003-2005) and might have added win number 11
to his spectacular season but it was not to be. A broken shock took
Perley out of a dominating run just 19 laps shy of the finish. Nokie
Fornoro came on for the victory and became the only other driver to
claim multiple wins in the year of Perley.
With All-time ISMA feature win leader Russ Wood back in the saddle in
2007, and many others gunning for the Miller-Perley team, it should be
quite a season. Couple that with some interesting twists like the Oswego
Classic challenge and fans should be in for a no-holds barred year.
Added to this year's schedule is a non-point event which finds the
supers at the North-South Shootout in Concord, NC on November 2nd and
3rd as part of the fifth annual event there which includes modifieds and
more in the land of NASCAR stars. |
|
 |
|
Ruth Gutman,
Red Bear associate, Dan Soule and Deane Benbenek,
Red Bear owner, at the Motorsports Expo in March. |
|
SOULE RACING ISMA
TEAM WELCOMES RED BEAR HAND CLEANER ON BOARD AS NEW SPONSOR |
Oswego, NY – Nokie Fornoro is one of
the most enthusiastic spokesmen of ISMA supermodified racing as is
attested to by his on and off track interviews and antics. Fornoro is a
veteran of open wheel racing and is a credit to any team, sponsors and
division he’s competed in. Nokie, in his seven full years of ISMA
supermodified racing, sits 15th on the All-Time Feature Win list with 8
markers. He’s finished near the top of the point’s ladder climbing a
rung or two each year. He’s a proud card-carrying AARP member who just
gets better and better with age in racing. In that regard the Soule
Racing Team has recently signed on another great sponsor to add to their
number 32 supermodified.
 |
Soule Racing announced
recently that they have welcomed Red Bear Industrial Hand
Cleaner to their team for the 2007 season. Red Bear Industrial
Hand Cleaner is a new non-toxic, non-hazardous and
petroleum-free hand cleaner that really works. Red Bear's deep
cleaning action removes virtually anything from hard-working
hands.
Red Bear is water activated and its foaming scrub removes dirt
and grime. Because Red Bear contains no harsh chemicals to dry
out your skin, we don't need to add lanolin or other
moisturizing oils to our product. This means clean hands with no
greasy residue.
Red Bear kills odors, lasts four to five times longer than other
cleaners and doesn't lose cleaning strength when left open. It
won't clog drains, and you'll notice with regular use it keeps
your sinks clean. |
Deane Benbenek of Red Bear is
excited to become a part of the ISMA racing scene. “I met the Soule
Racing team at the Motorsports Expo earlier this year and immediately
liked the guys so I just decided to become involved. I think that with
the past accomplishments of the number 32 team, this should be a great
year for Nokie on the ISMA circuit. Soule Racing will be our main
sponsorship this season, but we’ll have a couple other minors also.”
Deane is equally enthusiastic about the Red Bear product and he’ll be
attending events all summer long to promote it. “Basically what most
guys are using now is their grandfather’s hand cleaner made from old
specs which are petroleum-based. Red Bear is the hand cleaner of today.
It has no harsh chemicals. This is an eco-friendly company. We use solar
and wind power whenever we can. We are working on becoming
carbon-neutral. We really care about what’s going on in the environment
today. As a matter of fact part of our proceeds goes to support the
North American Bear Awareness project.”
Red Bear and Deane are based in Cobleskill, NY and they are expanding
daily. “We have just set up our first dealership in Canada,” says Deane,
“And we’re working on more. Right now you can order from our website (www.redbearhandcleaner.com)
or call the toll-free number, 1-866-517-BEAR (2327). We’ll be in stores
like Carquest soon.”
Of course Soule Racing also has become synonymous with Helping Hands of
America and Mike Jarett. Jarrett has become an integral part of the team
as well as a major sponsor. He also owns and sponsors the number 4 NEMA
midget that Fornoro pilots.
Jarett gave a brief rundown on his expectations for this racing season.
“I think the 32 team has had time to jell and now should be ready to
shoot for a championship season in ISMA. We’ve gone from third to second
and now it’s time for first,” said Jarett from his Wrentham-based
Helping Hands of America business. “Chris Perley’s had his time and now
it’s Danny, Nokie and the 32 team’s time. Nokie will still be going back
and forth between the ISMA supermodified and my NEMA number 4 midget but
he’s devoting his full time to ISMA. He’ll miss a couple events in the
midget but we want to keep him in the super and in the hunt for at the
championship.”
When Jarett got into the sponsoring of both ISMA and NEMA a couple years
back, he was immediately accepted as one of the gang and his friendship
with his team reflects that acceptance. “I get along great with all the
Soule boys. They have become great friends, helpers and advisors. They
are more than willing to help me with the midget. Steve Burns of Ken’s
Collision in Baldwinsville, NY, for example, redid the paint on the
midget for the car show at his shop. It’s ironic that years ago I lived
in Pennellville and was just 10 minutes from the Soule garage and didn’t
even know it. Now I’m happy to have become associated with the team as a
major sponsor and a friend. We’re definitely hoping for the best this
season!”
The Soule Racing #32’s new website is up and running at
www.souleracing.com and fans
will be able to follow the progress of one of supermodified’s most
potent teams.
Look for Soule Racing and Nokie Fornoro at Waterford Speedbowl when ISMA
opens its 33rd year of winged supermodified racing on May 26.
|
|
Oswego Classic
Week to Feature Tobacco Free Network $50,000 Classic Challenge
for Drivers! |
The best supermodified drivers from
the Midwest, the Northeast and Canada will be cinching their
seatbelts a little bit tighter this Labor Day Weekend at the Oswego
Speedway in hopes of becoming the
first driver to ever sweep both supermodified races on the schedule and
walk away $50,000 richer
courtesy of the Tobacco Free Network.
The Tobacco Free Network of Oswego County has a long relationship with
the Oswego Speedway and teams up annually with the Speedway to bring
news about the risks of smoking to the fans at the track. In addition to
prominent signage around the Speedway, the Tobacco Free Network is the
sponsor of the
Tobacco Free Network Family Section near the first turn in the front
grandstand area. More news from the Tobacco Free Network will be
announced during the 2007 racing season at the Oswego Speedway.
Commercials for the Tobacco Free Network will be part of the live
streaming video coverage of Classic Week racing action on AsphaltVision.
The “Tobacco Free Network $50,000 Classic Challenge” will pay a $25,000
bonus to the one driver who can pick up the $5,000 first place money in
the 14th Bud Light ISMA Super National 50 on Saturday night September
1st and follow that up by collecting the $20,000 first place money in
the 51st Budweiser International Classic 200 the next afternoon. This
bonus will be paid directly to the driver and does not require them to
drive the same car in both races.
In the previous thirteen years of the winged and non-winged Classic Week
format at the Oswego Speedway, only Bentley Warren and Greg Furlong have
ever won both races. Neither of them was able to do it on the same
weekend though. The closest anyone has ever come to winning both races
in the same year was in 2004 when Greg Furlong and Bobby Santos III each
finished in the top two positions in both races. In the
other twelve years of this format, Russ Wood has been the only driver to
get as close as Furlong and
Santos did. Wood registered top three finishes in both races in 1997.
The 1999 winner of the Bud Light
Super National 50, Gary Allbritain, won the Budweiser International
Classic 200 in 1975. That win for
Allbritain came nineteen years before these two races were teamed up as
the featured events for
Budweiser Classic Week in 1994.
Will history be made in 2007 during the 51st Budweiser Classic Week at
the Oswego Speedway?
Will the same driver pull into victory lane on Saturday in the Bud Light
ISMA Super National 50 and then
again on Sunday in the Budweiser International Classic 200?
Will one driver walk away with the Tobacco Free Network $50,000 Classic
Challenge money?
Oswego Speedway is the one place to be for race fans this Labor Day
Weekend. See the best supermodified drivers there are trying to cash in
on the $50,000 payday from the Oswego Speedway, ISMA and the Tobacco
Free Network of Oswego County. |
|
North-South
Shootout Gets Super Boost for 2007 |
Lexington, NC (March 7, 2007): C&C
Racing Promotions made a major announcement at the first annual
SpeedwayEXPO in March, 2007 regarding the future of the North-South
Shootout TM. In their efforts to further enhance the annual Shootout,
already one of racing’s premier events, promoter Charles Kepley
announced the addition of the Supermodifieds to the ground-pounding
line-up. The Supermodifieds will join the headlining Tour-type Modifieds
on the fast-paced race card that also features the SK-type Modifieds.
“This has been in the works for a couple of years now,” said Kepley of
Lexington, NC. “All the pieces
finally fell into place to make it a reality. Having the Modifieds and
Supermodifieds under the North-
South Shootout TM banner is a dream come true for all of us at C&C
Racing Promotions.”
The fifth annual North-South Shootout TM is schedule for Friday and
Saturday, November 2 & 3, 2007 at
Concord Motorsports Park in Concord, NC. The half-mile tri-oval speedway
makes for ultra-fast racing for all the open-wheel divisions at the
Shootout.
Since its inception, the 100-lap North-South Shootout TM has featured
some of the best racers to take to the racetrack, North or South of the
Mason Dixon line. This year, it will also feature the best Super
drivers from East and West of the Mississippi. The event, a throwback of
sorts, is guaranteed to provide
the very best that open-wheel racing has to offer.
Many of the competitors of the International Supermodified Association (ISMA)
have already pledged their support, as have the teams of the Midwest
Supermodified Association of Ohio and the Western States Supermodified
Racing League (WSSRL) of California.
“This is just awesome,” said ISMA President Howie Lane, about the
announcement. “In just a few days
since the story got out, the response has been tremendous. The Shootout
has gained a reputation for
being fun and exciting, our teams are thrilled to be able to be part of
it all.”
A full field of the “winged warriors” is expected as the factions of the
Supermodified racing community
unite for a much-anticipated return of an East-West showdown. (The
Supermodified portion of the North-South Shootout TM has yet to be
formally named.)
“All of our top teams are planning on coming,” said longtime WSSRL
competitor and active member of the staff, Jim Birges. “We are real
excited about the opportunity. It looks like the rules package will
allow all the different groups to compete on equal ground. It’s going to
be fun. There are no egos, just
racing.”
The Supermodifieds last made an appearance at Concord Motorsport Park (CMP)
in the late 90’s. The last “East-West” showdown was held in 1995 at
Indianapolis Raceway Park.
“We are very excited about this event,” said Kevin Jaycox President of
the Midwest Supermodified
Association and owner of Sandusky Speedway. “A lot of people have been
trying to do a deal like this
(East vs. West) for a couple of years now. To see it finally come
through is truly exciting.”
In 2007, the North-South ShootoutTM celebrates five years. The goal of
the North-South Shootout TM has always been to provide an arena to
showcase great racing talent in an environment that teams will enjoy.
From the inaugural year when John Blewett III edged out Jerry Marquis by
inches at the checkers, to the emergence of Donny Lia, to Blewett’s
triumphant return to victory lane right on through to the moment when
Matt Hirschman stepped into the limelight, the North-South Shootout TM
has produced memorable moments. This year it will be a grand anniversary
celebration with the Modifieds, Supermodifieds and SK -Type Modifieds.
The format for the fifth annual event will once again boast time trials,
heat races, and consolation
event(s). The Modifieds will compete in a 100 green flag lap main event
with the SK Modifieds competing in a 50-lapper. The ever-popular vintage
Modified contingent and the crate motor limited Modifieds will remain
part of the two-day racing extravaganza. The format for the
Supermodified portion has yet to be determined.
“Everyone involved in Supermodified racing, whether it’s the drivers,
owners, or fans will mark this
event more than any other on their calendars for the 2007 season,”
concluded Jaycox.
Updates will be provided throughout the year on the event's official
website
www.northsouthshootout.com or for more information on the
North-South Shootout TM contact C&C Racing Promotions at (336) 250-4383
or (508) 847-0565. |
|
TWENTY
ISMA-WIRTGEN SUPER SERIES
FRANCHISE SPOTS FILLED FOR 2007 |
Oswego, NY - Twenty drivers have
chosen to take advantage of the Wirtgen- ISMA franchise owners’
benefits once again in 2007. The International Super Modified
Association established the franchise
system in 1998 to help ensure healthy fields at the race tracks that the
group travels to throughout the northeast, Midwest and Canada.
When a car owner becomes a franchise owner it guarantees that owner a
$1,000 to start a feature event after qualifying events. It also ensures
the owner tow money of $200, $400 or $600 depending on the event if he
fails to qualify.
A franchise car owner also benefits in other ways. An Wirtgen-ISMA super
series franchise owner can miss four shows before he relinquishes his
benefits. In the instance of a double show weekend, for example at
Mansfield or Sandusky, if the a franchise owner should wreck or break
down on one of the night’s of competition, that dns does not count
toward a “miss.” And, finally each of the twenty 2007 car franchisees
has preference on renewing his contract for the 2008 season. Should any
of these car owners
opt not to renew, the preferences then go to car based on points from
the 2007 season. The system
definitely offers incentives to compete at each meet on the ISMA
schedule.
Those car owners choosing to participate in the benefits this season are
Brandon Bellinger (02), Vern Romanoski (5), Howie Lane (cars 9 and 97
with drivers Jon McKennedy and Robbie Summers), Vic Miller (11, driver
Chris Perley), Steve Miller (16), Dan Soule (32 driven by Nokie Fornoro),
Joe Petro (33), Jeff Holbrook (cars 35, 40 and 70 – drivers Russ Wood,
Bob Magner and Dave Trytek), Bobby Haynes Sr. (44, driver Bobby Haynes
Jr.), Mark Sammut (78), Brad Lichty (84 and 94, drivers Mike Lichty and
Dave McKnight), Ray Graham Jr. (cars 90, 91, 99), Craig Rayvals (95) and
Larry Lehnert (92). Points go to the car owners and their cars so
drivers may change throughout the season.
The Wirtgen-ISMA point season begins on May 26 at Waterford Speedbowl in
Connecticut and ends at Thompson International Speedway on October 14.
ISMA has recently signed on to compete at the 5th annual North-South
Shootout on November 2 and 3, 2007 at Concord Motorsports Park which
also features the mighty modifieds of the northeast. This will not be a
point show and more information will be forthcoming. Log on to
ISMAsupers.com or www.northsouthshootout.com for continuing information
updates. |
|
 |
|
CHRIS PERLEY SAYS
NOTHING HAS CHANGED FOR 2007 AND THAT’S NOT A GREAT THING FOR
THE OTHER ISMA SUPERMODIFIED COMPETITORS
By Carol D. Haynes, ISMA PR |
Oswego, NY - Perusing the 2006 ISMA
stats gives one the idea that the Vic Miller – Chris Perley and
Bentley Warren team pretty much did it all last year. They won eleven
features out of the sixteen run. Chris alone won ten and had a
six-straight win streak going from Mansfield on June 17 to Mansfield on
August 11 when Lou Cicconi broke the streak. Perley didn’t wait long to
pick up his winning ways, garnering the August 12 75-lapper at that same
Ohio track and then adding two more markers in the win column before the
season ended at Thompson in October. He moved into third on the All-time
feature win with his tally, chasing, ironically, his part-time partner
Bentley Warren for second.
There were some miscues for the team in the record-setting season. After
winning the May 7 opener at Oswego, Perley faced two dnf’s in a row at
Waterford and Toledo where he’d set second fast time. But, for the next
six races no one dominated more than Perley. Even when Lou Cicconi broke
the streak, the black and orange 11 was second. Another second at Lee
came when young Bobby Santos who has recently signed an ARCA/Busch
contract, beat Perley to the line in the waning laps. At Oswego in
September, the Vic Miller team finished one and three with veteran
Bentley Warren taking the number one spot much to the delight of the
crowd with Perley third. Thompson saw another dnf when an elusive shock
problem reared up again. All in all it was a spectacular season to say
the least for the team competing at tracks from New England to Michigan
to Canada and spots in between.
Chris Perley took some time out to talk with me as January 2007 ended
and we talked about last year and what the new season which starts at
Waterford in May, will bring.
CH: Winter is almost over and racing is
just around the corner. Has it sunk in as to what you guys
accomplished last year?
CP: Yes, I think so. It’s still just
something that we accomplished. Without making it sound trivial, I
don’t feel that we passed a milestone that no one else has passed
before, getting six wins in a row and ten wins total. The way we go
about racing is so simplistic. We never really put any pressure on
ourselves to do anything like what we did, so it came unexpectedly. It’s
kind of hard to explain. Let me try. We set out last year to do well and
if we won the championship, we won the championship. If we won races, we
won races. Yes we were hoping to win races and we accomplished that.
But, I think that is the only thing we accomplished because that’s the
only thing we tried to do. As far as doing everything else we did, yes
that is unbelievable. But, I think it’s something in my mind that can be
beat. I just think it can be. We could have won three more races last
year. We wrecked twice and broke at Thompson.
CH: What do you do for an encore now in
2007?
CP: See I don’t think there is an encore in
our plan. I think we’re just going to go out there,
hopefully unload quickly and win some races again. I don’t think any of
the team has any plans of doing better than last year. We just want to
go out there, do our best and win some races. If we do win them, we do.
And, then we’ll be happy!
CH: Any changes this year and WHY would you
even consider it?
CP: We’re weren’t going to unveil this
until the first of the year, but we’re going to build an upright
roadster. They threw the six-inch rule out so we’re going to build a
roadster. No, actually we took the car apart as usual. We key chained it
- because why would you change? The paint wasn’t all gone off of it so
we took it all apart and fixed a couple of things. We’re trying to fix
the shock issue without going too bananas because we feel the chassis is
so set. We don’t want to change a lot but we did look at that issue
because we did break three shocks and that’s pretty much been our only
problem. And, knock on wood everything will go well again. So, we just
did out normal things – taking it apart and putting it back together.
It’s almost together now. We built most of a new body for it but Vic
doesn’t want to put it on unless we wreck the old one. We bought a new
trailer – same size, same color.
CH: How about Bentley? Will he be driving
again?
CP: He’s driving the whole year – that’s
the rumor. But, it’s not true. We can’t do it for the whole
year with two cars. The shop just isn’t big enough to handle it. It
would be tough on the crew. And, it
would end up in the long run probably taking away from both cars. We
could do it for a while but it
would catch up to us. We are not the Jack Roush of ISMA you know.
CH: Your wife Kerri is expecting your
newest family addition - a girl – soon to join two brothers.
There have been a lot of girls born this off-season in the racing family
with the Goseks, Sammuts, the Greg Furlongs and the Pat Furlongs. Is
this a trend?
CP: Our daughter is due Feb. 7. If she were
in an egg she would have kicked her way out by now. We found out early
that we were having a girl and everyone else copied us.
CH: The biggest question is - the Hat – in
or out? Now don’t laugh, that’s important.
CP: I joked about giving it up but
everybody said no. It will be back. I don’t think it should be
because it’s getting to be worn out, but I guess we’re just not going to
change anything. Same stupid hat. I’m getting a little tired of it. But,
I think if I don’t wear it somebody will get mad.
CH: Segue into another question - are you
at all superstitious when you are racing?
CP: My wife keeps saying she’s going to
dress everybody in green and have them eating peanuts in the stands and
so on because she thinks the whole superstition thing is stupid. I told
her it was stupid but change it! Nope. I’m not going to be the one who
does because that will be the time something bad happens.
CH: I think superstition is just life
throwing things at you basically. What about you?
CP: Yes, that’s probably is true, but we
try to do everything in life we can to not buck the system.
CH: And so in that vein, it looks like
everything is pretty much the same… car, team, sponsors? Anything at all
new besides a new daughter?
CP: I think all the sponsors are pretty
much the same. Shea Concrete, R&R Motors, Perley’s Marina,
Barrett’s Transportation, Jack Cook and Kid’s First. Check out my
website at chrisperley.com to link to some of them. The team is the
same. I am building a new addition to my house to gain an extra bedroom.
I have an old boat house (100 years old) out front and I’m redoing that
and putting my office out there. It’s sheet rock ready now. It’s taken
me since racing stopped.
CH: I guess you’d call that something new.
A remarkable season does not change Chris Perley, nor will it ever.
That’s the way the he and the team is and has always been. They take it
one race at a time. They come to win (and often do), to load it up in
one piece and to have some fun afterwards. They don’t need a lot of
technology or fancy equipment to carry them to victory lane. They are
ordinary in an extraordinary way. Over the years hundreds of adjectives
have been used to describe Chris Perley’s racing style, but ordinary has
never been one of them. Look out supermodified fans and competitors.
Nothing is new with the 2003, 2004, and 2006 ISMA champions. That’s a
good thing for them and a bad thing for the rest of the competitors! |
Previous News and Banquet Photos and Stories
| 2006 |
2005 | 2004 |
2003 | |
 |
|