ISMA NEWS

2007

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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!

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