10 to Go with Jimmy Blewett

While at Turkey Derby XL at Wall Stadium Speedway in New Jersey we spoke to four-time Turkey Derby Tour-Type Modified champion Jimmy Blewett. This year Blewett piloted the No 76 machine prepared by Gary Putnam and Kevin “Bono” Manion.

When did you get started in racing?

Jimmy Blewett: In 2000.

Where did you start?

Blewett: I started here (Wall Stadium). I started with the Pro Stock division. I only ran a handful of races for a friend, Wally LaCicero. His car was for sale at the time so once his car was sold that pretty much ended it. After that we built our own car and came here the next season and ran seventh in points. Ended up getting one pole and one win the first season and the rest is basically history from there.

How many types of cars have you raced? And which one is your favorite?

Blewett: I’ve ran a late model before, modifieds, dirt modifieds, but I’d have to say my favorite is the dirt modified.

Why is that?

Blewett: Just more my style. On the edge. Really hanging it out there. I really have a lot of respect for every type of racing, whether it is dirt or asphalt, but I really feel like where I belong is on dirt, but I’ve always been on asphalt.

What track do you want to race at the most that you haven’t gotten to yet?

Blewett: I’d have to say Big Diamond (Pa.). It’s a dirt track. I’ve always wanted to go there, but I haven’t been there. I’ve heard about the place. I hear it’s very hard and I want to go there just for the challenge of doing it.

Do you have any superstitions or routines that you do each week? Or any lucky charms?

Blewett: I always say my prayers every time I go out on the track. I have some superstitions that I feel like you only get out of your racecar what you put into it. If you don’t put anything into your racecar you aren’t going to get anything out of it. That’s why I feel like today, I did put some into it, but I didn’t physically work on it and that’s kind of hurting me not working on it. But I’m surrounded by a good group of guys here today, Gary Putnam, Kevin ‘Bono’ Manion and all the guys on their team and my guys so I think that’s good. But as far as superstitions I don’t really have any. I like to eat peanuts at the track, wear green. I think that’s just a myth.

What is your favorite racing memory?

Blewett: My favorite racing memory is probably one night when I first started driving modifieds for Ed Partridge out on Long Island. He took me down to Speedweeks (at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida), and I really didn’t have enough experience to be down there, but he thought I did and he was confident in me. It wasn’t like I didn’t have the experience but I just needed more laps. I wrecked night in and night out. And it came down to the Evans Memorial (the Richie Evans Memorial 100-lap race) at the end of the week and there was even talk of me getting tossed out of my ride, and that’s when I first started driving for Ed who helped me and basically put me where I am today in my career.

And my brother (John Blewett III) was down there racing as well. And I told my brother what went on as far as not having a good night with the team and wrecking and everything and my brother said to me, “Hey, tomorrow you’re gonna go out there and you’re not only going to win the race, but you’re going to beat me to win the race, and beat everybody else out there to win that race” and he says “I know you can do it. You’ve been fast. You’ve been unloading fast. You’ve sat on the pole, but you’ve had bad luck, and yeah you did mess up a bit on your own.”

That night I won the race. And in fashion in honor of Richie Evans who is probably the greatest of all time in modifieds. There are some good ones out there, but he definitely takes the cake. And when I was getting ready to pull into victory lane my brother was standing there. He was out of the race because he got knocked out early. But the whole rest of the race he was on the radio with me and cheering me on. He stood in front of my car when I was pulling up and he was pointing at where I needed to park that baby. He came up to the window and said to me, “I told you that you could do it.”

And I don’t want to leave it on just one time. There was another time here at Turkey Derby in Ed’s car that I had a tough time the week before. And my brother said, “It’s just the car. I need to fix it.” And he took it back to the garage and he fixed the car and we went from being the slowest car to the fastest car. Through a little misfortune and bad luck, we persevered and I ended up winning that night. And he came up to me again and said, “I told you so.”

My most memorable moments are definitely with him. I’ve had a lot since his passing (John Blewett III died in a crash during a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event on August 16, 2007 at Thompson International Speedway in Connecticut), but my most memorable ones are with him.

What was your most embarrassing moment behind the wheel?

Blewett: Probably sitting on the pole at Loudon (New Hampshire Motor Speedway) and then crashing the next lap. It wasn’t my fault, I don’t think. There was some dirt on the track that caused that.

Speedweeks this year we showed up with the nicest car at Speedweeks in the Super Dirt Series. And two laps of practice we had no car left because we totally destroyed it.

Those are probably my most embarrassing moments. But, you know what? It’s a race. Anything can happen. You know what can happen when you go out there. I run everyone as hard as I can, as fast I can, and wherever I end up, I end up.

How did “Showtime” become your nickname?

Blewett: When I first started racing all I did was clean my car instead of drive it. Everybody was like “All you do is clean that thing!” But all my stuff is always nice and clean. People know me by that. So that’s how I got the nickname, “Showtime” because I was always taking them to shows besides just racing them. It was just something I got into.

So finally, which do you enjoy more, dirt or asphalt? I know you said the dirt modified is your favorite, but do you prefer dirt racing to asphalt racing?

Blewett: I just enjoy racing and I’ll leave it at that. I don’t care what it is. I don’t care if it’s the TQ midget, the dirt modified or the modified. I feel like my strong point might be the dirt car. It all goes down that you’re only as strong as your car is and your team is. There is no “I” in team. You need everything. You need all of the pieces to the puzzle to be in the right spot. Then you’ll wind up in victory lane.

 

Source: Rob Blount/LongIslandJam.com