chrisperley.com - Home of the 2009 ISMA Champion

11/1/2009 Again I'm sorry that it has been so long since I have updated the website. A lot has happened since then. First we went to Oswego for Classic weekend. The car still wasn't handling like it was supposed to. Chris struggled to a 4th place finish on a less than perfect racing surface. Bentley drove the other car and finished 9th.

It was more than a month until the next race at All-Star Speedway after the Berlin Speedway weekend was cancelled. We had plenty of time to re-work the car. We were so unsure of what was going on with the car that we took both cars t the track 2 weeks early to get in some practice time. Both cars were equally fast so Vic decided to run the newer car and we would only race 1 car. Things worked out better there when Chris won his 4th Star Classic (The Cigar 100).

Next up, 2 weeks later was the World Series of Auto Racing at the Thompson Speedway. Weather was an issue again with the Saturday heats being rained out. Sunday was a great day and the race lineup was set by the points. The car still wasn't right by it is sometimes better to be lucky as Chris took a 5th place car and end up making a last lap pass to win his 6th World Series.

8/17/2009 We have had 4 more races since I last updated the website. First up was the weekend in Delaware Ontario. After another all night trip to Canada, we arrived at around 8 AM for the pit gates opening at 2 PM.

The weather was great and we looked forward to a good night of racing. The car was not as fast as some of the others but the guys didn't give up and Chris set fast time in the heats winning the 2nd one. The feature was only 30 laps and Chris started in his usual 12th spot but a brake line broke on lap 1 and he was out of the race in the 19th spot.

Saturday morning arrived with rain showers predicted and just as the guys were unloading the cars in the pits, the rain came. It was a steady rain and the the track cancelled the racing for the day, rescheduling it for Sunday at noon. A party that was going to happen in the pits was moved to the camping area under several pit tents and everyone enjoyed the roast beef sandwiches supplied by the Sammut race team.

Sunday morning arrived to clearing skies and some 90 degree heat was there for the afternoon race. The car was still not quite right but Chris managed to finish 2nd in his heat. The 50 lap feature was real tough and he struggled to a 4th place finish. We left as soon as we could and arrived home at 2:30 AM.

We made a lot of changes to the cars during that short week and headed to Lee USA Speedway on Friday. It was again very hot but the car was fast setting fast time for the day in his heat with a 12.95. Chris finished 3rd in that heat and was ready for the feature. We brought both cars with Mike Ordway Sr driving the 71. For the feature Chris worked up to 2nd but had to settle for 3rd as the tires went away near the end of the feature. Mike finished 25th as the car was a handful to drive.

Saturday we drove to Waterford for the "Wings and Wheels" show. Another long day was in store for us. Chris was now driving the car that Mike drove at Lee. It was still a handful and he struggled. After a long wait between the practice and heats, Chris finished 4th in the heat. More time waiting and the feature went off sometime around 11:30. It lasted 28 minutes and was called after 47 laps for curfew with Chris finishing 8th. Mike was moving to the front with 71 when he got a flat tire and was out on lap 31.

8/01/09 A lot has happened since I last updated the website. After the tuesday Stafford race we got both cars ready for a busy weekend. We went to the King of the Wings race at Oswego for the MSA series and then took the other car to the ISMA race at Cayuga Speedway in Ontario Canada.

The old car raced at Oswego, it was real fast in warm ups and the heat race but after a long rain delay Chris struggled during the feature. He started 12th but could only work his way to the 5th spot at the finish. It was after 2 AM before we left for the 4 1/2 hour trip to Cayuga. We arrived just in time for the gates to open for the Sunday race. It turned out to be a beautiful day.

This was the newer car that we brought there. We had hoped for a different result during this race but that was not to be. Again Chris was fast in practice and he won his heat. But when it was time for the feature the car was a handful. He started 12th and could only manage to work up to 4th place.

We went home and tried to figure out what has happened to the cars. Did we just miss the set-up? Has Hoosier changed the tires? Is it just a case of the other guys are catching up to us? Who has the answers to these questions?

We fixed the wing, changed all the springs in the car and took it to Sandusky Speedway for the Hi-Miler on 7/24 and 7/25.

Again the car wasn't right on friday and Chris finished 3rd in the heat. He started 12th again and could only get to 6th place in the 40 lap feature. Saturday was a new day and some more changes were made on the car. The changes seemed to work and Chris was 2nd in the time trials. He finished 2nd in his heat race and then went on to work up from a 10th place starting spot to win his 4th in a row Sandusky Hi-Miler.

　

7/8/9 The race at Stafford Springs Speedway was held last night in spite of the weather. Heavy rain showers slowed the action on 2 separate occasions. The track crew and push trucks worked hard to dry the track both times. We took both cars because Bentley really likes racing there and he did not disapoint anyone. Both cars were fast. The feature started late just as it started to mist a light rain. The track stayed dry enough to keep racing and the rain stopped.

6/15/2009 Here is my 1st update of the website for the 2009 season. I need to do this more often. We got back from the Toledo-Berlin weekend at 4 PM Sunday. You can go to the results page for the full story of the races. I took a few pictures at the Berlin autograph session.

Chris was posing with the car so I took a shot of that too. Then I saw this guy standing at the back of the car.

I wondered what he was thinking coming near a race car with a bag of shelled peanuts wearing a green shirt.

This was the end result of the feature, Chris's first win of the 2009 season. The race was red flagged on lap 2 by this crash that sent 2008 Nascar Truck Series Champion Johnny Benson Jr to the hospital with several injuries.

VIC MILLER TEAM READY TO DEFEND
ISMA TITLE AT WATERFORD MAY 23

Oswego, NY – It’d s no-brainer to speculate that the Vic Miller-Chris Perley team is the team to beat once again in 2009. The 2008 ISMA champions have won five titles in the past six years. And, with those championships came an amazing 36 feature wins. Add 5 more to that for 2005 when Pat Abold beat out the team for the title. That’s an amazing 41 features in six years! Undoubtedly, the black 11 will be the one to watch and the one to chase on May 23rd as ISMA opens its 35th season. But, after clinching a third straight team title last year, Chris Perley was the first to admit that it isn’t getting any easier.

“ We had a great year again in 2008. I don’t know if you can say it was as good as 2007, but I think it was in some aspects. The car was so strong. The competition keeps creeping up in ISMA, which is great. Winning a championship isn’t really worth it if there isn’t anybody there to fight you for it in the end.

“Yes, we had the title won before Thompson but we still had a good battle in the points. I just had a good time again. The races we won were awesome. I think I had some of my most fun races last year. The Star Classic was a blast. Even going to Oswego and racing with the MSA guys was great. We just had a lot of fun. That’s what kind of keeps us in the game.

“This year we’ll have to try a little harder because people are really stepping up. That’s what racing is all about. I enjoy the competition as much as anything. I mean we want to win absolutely everything but to finish second in a heated battle where you don’t know who’s going to win is as much fun as winning a race. I’m looking forward to the increased challenges because you know they are coming.”

Perley, after having some bad luck on the previous several events at Waterford, finally claimed one in May of 2008 starting him on the way to a seven-feature win season. But others broke into the victory lane circle like Dave Shullick Jr. in the potent Clyde Booth 61, Lou Cicconi in the Wentworth 10, Dave McKnight in the Lichty 94 and MSA hot shoe Charlie Schultz in the May 7. All these drivers will be back to try and gun down the champ. Also in the mix, of course is six-time ISMA champion Russ Wood who finished second in points in 2008 and came ever so close to claiming his 48th career feature win. Wood held the all-time ISMA win list standings until Perley went by. Wood will be in his second season in the Allegresso-built, Holbrook-owned 29.

And, speaking of the Holbrook team which had four cars in the top 11 in points last season, three of them will return to challenge for the top spot in Wood, Holbrook himself and Mike Ordway Jr. The Brad Lichty team combo of Dave McKnight and Mike Lichty also return with Lichty still searching for that elusive first in ISMA competition. Even Perley shook his head and exclaimed at the end of last season, “I can’t believe Mike Lichty has not won a race. I mean he really should have. And when he does win and I’m sure he will if he stays in this, I hope I’m there to pressure him to the end.”

And, there are so many others. Rob Summers is looking for ISMA win number 2. Bobby Bond, Vern Romanoski, Bobby Haynes, Jeff Abold, Brandon Bellinger, Larry Lehnert and more are waiting to pick up the checkered as each year past shows their progress. One of the newcomers who has the track and open wheel experience is Ben Seitz steps into the Budnick 88 for his first full season.

No one knows, obviously, how this ISMA season will play out, but we do know that Saturday, May 23rd will start it all. So plan on being there. Pit gates open at the Waterford Speedbowl at 11am with the grandstand set to open at 4pm. The winged speed merchants practice at approximately noon with heats flagged off at 5pm. Features begin at 7pm.

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