The Legend of Chris Perley
                     By Mike Woodworth

The legend of Chris Perley begins in 1986 when he decided to enter the V-6 Supermodified division at Hudson Speedway in Hudson, NH. Chris' father, Neal, owned a V-6 super(or limited super, as they were called) and Chris bought his own car to run as a teammate. After two learning seasons he re-built his #77 car and grabbed his first win in 1988. He won nearly every show in 1989 to earn the division championship.

  For 1990 Chris purchased a big-block super, numbered it 44, and raced it "up the street" at Star and Lee Speedways, capturing the Rookie of the Year titles at both tracks. Chris' first win in a big-block supermodified followed the next year at Star Speedway. That began a ten-year streak of feature wins and top-five point finishes at the Epping oval.

  Chris also had success at Lee USA Speedway picking up a feature win and second in points in 1994. Perley's first ISMA race was the '91 Star Classic with a 10th place finish. In the '93 Star Classic, Chris set 2nd fastest time to earn a spot on the front row and finished 8th. Chris led 98 laps of the '94 Star Classic and had another top-ten finish.

  Chris Perley's #44 super traveled to other ISMA races including Florida's February Volusia Speedway series in '92, '93 & '94, as well as Thompson, Lee, Oswego, Concord NC and Jennerstown PA. Chris took the wing off for the 1993 Oswego International Classic and timed into the show 12th fastest. He again used time-trials to qualify for the '94 event.

  1995 begins the next chapter in Chris Perley's racing career. Racing is an expensive game and Chris knew he did not have the financing to climb to the next level. He would have to drive for somebody else. Vic Miller owns the #11 super and had an empty seat after Nate Boutwell retired from driving. The Miller/Perley team remained committed to Star Speedway but did go on the road for selected ISMA dates. Perley's first ISMA win came in the prestigious Oswego Supernationals on Labor Day Weekend in 1995 and was the first of three-in-a-row Supernationals victories. The team also added Jennerstown Speedway for another ISMA win to go with a handfull of Star feature wins to complete a very successful first year together.

  A victory in ISMA's 1996 opener at Tioga Speedway resulted in the team running the entire ISMA schedule that year. Chris won the Supernationals and also added a victory in the Star Classic, leading all 200 laps. The next five seasons Chris won only 1 ISMA race per year. Still running weekly at Star Speedway, Chris was the 1999 Track Champion and finished second in points in 2000-the last year Star ran big-block supers as a track division.

  For the 2001 season the Miller/Perley team was running the full ISMA tour. Perley won at Seekonk Speedway and finshed the season 4th in points. Chris picked off 3 ISMA wins in 2002 at Berlin MI, Lancaster NY and Kawartha Ontario, Canada, and finished second in points. The ISMA Championship was won in 2003 with wins at Cayuga Ontario, Lancaster NY, Seekonk MA, and Thompson CT. Chris Perley and the Vic Miller led team successfully defended the ISMA crown in 2004 with 5 wins during the season: Jennerstown, Stafford, Oxford, Lee, and Thompson.

  The Miller/Perley team went after their third ISMA title in a row in 2005. Chris won five races again, Seekonk, twice at Mansfield OH, Star and Thompson. The victory in the Star Classic was very sweet for the team as Chris put everyone at least one lap down. An accident at the Waterford CT Speedbowl and a broken part in the Sandusky OH Hy-Miler event stopped Perley's attempt at a three-peat. Perley fell just six points shy of the championship.

  Chris has also had the opportunity to race in other divisions as well. For five years (1998-2002) Chris drove the LaMountain Bros. Racing Pro-Stock at Thompson Speedway. Perley got a feature win with the car in 2001. In 2004 Chris started driving a NEMA midget for Don Berrio, winning at Oswego on Labor Day Weekend.

  Among the cheering fans in the stands is the Perley family. Chris married Kerry in 1995(in October after the racing season- of course!) Their first son, Allen, was born in January of 1998 and the second son, Connor, followed in Jan. of 2002.

  As the 2006 season begins, Chris hopes to add to his already impressive record. In the past 11 years Chris has 27 ISMA feature wins and in the 6 seasons he's run the entire schedule he's been a threat for the title with point finishes of fourth (2001), second ('96, '02, '05) and first ('03, '04). Wherever the ISMA tour takes him Chris is always ready to meet his fans and share in the racing fun. 
  
  2006 turned out to be an impressive year for Chris, 10 more ISMA wins to pass Mike Ordway for third place in the all-time win last. A 6 in a row winning streak in the middle of the season, another new record. A third ISMA championship, which he plans to defend in 2007 by trying to win every race. And on the home front, He and Kerry welcomed their third child in February, Chloe Jean Marie, the newest fan in the grandstand. And she was there at Waterford to see her Dad win race #38