MADERA, CA- After a frustrating opening to his Open Wheel Modified season a week earlier, 15-year old Blaine Perkins is singing a different tune after back-to-back 6th place finishes in twin-feature action at LoanMart Madera Speedway on March 21st.
“I’m not sure we could’ve asked for a much better bounce back,” smiled Perkins post-race. “We had a much better car than the results showed last week at Havasu 95 [Speedway]. This was an awesome confidence boost”
The event served as the opening round in the Twisted Tea Open Modified Series, and pitted Perkins against a stout field of local talent.
“There was a tough field here tonight,” observed the high school freshman. “A lot of drivers that have some pretty impressive resumes. These are guys that I have a lot of respect for. To come out of here with a pair of 6th place finishes is a big deal for us”
“Our whole team was a little disappointed with how our Lucas Oil Modified Series debut ended last weekend. We wanted to get back to racing as fast as possible, and a finish like this is exactly what we were hoping for”
“We had a bit of a misfire in the second feature which definitely hurt us,” continued Perkins. “We’ll get the car back to the shop this week and take a look at it. We had the same problem at Kern County a few weeks ago. It’s all just part of the trial and error that comes with a new racecar”
Blaine will now take a few weeks off from Open Wheel Modified competition, and instead turn his attention to his Irwindale Speedway Late Model program – and the April 4th season opener.
“As exciting as the last few weeks have been, I’m looking forward to strapping back into a car that I’m familiar with,” said the first-generation racer. “I enjoy learning new things about the Modified, but I can’t wait to see just how good we can get our Late Model program this season”
“Irwindale has 18-races this year, and we want to make sure we’re in contention for all of them. It’s going to be all about taking care of our equipment and knowing when to push ourselves. The last thing we want to do is come out on opening night, tear our stuff up and be put behind the eight ball”
“We have some practice nights scheduled this week, which will give us a solid understanding of where we’re at right now, and what we need to do to be in the conversation on opening night.”
Blaine will make his 2015 Lucas Oil Late Model Series debut at Irwindale Speedway on Saturday, April 4th.
Details, including gate times and ticket prices, can be found at www.IrwindaleSpeedway.com.
Marketing support for Blaine Perkins’ 2015 season is provided by Four Star Fruit, Campbell Motorsports, Hronis Racing, Mentom Eyewear, Vine Ripe Sales, M&S Produce, E Fruit, Double Eagle Produce & Transportation and Reeves Auto Care Center.
Fans can stay up to date with Blaine by visiting the official Blaine Perkins Racing page on Facebook or by following on Twitter @BlainePerkins21.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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