Blandina pumped about first Legends title

The 2017 Wednesday Legends season couldn’t come quickly enough for Carl Blandina of Milford.
“I was pumped,” Blandina said. “We totally rebuilt the car. We had a new engine — every piece of the car outside of the chassis was brand new. And we added one more piece — Rob Vitelli as crew chief. I couldn’t wait to get back into the car and prove to everyone I could drive.”
Few have proved it more emphatically than Blandina did during a storybook season.
He grabbed one win, three seconds and nine Top 5s in 11 races. His lowest finish during the entire season was seventh. It was enough to propel Blandina to his first New London-Waterford Speedbowl Wednesday Legends title by 24 points over John O’Sullivan.
Blandina’s 2016 finish gave him confidence that 2017 was going to be a memorable year.
“I was getting faster and faster every week,” Blandina said. “I ran in the race of champions and I came from dead last . When the INEX Masters were at held at the Speedbowl I was the second fastest in the division. I ran a 16.9 with old tires. So I couldn’t wait for 2017 to start.”
With good reason. After finishing fifth and fourth in his first two races, Blandina ripped off a win and two seconds to surge into the point lead.
“I didn’t make a mistake all year long,” Blandina said. “I was involved in three wrecks and I was put in the wall four times, but I was able to bounce back and still be competitive.”
Blandina says its not overall speed that makes you a championship contender.
“”It’s all about the tires, and I didn’t realize that for years,” Blandina said. “The Speedbowl has become a bit slower and harder to drive. So it’s all about whose car is handling the best that night, not overall speed. And you’ve got to be able to run on the outside.”
Blandina said he also had one more ingredient in his favor — some luck.
“I was on vacation in Aruba, but the racing got rained out that night so I didn’t miss a race,” Blandina said. “I was blessed. This was my season and I’m still pumped about it.
“A lot of my success was because of driver savvy. I didn’t push the car 100 percent every week. I just tried to keep my car in one piece so I could come back the next week with a better car.”
Blandina started his career at Riverside Park Speedway in 1991, competing in the Modified division.
“I learned from guys like Jerry Marquis, Reggie Ruggiero, Dan Avery and Eddie Flemke,” Blandina said. “They taught me how to drive a car. Then I moved into the Legends. It turned out to be a good division for me.”
Bladnina says his car is for sale as he plans to take a step back in 2018. The thrills of 2017, however, still make him smile.
Blandina credits Vitelle for giving him a great car every week. Others on his team include Michael Harlick, Mike Blaskey, Dave Lespinasse, Jags Palmer and his wife, Kathleen Mack. His sponsor is Rhode Island Driveshaft & Supply..
“They sponsor the best cars on the planet,” Blandina said. “I also have to thank George Whitney for opening the Bowl. He gave us the opportunity to race this year.”
Blandina did the rest.
“I’m still psyched,” Blandina said. “I told everybody I was going to win the championship and they started laughing. I said don’t laugh. I will do it.”
No one’s laughing now. They’re applauding instead.