Blaskey looking to extend win streak

Contact Mike Serluca at 860-442-7223

Legend car driver Mike Blaskey has one word to describe Wednesday’s upcoming twin 20-lap Legends features, which will be on the card for this week’s Wild and Wacky Wednesday card — “interesting.”

“We haven’t done this for a while, so it should be interesting,” Blaskey said. “But it’s interesting every time I race at the Speedbowl.”

That’s especially been true in 2018. Blaskey won the Legends feature on Blastoff weekend and he followed it up with a win during last week’s Wild and Wacky season opener. 

“That win on Wednesday was just like old times,” Blaskey said. “We had a great car count and everyone came there to compete. I had Johnny O’Sullivan next door to me and Joey Ternullo behind me — it doesn’t get any better than that. Me and Johnny were going back and forth — he would get me on the backstretch, and then I would get him back on the frontstretch. It was an honor to race with courteous guys like that. It’s nice to be in victory lane and you don’t have a scratch on the car.”

The double wins gives him 11 victories for his career. So he has a hot hand — and a hot right foot — heading into the Twin 20s.

“In any race, you have to have patience,” said Blaskey, emphasizing the need to keep your car chaos-free in the first race so you have it for the second race.

“But you can’t be complacent,” Blaskey said. “If you have room to advance, you have to go for it. You just can’t sit there in that first race. You have to be cautious, but you still have to take advantage of the openings.”

Blaskey said the Twin 20 format gives you an instant chance to redeem yourself if the first race wasn’t to your liking.

“”If you don’t achieve what you’re looking for in the first race, maybe you can achieve it in the second race,” Blaskey said. “You just have to be patient.”

Blaskey’s hot start at the Speedbowl is in sharp contrast to the way he ended the 2017 season.

“In the last race we broke a trailing bolt,” Blaskey said. “I was really upset because I felt we had a car to win. And I didn’t want to end the season on that kind of sour note.”

So Blaskey headed to Seekonk Speedway, a track he hadn’t visited in five years, to compete at that track’s final Legends race.

“There were more than 30 cars, but I was one of the fastest cars in practice,” Blaskey said. “We started 12th and finished sixth, so we had some momentum after Seekonk and it carried over to this year at the Bowl. And I love racing at the Bowl. We work very hard and we are diligent about what we do.”

The Bethany driver is known as “The Coach” for his past experience as a high school football coach. He says, however, that he has his own coach when it comes to driving.

“Rob Vitelli is my coach, and he is second to none when it comes to helping me out,” Blaskey said. ”He really lets me have it when I do something stupid and he won’t say anything when I’m doing well. “He is good at what he does and he has made a huge difference to my racing.”

Blaskey is also helped by Pleasant View Garage, his dad Bob Blaskey, Dr. Lou Cofrancesco, his business Fine Line Landscaping and Rob’s Advanced Automotive Technology. He also gives a special thank you to Ginny Potter for her help.

Because of health issues, Blaskey may not be able to run for a Speedbowl title.

“But it’s in the back of my mind,” Blaskey said. “Right now I’m concentrating on Wednesday. It should be great weather and a nice night for two features.”

And it will be interesting. Blaskey usually makes it that way.

In addition to the two Legends races, the X-Cars and Super X-Cars will compete in 25-lap features and the Bandoleros will be involved in a 20-lap feature. There will also be a Big Wheel Race for young fans and a Wacky Race.

Admission is $8 for adults. Children are admitted free.

Opening ceremonies get under way at 6:45 p.m. with racing to follow.