Seekonk: Austin Blais Earns First Street Stock Win
Austin Blais of Somerset, MA won his first Street Stock race at Seekonk Speedway on Saturday night, meeting one of his preseason goals. “Win one race and have fun,” Blais said. “(I) don’t care about points or (the) championship. That just brings drama.”
Blais started sixth in the 25 lap feature. He fell back to 10th before moving to the inside lane. A lap eight crash between Scott Bruneau and Ed Gannon in turn one drew the lone caution. Blais used the inside to advance from seventh to second by lap 12.
Contact off turn four with leader Steve Potter gave Blais the lead for the remaining seven laps. The victory moved Blais to fifth, 26 points behind Rey Lovelace.
“I saw what happened out of two,” Blais said. “I knew that I didn’t have much time left and I just kind of seized the moment and took him on the outside, got into him a little bit. (I) tried to get him a little loose, took advantage of it, went to the outside and thankfully it worked out well for us.”
“This car was hooked up from the start,” Blais said in victory lane. “I’ve got the best crew in the world to thank for this. I’ve got to thank my dad first and foremost. He puts all the time into this thing. It’s unreal. I’ve got to thank my uncle Mark for being a part of the crew for awhile and always putting in work. I’ve got to thank my uncle Ed Gannon for letting me keep this car at his garage also contributing big to this car….This just feels awesome.”
Blais is sporting a new paint scheme similar to Ryan Preece’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour car. Blais said that the new Camaro body provides more downforce. “It makes a difference.”
The 2012 SYRA 750 champion moved to the Street Stocks last season. He was honored with the Rookie of the Year Award.
“Awards are cool,” Blais said. “Going into last year I wasn’t sure I could keep up. Some of the guys in the Streets have been racing a long time, so to end up getting rookie was (a) nice accomplishment.”
“We met all of our goals and then some,” Blais said. “It was a year of learning. 10th in points was not a goal of ours, so that was cool. Racing with my uncle, who I grew up watching, was a big deal for me.”
Blais has high praise for the competition he is racing against and what the division teaches him.
“I think it’s the best division there,” Blais said. “The racing could be cleaned up a little bit but you have 10 or 15 cars that could win on any Saturday night. No other division can say that.”
“Late Models were too big a jump and Trucks are too tame,” Blais said. “In the Streets you have a lot of horsepower on a seven inch tire so you learn to muscle the car around. My dad believes the drivers that earn their way up the ranks make them better drivers.”
Blais also plans to enter Oktoberfest at Lee USA and the World Series at Thompson.
Blais drives for his father Steve Blais. The crew members are Mark Lebreche, Gary Gannon and my mom (video). Sponsors Legacy Supply, TS Homes, Taylors Garage, R. Johnson & Son Engine Service. “
Ed Gannon, III has won 17 features at Seekonk since 1993 in the Late Models, Sport Trucks and Street Stocks.
“He’s turned a lot of laps around Seekonk,” Blais said. “He is always there with good advice. My dad has been with Eddy since day one (1991), so with these two guys behind me it makes my job easy.”
Sources: Nicholas Teto/YankeeRacer.com