Racing Is All In The Family

Whether you're at a little drag strip in the middle of nowhere or at one of the today's multi-million dollar racing facilities, the one thing you will notice is drag racing is a family sport. Long gone are the days when "gear heads" and "grease monkeys" souped up their muscle cars to settle the score with a cross town rival. Today's racers are men, women and children and most race teams consist of one or more families brought together by their love of racing.

"A weekend at the race track for us is just like a weekend at Big Bear or Palm Springs for other families, except every hour or so we get to drive a car at 140 miles per hour."

Mike Blodgett Jr.

Mike and Mary Blodgett

Back in the late 1960's (the "good ol' days" as he calls them), Mike Blodgett Sr. spent all his time and energy on his Pontiac GTO. He raced at Lion's Dragstrip, Orange County and Irwindale Raceways. If there was a race, he was there. Mike, a South Torrance High Graduate, met his future wife, Mary (a West Torrance Graduate) while they both worked at a local grocery store. Together they raised two boys, Mike Jr. and Matt. Mike gave up his passion for racing in 1972 and spent the next 18 years being a "Dad" and working for Mothers Cookies as a sales person. Mary was the "Team Mom" for every sport the boys ever played and spent hundreds of hours as a volunteer at our local Little League.

Mike and Beth Blodgett

Mike and Beth were married in 1995 and reside in Long Beach. Mike graduated with honors from San Diego State University in 1989 and went to work for his current employer, The State Compensation Insurance Fund. Beth has worked as a pediatric nurse but is now a full time "Mommy." She spends any free time with her three cats; Turbo, Sylvester and Punkin. Beth is a retired drag racer, but can still lay claim to being the "fastest" of the Blodgetts as she drove her Chevy powered dragster to a 8.65 second quarter-mile at 156 miles per hour. On February 4, 2000, Mike and Beth were blessed with the birth of their daughter, Sydney Ann. Syd came into this world at 7 pounds, 8 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long. She is a wonderful baby and is sure to enjoy a fun-filled childhood with the Blodgetts.

Matt Blodgett

After graduating from West Torrance High School, Matt attended Universal Technical Institute in Phoenix, Arizona for his formal mechanical training. His resume includes many high-performance businesses such as Hughes Performance Transmissions, Isky Racing Cams and Schiada Custom Boats. In 1998, Matt put his talents to good use and opened Performance Auto & Marine. Plain and simple, Matt can fix anything which explains why he serves as the Crew Chief on our race team. When business allows it, Matt spends his non-racing weekends with his girlfriend Kim on his boat cruising the Colorado River.

What Kind of Racing Do We Do?

The type of racing we do is "Quarter Mile Drag Racing." We race at events hosted by the NHRA or National Hot Rod Association. The NHRA has categories of racing ranging from "Stock" to "Top Fuel." Federal-Mogul is the title rights sponsor for the nine non-professional or "Sportsman" classes. In 1999 we are running a two car team in two of the "Sportsman" classes. Both of our cars were built for racing only, run on 114 octane racing gasoline and produce around 600 horse power.

The first car is a 1972 Chevrolet Vega which Mike Blodgett Jr. races in "Super Gas." Super Gas is a form of drag racing run on a 9.90 second "index." The bottom line in Super Gas racing is the first car to the finish line without doing so in less than the 9.90 second index is the winner. "Index" style racing was introduced many years back to limit the money being spent in racing and to put winning back in the hands of the drivers. Super Gas is definitely a "drivers' class" and is very competitive. More than 100 entries do battle in a single elimination format. Seven rounds of elimination's are needed to declare the event champion. Super Gas cars accelerate to speeds of 135 to 160 miles per hour in a quarter mile. In 1997, Mike Blodgett Jr. drove this car past more than 300 racers and won the NHRA Pacific Division Super Gas Championship.

Our second race car is a 1957 Chevy which we run in "Super Street." Super Street is much like Super Gas except the "index" is 10.90 seconds and the cars are approximately 400 pounds heavier. Super Street cars accelerate to speeds ranging from 125 to 135 mph. The "Margin of Victory" when two "Super" category cars race a quarter mile is often less than one-hundredth of a second and occasionally less than one- thousandth of a second.

What is Bracket Racing? From time to time we also participate in "bracket races" held at local tracks. Bracket racing is a type of drag racing which enables cars of all performance levels to compete against each other on a level playing field because each race is run with a "handicap" starting line system which allows the "slower" car to receive a predetermined "head start" from the "faster" car. For example, a car capable of covering the quarter mile in 13 seconds would give a car capable of covering the quarter mile in 14 seconds a "one second head start." This type of racing rewards consistency and the drivers' starting line reactions.

Bracket racing has made it possible for drag racing to become the fastest growing motor sport in the country in terms of participation. Entry level racers get their feet wet at local "street legal" bracket races driving any car deemed safe by the officials. More experienced racers (over 80,000 participants at more than 4000 events each year compete at the Sears Craftsman E. T. Racing Series which is the largest motor sports series in the world.

Getting Results Off The Track

We've established strong community ties as a result of our support of The EKO Multi-Purpose Center. EKO Center is a private school located in Compton, California for children facing educational and emotional challenges. The goal of the school is a successful return for these children to the public school system through their "dual enrollment program." Blodgett Family Racing hosted The Third Annual EKO Multi-Purpose Center "Day at the Races" Fieldtrip on November 12, 1998, the opening day of the World Finals, at the Pomona Fairplex.

Our "field trip" was created in 1996 by The Blodgett Family with the assistance of NHRA's Youth & Education Services Department to reward these deserving students in the "dual enrollment program" for their hard work in school and to encourage them to stay drug free and successful. Many of the top racers, including Joe Armato and Kenny Bernsten, along with several companies have made donations to our program which grows each year. In l997 the Gardena Rotary Club joined us to reward the 50 "Honor Roll" students from EKO Center with a pizza party as part of the day's activities. For these children, it's a day they will never forget.