Jimmy Blewett works on his car during a Whelen Modified Tour event in July 2013 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Former NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour regular Jimmy Blewett said a story published Wednesday indicating he is in line to drive Bob Garbarino’s No. 4 Mystic Missile on the Whelen Modified Tour in 2016 is untrue and laced with fabricated material.
Garbarino also said Wednesday that the story is false.
The story was published Wednesday on the website Race Chaser Online with a line that read: “The famous No. 4 “Mystic Missile,” owned by Bob Garbarino, appears to be on the way back with Jimmy “Showtime” Blewett at the controls, as sources close to Race Chaser Online have revealed …”
The story indicated that the writer of the article, Kyle Souza, spoke with Blewett. Blewett said Wednesday he has never spoken with writer Kyle Souza and didn’t even respond to messages from Souza.
The Race Chaser Online story read: “When Race Chaser Online reached out to Blewett for comment, he said that he had been talking with Bob about driving this year, “but has nothing definite as of now.””
“I never talked to the guy that wrote that story,” Blewett said. “I swear to you on my brother. I don’t like when people do stuff like that. I don’t know what kind of deals Bob is trying to do. I don’t want to [mess] his deals up.”
Said Garbarino: “I don’t know where these guys get this stuff.”
Blewett said in December, a week after finding out Todd Szegedy was walking away from Garbarino’s ride on the Whelen Modified Tour, he reached out to the team owner because of rumors that were being spread.
“I called Bob myself because there were people spreading rumors that I was going to be driving that car and asked me if I had talked to Bob and I said ‘No I haven’t.’” Blewett said. “People were saying to me, ‘They’re saying you’re driving the car’ and I said ‘I haven’t talked to Bob.’ So I called him. I told him, if you need somebody … I just told Bob that I was available but that there’s a lot of good guys floating around out there. And Bob said he appreciated that. That was it.
“Bob asked me how I was doing and we were talking about racing and stuff. And that was basically it. We talked about racing and life and kids. He asked me about my family and we talked about that and we hung up. That was it. I don’t know what his plans are but we didn’t even talk about his plans.”
Blewett said Wednesday that Souza called him but he did not answer, or respond to texts inquiring about his status. Blewett said Souza made attempts to contact him through a former crew member, Tim Riggleman.
“That guy [Souza] got ahold of Tim Riggleman first through my Facebook fan page,” Blewett said. “I didn’t even talk to the guy. The guy called me and I didn’t answer. Then I told Timmy to just message him back and tell him that I did talk to Garbarino but there was nothing to it and nothing was set in stone for me.”
Szegedy made the decision to walk away from Garbarino’s ride after one year with the team. Garbarino said in January he wasn’t sure if his team would return in 2016. Garbarino said Wednesday he had a casual conversation with Blewett over the phone in December, but nothing was offered and there was no talk about the team’s plans for 2016. The two have not spoken since.
“We had a conversation back in December, and that’s as far as it’s gone,” Garbarino said. “I haven’t done anything about it. I’m hoping to do something but I, I just don’t know what. I’m trying to put some things together that make sense. I just don’t know where people come up with some things they put out there.”
Blewett had been hoping to run six to eight Whelen Modified Tour events in 2016 for a family owned team but is not sure if that can even happen.
“It’s just hard financially to do it and have a family business and leave and go racing for a couple days on end and not recoup any of the money back,” Blewett said. “It used to pay a lot of money on the Tour, now they don’t pay. That’s tough.”
Blewett’s last Whelen Modified Tour start came in the Budweiser King of Beers 150 on Aug. 15, 2013. He finished seventh in that event. He ran full-time in 2012, finishing eighth in the season standings before turning his focus to dirt racing. He sold all his dirt racing equipment after the 2015 season in hope of returning to Modified racing.
Blewett has 105 career Whelen Modified Tour starts dating back to 2001, with five career victories and 21 top-fives. His last series win came on Aug. 8, 2008 at Stafford Motor Speedway.
Oh boy, here we go again, Shawn vs Kyle.
Hey Shawn, can you put together a status list of teams, cars, drivers for the 2016 season. Who is in, who is out?
When will you ever give up on RaceChaserOnline?
So a story is published linking Blewett and Garborino. Shawn does nothing. Keyboard jockeys blast Shawn for not digging deeper. Shawn calls for responses, gets “This is BS” from Blewett and Garborino. Ignores story. Keyboard jockeys blast Shawn for not knowing what’s going on. Shawn publishes story …. and guess what? Keyboard jockeys blast Shawn for not leaving poor RaceChasers alone. Do you guys want Shawn to stop reporting or something? Geez.
Shawn – I also would like to see a list of or story about the upcoming seasons’ roster for the WMT. Thanks.
look you ovbiously don’t know the truth so don’t even
Geoffrey, it really isn’t about RaceChaserOnline. It is about Garbarino and Blewett, and all other owners and drivers looking to pair up. Car owners are assessing drivers, and drivers are assessing rides. When stuff that is wrong gets published, it impacts all owners and drivers that are looking to set up a ride.
Read this again:
“I never talked to the guy that wrote that story,” Blewett said. “I swear to you on my brother. I don’t like when people do stuff like that. I don’t know what kind of deals Bob is trying to do. I don’t want to [mess] his deals up.”
If RaceChaser heard from sources that Garbarino and Blewett were talking, why didn’t RaceChaser call Garbarino and/or Blewett to get it straight from Garbarino & Blewett? Makes too much sense if you ask me.
And the RaceChaser report also states that the deal is for “… fielding a car at least part-time for 2016.”
Well, that is just laughable. Anybody that has followed NWMT racing a few years would know that the Mystic Missile is in it to win it… part-time is not an option. The Mystic Missile is one of the very few cars, and might be the only car, on the Tour to only run full seasons, every season. I don’t think it has ever missed a race.
Some people aspire to work for Fox Snooze.
WOW dareal, we knew you were the resident expert on carburetors and coil bind but now journalism!
Thanks Shawn for the who’s in and who’s out article.
humphry, what are you doing here… get back to RaceChaser and Fox Snooze. Your village is looking for you.
RaceChaser Online is reporting Kyle Souza will be driving the Stewart-Haas Racing 14 car at the Thompson Icebreaker, with Brian Vickers moving over to the Garbarino Mystic Missile 4 car starting at Vegas and Ty Dillon will now move over and and be the point man for Jimmy Blewett’s Facebook page.
And according to a guy who knows a guy who’s brother’s mother once dated a guy who knew a girl that knows another girl name Kylie Souza who underwent a gender change to now be known as Kyle Souza, Hendrick Motorsports is leaving Chevy in 2017 for Fiat in the Sprint Cup Series, with Ryan Preece taking over the 48 car from Jimmie Johnson, with Johnson moving on to a second career hosting the Family Feud.
All kidding aside, people just love to make stuff up and then deny deny deny…..total.crap.journalism.
I think Bob already blew his chance by not taking Woody,but only my opinion which really doesn’t count for anything
JR, what is going to happen to Steve Harvey? Where is he going to go?
darealgoodfella:
****Breaking News****
Steve Harvey will become the Director of Competition – including responsibility for determining the final, official results – for the Verizon Indycar Series 🙂
I always wondered what happened to Kylie.
Well, those Fiats will have a HUGE aerodynamic advantage.
Ever notice that Doug Coby and Doug Colby are NEVER around together? It’s like Superman and Clark Kent are never around at the same time. Totally weird.
And yet that “aspiring journalist” still has a job. Hope they don’t pay him.
In the year of the Donald anything is possible.
I heard Jerry Cook with his Hall induction secured will be coming out
of retirement to take over the seat in the Missile.
Danica Patrick with the same number of NASCAR wins as Melissa Fifeild
is dropping down to the Whelen Tour and will make select starts in the Partridge 6
hoping Doug Coby is nice and let’s her win a couple.
Jimmy Blewett is buying the ROC I heard too also.
Only a few weeks to go before we know who shows up.
Can’t wait, I miss that sound… nothing like open header modifieds.