Like Father, Like Son: IRS Champ Rob Blair & FASTRAK Champ
By: Jeff Kinder Rob and Max Blair share a relationship like millions throughout the world, they are father and son. Beyond that, Max joined the family business, like millions of other sons who follow in Dad’s footsteps. What makes the two unique is that they are in the business of winning races in dirt late models, Rob in a super late model, and Max in a crate late model. Rob’s been racing and touring for years and won the Independent Racing Series points championship for 2008. Just like Dad, Max went and got himself a championship too - Max has been a fixture at local FASTRAK events and took first in points for the Northeast division this year. Like millions of father and sons they share a unique bond. In this case, racing is the glue keeping their relationship tight – and it’s been working, not to mention if your reading this you probably think racing is cool as hell being a racecar driver would be an awesome job.
To say that Rob Blair has talent is an understatement, to say he’s got talent and natural abilities would also be an understatement. When Blair was first profiled in Dirt Late Model he already boasted over 100k in big event wins and even brought a series championship to the table. Rob was the 2004 Mid-Atlantic Championship points Champion and had seen his share of travelling with series like the Renegade DirtCar Series and the Renegade Series that preceded it. His best series finish with the two was third in 2004. In 2005 Blair scored second in the MACS series and gave up the championship to logistics. Blair chose to stay close to home for World of Outlaw sanctioned events at his home track Tri-City Speedway instead of travelling the hundreds of miles to Portsmouth Raceway Park to finish the season with MACS. “ Tri-City is my home track, and I wanted to be a part of the Labor Day Classic, I felt I could have two good runs and not have to tow so far,” mentioned Rob. “I also wanted to stay close and race with Max, 2005 was his first year in an e-mod and I wanted to be close-by,” added Blair. Since then some may say things have quieted down for Blair – but that’s far from the truth! Blair has been doing his own thing - picking up big wins in the north-east section of the country and hasn’t lost any talent or much money (at least racing, flipping quarters is a different story). Sure it would be great to be a contender for the World of Outlaw title or the Lucas Oil DLM series title, but Blair has taken a different approach with his last two seasons, staying close to home. He was home enough to win a track championship in 2006 at Ohio’s Raceway 7. He had forsaken the fame and the allure that comes with being a part of the bigger series for a career in racing where he could stay close to home. He still picked up many of the big checks that would come through the area, though. That doesn’t mean it was all local, he still pulled off a few MACS wins and other bigger wins in 2006. All together the WON11 team scored 7 big wins in 2006.
In 2007 with rising gas prices is when his attitude began to change more drastically and he decided to run his own schedule. That schedule kept him somewhat closer to home where he knew the tracks and could also spend time working on his protégé, his son Max. And again, that doesn’t mean he didn’t collect his share of big wins over the year either. They came fast and all season long. Right off the lift Rob won his first event at Pa’s Challenger Raceway followed by a big one at Raceway 7. Throw in a MACS win sandwiched between to IRS wins, that’s four out of five to start the season. Good Start, huh? Add in a mid-season swing of mostly ups-some downs, and then Rob had a season-ender hot streak. He won the “Priority Care 50” at McKean County Raceway worth 12k, and then followed it up with earning 10k for his efforts at Challenger Raceway’s Fall Fest to end the season. That’s not the only good note that the season ended on. Being the nice gut that he is, he bought a raffle ticket to benefit Racers for Tots, the winning ticket would be pulled by the race winner and the ticket holder would win a 2008 Rocket rolling chassis. When the race was over Rob finished 2nd, not being able to wheel the Won11 by Billy Drake, which turned out interesting and beneficial to Rob. Billy Drake pulled Rob’s ticket and now in addition to the 10 grand he won racing, He was also towing home a brand new chassis. “Billy (Drake) and I raced hard and he got around me and won. I was definitely disappointed to lose the race, but winning the chassis made it one of the best loses I’ve had,” commented Blair. Like I said the man was on a roll and closed out 2007 close to 40 thousand dollars richer travelling no more than 100 miles between 2 races. You’ve got the Scott Bloomquest type only running the “Crown Jewel” events or TV events, I can’t see how Rob is any different he just does it on a more local scale. 2008 started the same for the Won11 team. He won the Independent Racing Series first event of the year and was naturally first in points. Then came the thought process for Rob, “Do I stay in it or do my own schedule,” pondered Blair. This began a fairly prosperous relationship between Blair and the IRS. For the first few races of the season he battled heavy with West Virginia’s, Tim Dohm even losing first at one point but made his way back to a commanding lead just before Dohm had to quit the tour. From that point on he was in the lead and never looked back. In 2008 Blair took four wins and holds the record of most IRS wins between 2007 and 2008.
Rob Blair earned every penny along the way with the IRS, but also re-arranged his schedule to include mostly, but not exclusively IRS races. Two trips to the great state of Kentucky was the longest trip the team endured in the Hauler for IRS success. Other than that it was hard to find Blair at a track unless it was at least 5k to win. “Between the prize money and contingency prizes, I decided to run the IRS series exclusively, racing with other tours or bigger events when it worked out,” said Rob. At least Rob. His son, Max did his share of racing throughout the summer and followed in dad’s footsteps. Max drives the 111 FASTRAK late model and is competing this year for the Grand National title. Max found victory lane 8 times at his home track of Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa. Max’s hard nosed style of driving earned him track championships at Tri-City and McKean County Raceway in E. Smethport, Pa in 2008. As of September Max found victory lane 13 times. Racing action September 27th clinched the northeast regional and national point title for the younger Blair. Young Blair also picked up the win at the first night of the Grand Nationals held at Mercer Raceway Park (Pa). Towards the end of the regular season saw some controversy surrounding the 111 crate program. After winning a race Max’s victory was challenged by a fellow competitor and his car impounded by FASTRAK officials, they found nothing illegal about his motor. Once I saw him race a time or two I realized how someone might think he was bending rules – because the kid was bad fast, and he knows how to wheel a racecar! So after talking with Max and seeing him race there was only one question I was dying to ask Him, that was when will we see Max Blair in a super-late model? The chances aren’t great- at least for a few years. “I’m having way too much fun in the crate, it’s cheaper and I’m winning races,” responded the young talent. “I’d rather be a contender to win a crate race then run 10th at a local super late race that would pay the same,” said Max. His crate-late model dons the number 111 and a banner streaming through the numbers reading, “Papa Max,” in homage to the one who started it all Max’s Grandfather, Rob’s father – Max Blair. The legacy started not with Rob, but with Rob’s father who’s racing endeavors enticed a young Robbie Blair and brought out the “Titusville Terror” in him. The elder Max drove a stock car around the area and travelled around North-West PA finding his 111 in victory lane just as much as his successors. There is a bond through father and son that is special; the son will eventually carry on the father’s name and in some cases legacy. A son is someone the father can share their hobbies with and enjoy time doing so. In the case of the Blair family racing has been their way of connecting and strengthening that bond. “I would say racing is why I and dad have a great relationship, I played football in High-School, but when I started racing we connected on a different level,” said Max of his father and mentor. “Max has really grown up in front of me and I get to see it through racing, racing also connects us because we get to share our competitive nature, and he’s been exceeding my expectations for a while now,” said Rob of his son. Racing has become more than a hobby and more than careers for this father-son team. It has been spending time together and teaching/learning life’s valuable lessons along the way.
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