John Blewett III

John Richard Blewett III (October 25, 1973 – August 16, 2007) was an American professional stock car racing driver who competed in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. He also raced in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for four races between 1996 and 1998.

Career Blewett started racing go karts at the age of ten. In 1996, at age 22, he won the coveted NASCAR's Northeast Regional Championship, falling only a few points shy of the National Title. During his career, he recorded 97 wins between 1993 and 2007, including track championships at Flemington Speedway, Wall Township Speedway, New Egypt, as well as New Hampshire. In 2006, he was honored during the motorsports show in Atlantic City as the northeast's Winningest Pavement Driver, for that year, as tallied by Area Auto Racing News.

Death and memorial On August 16, 2007, while competing in a Whelen Modified race at Thompson Speedway, Blewett lost his life in a crash where he spun and was hit in the driver's door by his brother Jimmy's car. On August 18, 2007, Wall Township Speedway held a Special Memorial for John. Fans, family, and friends attended the Speedway to pay their final respects. On the final lap of the scheduled 40 lap modified event, 1990 NASCAR Whelen Modified Titlist Jamie Tomaino piloted the famed No. 76 for a solo lap in John's honor. Three months later, at the season ending Turkey Derby, the Speedway decided to reserve the No. 76 exclusively for use by the Blewett family, effectively retiring the number except that any Blewett family owned team or driver can use it, meaning any car owned by the Blewett family, or driven by brother Jimmy or his son John IV, who started racing in 2017.

The North-South Shootout, a race meet now featuring "Tour-type" Modified (similar to NASCAR Modified Tour cars, but the races are unsanctioned), SK Modified (Jack Arute owns the trademark, a Stafford Motor Speedway formula), Late Model, Super Late Model, and four-cylinder races held at various North Carolina short tracks but it is home to Caraway Speedway in Sophia, North Carolina, was renamed the John Blewett III Memorial North-South Shootout starting with the 2007 edition.

Previous rides John Blewett, Inc. No. 5 – 1992–1993 (Wall Stadium) John Blewett Inc. No. 76 – 1993–1994 (Flemington Speedway) Lou Vasquez No. 9/No. 5 1994–1996 (New Egypt Speedway Paved) Dick Barney No. 14 – 1995–1996, 1998–1999 (Flemington Speedway) John Blewett, Inc. No. 05 – 1997 (Flemington Speedway) Mario Fiore No. 44 – 1999 (Nascar Whelen Modified Tour) Curt Chase No. 77 – 2000–2004 (Nascar Whelen Modified Tour) Timmy Shinn No. 66 – 2002–2004 (Wall Stadium) John Blewett, Inc No. 76 2005–2007 (Wall Stadium) Sheba Racing No. 8 2004 (Nascar Whelen Modified Tour) John Blewett Inc. No. 66 2005–2007 (Nascar Whelen Modified Tour)

Accomplishments Rookie of the Year (1992) Thanksgiving Classic (1993) Race of Champions (1995) NASCAR Northeast Regional (1996) Challenge of Champions (1996, 1997) North-South Shootout (2003, 2005) After his death, the race was named in his memory, the John Blewett III Memorial North-South Shootout. Turkey Derby (2000, 2001, 2004, 2005) Tour-Type Modified Division Garden State Classic (2003, 2004, 2006)

Track titles Flemington Speedway (1996, 1997) New Hampshire International Speedway (2000, 2002, 2003, 2006) New Egypt Speedway (1996) Wall Township Speedway (2006)

Motorsports career results NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.) Craftsman Truck Series NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Pts Ref 1996 John Blewett Inc. 0 Ford HOM PHO POR EVG TUS CNS HPT BRI NZH MLW LVL I70 IRP FLM22 GLN NSV RCH NHA MAR NWS SON MMR PHO LVS 109th 97 1997 05 Chevy WDW TUS HOM PHO POR EVG I70 NHA TEX BRI NZH MLW LVL CNS HPT IRP FLM30 NSV GLN RCHDNQ MAR33 SON MMR CAL PHO LVS 87th 137 1998 WDW HOM PHO POR EVG I70 GLN TEX BRI MLW NZH CAL PPR IRP NHA FLMDNQ NSV HPT LVL 74th 85 Greenfield Racing 09 Dodge RCH26 MEM GTY MAR SON MMR PHO LVS

Whelen Modified Tour NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour results Year Car owner No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Pts Ref 1995 Dick Barney 14 Chevy TMP23 NHA STA NZH36 STA LEE TMP RIV BEE NHA JEN8 RPS HOL RIV NHA STA TMP NHA STA TMP TMP 42nd 291 1996 TMP STA NZH STA NHA JEN RIV LEE RPS HOL TMP RIV NHA GLN STA NHA NHA STA FLE30 TMP NA - 1997 John Blewett Inc. 05 Chevy TMP22 MAR STA NZH STA NHA FLE18 JEN RIV GLN NHA9 RPS HOL TMP RIV NHA GLN STA NHA STA FLE16 TMP24 45th 494 77 Chevy RCH27 1998 John Blewett Inc. 05 Chevy RPS TMP13 MAR32 STA28 STA3 GLN JEN RIV NHA5 NHA11 LEE HOL TMP8 NHA RIV STA NHA TMP7 24th 1562 Dick Barney 1 Chevy NZH7 FLE32 76 Chevy STA37 TMP14 1999 Mario Fiore 44 Pontiac TMP33 RPS26 STA33 RCH13 STA17 RIV1 JEN5 NHA37 NZH28 HOL9 TMP7 NHA37 RIV3 GLN22 STA8 RPS13 TMP34 NHA35 STA36 MAR6 TMP13 16th 2227 2000 Curt Chase 77 Chevy STA28 RCH6 STA30 RIV6 SEE22 NHA1 NZH34 TMP6 RIV5 GLN29 TMP11 STA1 WFD8 NHA3 STA2 MAR18 TMP8 7th 2209 2001 SBO13 TMP5 STA1 WFD15 NZH3 STA6 RIV11 SEE5 RCH13 NHA7 HOL9 RIV5 CHE3 TMP2* STA7 WFD7 TMP11 STA7 MAR4 TMP25 3rd 2891 2002 TMP23 STA23 WFD25 NZH34 RIV3 SEE10 9th 2377 78 RCH18 77 Pontiac STADNQ BEE3 NHA4* RIV21 TMP13 STA11 WFD3 TMP4 NHA3 STA31 MAR5 TMP1* 2003 TMP2 STA7 WFD7 NZH2 STA10 LER2 BLL1* BEE5 NHA3 ADI25 RIV8 TMP6 STA4 WFD7 TMP29 NHA1* STA6 TMP27 3rd 2610 2004 TMP13 STA11 WFD7 NZH33 STA27 RIV2 LER11 BLL26 BEE12 NHA26 SEE7 RIVDNQ STA15 TMP27 WFD14 TMP38 NHA20 STA31 TMP 16th 1863 2005 Blewett Motorsports 66 Chevy TMP31 STA RIV WFD STA JEN MAR3 TMP18 NHA10 STA9 TMP13* 21st 1509 80 Chevy NHA40 00 Dodge BEE20 SEE2 RIV27 WFD28 Blewett Motorsports 66 Dodge STA8 TMP6 2006 Chevy TMP36 STA21 JEN TMP11 STA1 NHA1 HOL RIV STA23 TMP22 MAR TMP3 NHA1 WFD TMP20 STA5 23rd 1439 2007 TMP29 STA28 WTO2 STA27 TMP33 NHA10 TSA RIV STA TMP16 MAN MAR NHA TMP STA TMP 36th 720