Blues Cruise

It started out as a way to get one person's attention but ended up as a head-turning focal point at racetracks around the area.

Brothers Doug and Perry Beier took turns behind the wheel of a modified race car this summer, and they drew more attention for their paint scheme than for their racing abilities. Their car sported a St. Louis Blues emblem on the driver's side panel.

"It really stood out," Perry says. "It was pretty awesome."

Doug, 34, had the initial plan for the paint scheme.

"I'm a huge St. Louis Blues fan and my wife is also, but she's really not so much into racing," he says. "This was a roundabout way to get her into racing."

The Blue Note on the car was hand painted by Jill Bequette and is in no way licensed by the Blues organization.

"We get no funding from the Blues," Perry says. "In order to do it, we put a little tribute under it saying that we're just being major fans. We managed to get some signatures on the car at meet and greets. We did try to get with the Blues and explain what we are doing and get some more signatures, but if they do that for one they have to do it for everyone."

The brothers knew how special the paint job was and took extra precautions to ensure it would make it through the banging and bruising racing season.

"It's a separate piece that we take off when we race and put a replacement piece on," Perry says.

Perry, 36, who lives in Perryville, has been racing for about 10 years. Doug, a Jackson resident, began driving in 1993 and took a few years off before returning to the sport a year ago.

"I got out for three years to get married and have a child. My wife said I could come back so I did it," he says. "This was something I wanted to do when I came back to racing."

They began their summer with the intention of racing at the Auto Tire and Parts Racepark in Benton, but when it closed they began their search for a new track. Most of their summer racing was done at St. Francois County Raceway in Farmington, but they did spend a couple Saturday nights at I-55 Raceway in Pevely and the Poplar Bluff Speedway.

"We got around as much as we could," Perry says.

Fun is their main priority.

"We'd make the feature the majority of times and get a little money for that, but we do it for fun," Perry says. "It's a release from our usual work. This is our play time. We'd like to do it as a profession, but we're family oriented and family comes first. Usually, my 10-year-old son comes with us and he's our pit crew."

Perry said he and his brother have been supported in their racing efforts by Scott Donely, John and Lisa Staggs, Brewer Graphics, Winfab, Karl Adams II and Phil Gaddy.

"We do it for fun," Doug said. "We're not religious about it. We don't attempt to race every week. It takes the fun out of it."

The Blue Note panel definitely added some fun to their summer.

"It's definitely an eye-catcher," Perry says. "People see it and they're like, 'Wow.' We take it to each event on an open trailer, and every time we'd pass someone it would turn heads."

Doug has thoughts of duplicating the paint scheme on another car he's working on.

"Our plan is a new body with practically the same paint scheme and put a new car together and have twin cars," he says. "My brother wants to do one in red and white and make it a Cardinals car, but I don't know. Hockey is something me and my wife are both interested in. We really like hockey."

In fact, the car isn't the first thing Doug has painted with a Blues motif.

"At one time we painted our bathroom blue and yellow for the Blues," he says. "I'm just a huge Blues fan and this is my way of showing my support."

Of course, the Beiers and all other Blues fans are going through some withdrawals this season with the current NHL lockout.

"It's been rough," Perry said. "We get a lot of people who tell us we should take it off, but no. It's disappointing but we still support the Blues, and we still have the spirit."