Perry Tripp

Driver Biography

The NASCAR Busch Grand National Series.

Perry Tripp is currently a professional auto racer with the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series after completing four seasons of competition in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Supercar Series as the driver for the #6 WW Transport Monte Carlo team.

Perry had over 14 years' racing experience before coming to the ARCA series, originally beginning his racing career behind the wheel of a sprint car in 1979. He claimed his first victory after only three seasons in the rough and tumble sprint car circuit. He went on to race midgets and modifieds, claiming 225 top-ten finishes in 245 modified starts from 1988-90. He has 27 career feature wins in open wheel racing.

Tripp made the debut to the ARCA series in 1991 when he rented a car to race at Michigan International Speedway. In 1992-93, Perry made the step to the ARCA Supercar Series on a limited schedule to lay the foundation to build a professional race team. In 1994, he finished 2nd in the Rookie-of-the-Year standings competing in just 14 of 21 events. The following 1995 season, he finished 9th in the national point standings, starting all 21 events and earning 1 top-five and 7 top-ten finishes.

Tripp continued to gain momentum throughout the 1996 season with the assistance of engine builder Bob Rahilly (owner of RAHMOC Racing Engines and former Winston Cup car owner). He finished the year in 7th place in the ARCA Supercar Series national point standings with 4 top-five and 9 top-ten finishes. Toward the end of the season, Tripp collaborated with General Motors and Richard Childress Racing to test the new Chevy SB-2 engine at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In addition to ARCA competition, Perry entered the NASCAR ranks in 1996 participating in two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events in Nazareth, PA, and Las Vegas, NV.

The entire Tripp Motorsports operation was moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, in the spring of 1997. Perry continued to run with the ARCA series and work closely with General Motors and the teams of Richard Childress Racing, B & R (Hendrick) Engine Development and Joe Gibbs Racing on development of the new SB-2 racing engines. Tripp's best finishes for '97 were a 3rd at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March and a 6th at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. His best qualifying effort for the season was a 2nd at Michigan International Speedway in June.

During 1997, Tripp participated in two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events at Orlando, Florida, and Las Vegas, Nevada. Perry made his debut in the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series in October of 1997, driving the #7 Ed Whitaker Chevy Monte Carlo and qualifying 37th at the North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham.  He teamed up with Whitaker Racing again in 1998 for the inaugural Busch race at Pike's Peak International Raceway in Colorado, then again later to run Gateway International Raceway in St. Louis, where he finished 29th.  Also in '98, Perry worked with Unocal, Fischer Engineering and former Winston Cup car owner Mark Smith to run a 550-mile unleaded fuel test at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Tripp knows that true success is measured not only in terms of performance in particular events, but also by a driver's consistent and continuing success over the course of many seasons. With the dedication and determination that he has shown, it appears that Perry Tripp will be an up-and-coming driver to keep an eye on in the years ahead.

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