Greetings Race Fans!
Recently I did show about ESPN.com Top 25 race car drivers of
all-time, and I got to thinking about doing similar list involving
drivers that raced here in WNY. So I contacted some fellow
local racing media members and had them rank who they thought were
the best. Drivers did not have to be from the area
originally but had to have competed at a race track in our area on
a regular basis at some point. The panel ranked their
drivers 1-20 and points were awarded based on rank. I
calculated the totals and came up with the final list.
Top 20 Drivers in WNY Racing History
The Panel:
Jeff Anstett - Race Director - Ransomville Speedway
Dave Buchanan - Host of WGR's Fast Track, Announcer - Dunn Tire
Raceway Park
Rick Mooney - Announcer - Holland and Ransomville Speedways
Tim Packman - fromer local racing announcer, currently works for
Gilette-Evernham Motorsports
Mike Paz - Announcer - Genesee Speedway, Watkins Glen
International
Joe Skotnicki - Writer - Gater Racing News, Motorsports consultant
Mark Southcott - Local racing historian, Webmaster -
NYRaceZone.com
Dave Sully - Writer - Area Auto Racing News
The Final Top 20:
1. Art Clark - 11-Time Holland Speedway Late Model champion,
winningest driver in speedway history, 3-time Wyoming County
(Perry) Late Model champion, amassed over 300 wins during 50-year
career. Perhaps, the greatest driver to come out of our area
in his iconic Bimini blue #7. Some say he didn't venture
away from Holland often enough to deserve higher accolades on
a regional or national scale.
2. Richie Evans - 3-Time Holland Modified Champion, 22
career wins at Lancaster, 9-time NASCAR National Modified
champion. Evans is the greatest Modified driver of all-time,
and while he was based out of Rome, NY he still made enough visits
to the Buffalo-area tracks to warrant inclusion on this list.
Tragically killed in a racing accident at Martinsville on October
24, 1985.
3. Merv Treichler - 4-Time Lancaster Modifed champion, 1974
Ransomville Modified champion, 35 career wins at Lancaster, 1970
winner of the Race of Champions Modified 200 (Langhorne, PA).
4. Pete Bicknell - 10-Time Ransomville Modified champion,
over 350 career feature wins including 5 during Super DIRT
Week at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. The man
known as "Mr. Small Block" has dominated 358-Modified
racing around the Niagara Frontier, scoring numerous championships
in his native Canada as well. He has also translated
that success over to building race cars with his company Bicknell
Racing Products and operating Merrittville Speedway in Thorold,
ONT.
5. Maynard Troyer - 4-Time Lancaster Modified champion, 66
wins all-time (third overall), 2-time winner of Race of Champions
200 (Trenton, NJ and Pocono, PA)
6. Charlie Rudolph - 3-Time Lancaster Modified champion,
2-time Ransomville Modified champion. Only one of 2 drivers to win Mod titles
on both the pavement at Lancaster and the dirt at Ransomville in
last 30 years (Todd Burley is the other). He is now helping
his son Erick with his career in racing.
7. Sege Fidanza - 10-time Lancaster champion (9 Modified, 1
Late Model), winningest driver in speedway history, 2-time winner
of Race of Champions 200 (Oswego, NY). "Super Sege"
will go down as the greatest driver to ever run the half-mile at
Lancaster, but, just like Art Clark, some will point out the fact
he never made more of an attempt to run more races away from home
or in bigger series.
8. Danny Johnson - 6-time Ransomville Modified champion.
"The Doctor" is one of the best when it comes to getting
around the "Big R" at Ransomville. Has won races
and championship on dirt all over New York State.
9. Alan Johnson - 5-time Ransomville Modified
champion. It's only fitting that "AJ Slideways"
follows his brother on the list.
10. Roger Treichler - 5-time Lancaster Modified champion,
1971 Race of Champions 200 winner (Langhorne, PA). His 78
feature wins at Lancaster is second most in track history.
11. Bill Rafter - 1960 Lancaster Modified champion (36
career wins), 1970 Holland Late Model champion (10 career wins)
12. Chuck Hossfeld - 1999 Lancaster Modified champion (27
career wins), 2-time winner of Race of Champions 200 (Oswego, NY),
1997 RoC Modified Tour champion. The "Hotshoe"
burst on to the local racing scene in the early 1990s and has been
a fan favorite ever since. Had a stint in the Craftsman
Truck Series with Jack Roush, and now competes in the NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour.
13. Chuck Boos - Won the 1967 Lancaster and
Ransomville Modified championship with the same car.
14. Dutch Hoag - 5-time Race of Champions 200-winner
(Langhorne, PA both dirt & asphalt).
15. Dick Flaig - 4-time Holland Late Model champion (61
career wins, second overall). Was one of the main rivals of
Art Clark in his familiar Orange #33.
16. Jim Hurtubise - The "Herk" is known most for
his exploits in Champ Car (Indy Car) racing. The North
Tonawanda-native competed in the Indy 500 a total of 10 times.
17. Rick Wylie - 7-time Holland Late Model shampion (60
career wins, third overall). Wylie dominated the Late Model
division at Holland in the 1980s & 90s.
18. Gary Iulg - 2-time Ransomville Modified champion.
Scored a number of wins on both dirt and asphalt.
19. Davey Moore - 5-time Ransomville Modified champion.
Also won a number of races at Merrittville Speedway in Canada.
20. Ed Ortiz - 1962 Ransomville Modified champion, 1966
Lancaster Modified champion. One of the pioneers of racing
in our area. The original Ransomville Speedway was built
behind his auto garage where he won 2 championships.
Special thanks to the following websites for statistcal
information:
www.nyracezone.com
www.ransomvillespeedway.com
www.anstettracing.com
www.raceofchampions.net
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