Top 12 Dirt Modified Drivers Under 30
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Top 12 Dirt Modified Drivers Under 30
By: Pete MacDonald
There is going to come a day when Brett Hearn, Jimmy Horton, Billy Pauch, and Kenny Tremont are no longer able to compete on the level that they currently do now.
What is going to happen then? Who will fans cheer for? Who is the future of Northeast Dirt Modified racing?
1) Larry Wight – 23 Years Old from Phoenix, NY. Larry has been racing Modified cars since he was 14 years old. His father John, who is one of the most prominent car owners in the business, has owned Dirt Modifieds for many years and has had the likes of Billy Decker, Pat Ward, and even NASCAR star JJ Yeley drive his machines. In addition to owning the race team, John Wight also owns Brewerton and Fulton Speedways, located in central New York. Larry has driven everything from Big Block Dirt Modifieds to Super Late Models to 410 Sprint Cars over the course of his career. Wight is coming off of his best career season in 2015 where he won 12 races, with 45 Top-5s and 61 Top-10s in 91 starts.
2) Erick Rudolph – 24 Years Old from Ransomville, NY. Erick has been successful in anything he has driven from the time he was five years old. He comes from a racing background as well, which included his father Charlie Rudolph compete all the way up to the NASCAR Sprint Cup level. The first time Erick strapped into a dirt Modified-type car back in 2008, he won the biggest Sportsman race on the sport’s biggest stage at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, NY. Rudolph has also gone to compete on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and is one of the top Indoor TQ Midget racers in the country. During the 2015 season, Rudolph competed in 82 dirt Modified races, winning nine of them, with 38 Top-5’s and 56 Top-10’s.
3) Mike Mahaney – 26 Years Old from King Ferry, NY. Mahaney might fly under the radar, but he is still able to rack up wins just about everywhere. In 2015, Mahaney ran 83 Modified races, winning 14 of them–with 42 Top-5’s and 61 Top-10’s–along with track championships at the I-88 and Thunder Mountain Speedways in New York. The 2015 season led to Mahaney securing the ride in the Buzz Chew Chevrolet No.88 for the Super DIRTcar Series in 2016. The team will utilize Troyer Race Cars, with steam provided by Billy the Kid. Future possibilities seem endless for Mike Mahaney.
4) Billy Pauch Jr. – 28 Years Old – Milford, NJ. “The Kid’s Kid” is another one that seems like they have been racing Dirt Modifieds forever. Pauch Jr. got his start in Modifieds back in 2003 racing as a teammate to his legendary father. After bouncing around and racing literally anything–from Midgets to pavement Modifieds to ARCA cars–Pauch Jr. finally settled down behind the wheel of a dirt Modified and his results have been successful. In 2015, Pauch Jr picked up his first career 358 Modified Championship at the Big Diamond Speedway in Minersville, PA in addition to running third overall in 358 Modified points at the New Egypt Speedway in New Jersey. Look for Pauch Jr. to have even a bigger year in 2016.
5) Mat Williamson – 25 Years Old – St. Catherines, ONT. When your dad is Randy Williamson, it is kind of hard not to be good in this game. Mat Williamson is a chip off the old block. At the ripe old age of 25, Mat has already amassed over 350 dirt Modified starts–with 35 wins to date–in addition to a Track Championship at the Lernerville Speedway located in western PA. In 2015, Williamson competed 66 times with 10 wins, 34 Top-5’s and 43 Top-10’s. Mat is definitely one to keep an eye on in the future.
6) Peter Britten – 28 Years Old – Brisbane, Queensland, AUS. Britten, or “Batman,” as he is called, has been a mainstay for years in the dirt Modified world. After winning numerous races and championships in Australia, Britten moved to the US and set his sights on dirt Modified racing here. Britten has been a mainstay on the Super DIRTcar Series for a number of years and is still looking for that elusive first win stateside.
7) Keith Flach – 29 Years Old – Ravena, NY. “The Ravena Rocket,” as he is known, races weekly at the Albany Saratoga Speedway in Malta, NY, the Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, NY, and on the Super DIRTcar Series. Flach competed 62 times in 2015 (his busiest season yet) with only one win, but when you are racing against Kenny Tremont and Brett Hearn weekly, that is still a big accomplishment.
8) Ryan Susice – 25 Years Old – Ransomville, NY. This young hot shoe seems like he is fast in anything he sits in, from TQ Midgets during the winter to dirt Modifieds during the summer. Ryan is coming off of a 2015 campaign that saw him compete 33 times in Modified competitions with two wins, one of them coming at the Historic Sharon Speedway in Ohio to go along with his 17 Top-5’s and 25 Top-10’s. While Ryan doesn’t win weekly, he is surely one of the most consistent up-and-comers there have been in a long time.
9) Anthony Perrego – 21 Years Old – Montgomery, NY. Anthony Perrego is a driver that deserves more attention focused on his talents. Coming out of the slingshot ranks, Perrego’s big break came when he was named the driver of New York Truck Parts No.55. Since then, Perrego has been one of the busiest drivers in dirt Modified racing. In 2015, Perrego ran 58 times in Modified competition, unloading just about everywhere, but garnering just two wins. However, bouncing around to many different speedways can only help Perrego get better as his career continues on.
10) Neal Williams – 26 Years Old – Pittsgrove, NJ. “The Wheel” –as he is proclaimed down in New Jersey–Neal Williams made 10th on our list. Not many people can say that they have both a Syracuse Eagle and a Florida Gator in their trophy case, but Neal has both, after winning the Sportsman portion of Super DIRT Week in 2011, followed by what he deems his biggest win against the Super DIRTcar Series at Volusia in 2015. Neal picked up two wins in 2015 in 32 starts with 13 Top-5’s and 21 Top-10’s.
11) Ryan Krachun – 17 Years Old – Neshanic Station, NJ – Be prepared to hear the name Ryan Krachun a lot here in the near future. The 17-year-old set the New Jersey Modified scene on fire last year, picking up a win at New Egypt in just his second 358 Modified start. Krachun would back that first win up with another in August. Ryan also headed to Syracuse and Eastern States where he timed very respectably inside the Top-6 at the Hard Clay.
12) Chris Hile – 28 Years Old – Syracuse, NY – I thought Chris Hile deserved to be on this list because of the caliber of who he races against week in and week out. Racing weekly at Brewerton and Fulton means racing against the Super DIRTcar Series with the likes of Matt Sheppard, Billy Decker, Pat Ward, Jimmy Phelps, Larry Wight, et al. While he didn’t have any wins in 2015, Hile still managed to pick up 6 Top-5’s and 20 Top 10’s during the season.
Other notables include Danny Varin, Tim Kerr and Robbie Bellinger.
Who do you think the next big thing is in the field of dirt Modified racing? I can be reached at RacersGuide@Gmail.com or found on Twitter @PMacDonald51. Thanks for reading!
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