WEEDSPORT, N.Y. — Second-generation racing icon Tim McCreadie, whose Modified career was the launchpad for a country-wide legacy, Southern Tier cyclone Mitch Gibbs, who tore up the NY tracks for more than 40 years, and the late, great Bobby Wilkins will officially be inducted into the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame in August.
These three racing legends add their names to the stellar roster of standout drivers started in 1992 when the Hall of Fame was established on the Cayuga County Fairgrounds.
The 34th annual induction ceremonies honoring the Class of 2026 will take place Thursday, August 13 in the Northeast Dirt Modified Museum and Hall of Fame, on the grounds of the state-of-the-art Weedsport Speedway.
McCreadie first proved his prowess in a Northeast dirt Modified—not surprising when his dad was “Barefoot Bob,” one of the most beloved and dominant drivers in the division.
Although he was on the road with his father’s team from the time he could walk, McCreadie got a relatively late start in big cars, putting a 358 Mod together with his neighborhood go-karting buddies when he was 22.
He caught the attention of car owners Jim Beachy, then John Finch, which began a two-year rout where Tim was red-hot: 24 victories at nine tracks for Finch, including 10 Super DIRT Series wins and the 2001 Weedsport Speedway title. He kept up the pace driving for Carl Myers’ Sweeteners Plus team, with 25 scores, eight on the SDS big-block and 358 circuits, before stepping out with Myers’ late model in 2005.
McCreadie won nine times his first season in a full-fendered car and took the World of Outlaws Late Model championship in 2006.
McCreadie has 195 documented wins, split almost equally between Modified and Late Model competition, plus a stunning Chili Bowl Midget upset in 2006—that’s 31 consecutive winning seasons at 78 tracks in 29 states and two Canadian provinces.
Gibbs of Norwich, N.Y., remembers riding to the races in the bed of his dad’s pickup as a kid, hiding amid tools and tires when he was too young to get in the pits at Brookfield.
It wasn’t until 1984, when he bought a newer Troyer car from Hall of Fame great Jack Johnson who’d help with set-ups on Saturday mornings, that Mitch simmered down. Johnson’s influence changed everything. Gibbs exploded that year, with seven wins and the 320 Fonda championship. He moved to the headlining Modified class in the late ’80s, holding his own against anyone who mattered at Weedsport, Canandaigua and Rolling Wheels.
Working with the Mirabito Fuel Group, Gibbs learned the value of corporate image and marketing. With PR partner Aaron Boyce, he landed a lucrative sponsorship with Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes, representing the chain of 81 stores around the region.
Gibbs wound down his career racing for good friend Cork O’Hara at his mainstay Afton, where he is the winningest driver in the track’s history. A lifetime spent in the cockpit took its toll physically and Gibbs called it quits in 2021 at the age of 58. “The Showstopper” is credited with 179 wins at 15 tracks (plus a few stragglers unaccounted for), five championships at Afton, a pair at both Thunder Mountain and Five Mile Point, and one each at Fonda, Fulton and Utica-Rome speedways.
Delaware native Bobby Wilkins began his love affair with speed as a young boy, racing go-karts before making the leap to big stuff in 1975. Starting in Late Models, he drove his own car before climbing in Bill Sterling’s No. 54 Chevelle out of Virginia, coming close but never able to seal the deal.
While attending Del Tech trade school, he formed a friendship with instructor Andy Anderson; together, they built a Sportsman car, winning their first race at Bridgeport Speedway in 1978. From there, Wilkins and Anderson made the move to the Modified class.
Hooked and hungry, they were racing everything — URC Sprints, Mods and Bobby’s family-owned Late Model, sometimes all three in one night.
Driving for quality teams headed by Gerald Banks, the Blue Hens, Steve Dale, Brian Gladden, Kelly Hastings and others, Wilkins raced to 155 wins in the division, with a whopping 118 coming at Delmar where he tops the all-time win list.
Without a doubt, he was at the pinnacle of his game driving Dale’s impeccable cutting-edge equipment which Bobby built and maintained full-time. Together from 1991 through 1995, they were good for 81 wins and seven championship titles.
Over a 25-year span, Wilkins is credited with 163 victories in four divisions, seven championships at Delmar, two at Georgetown, one at Bridgeport and four Delaware State Fair titles. In 2024, Wilkins lost a 15-month battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive cancer, at the age of 68.
The 2026 Gene DeWitt Car Owner Award goes to Halmar Racing’s Chris Larsen, who has won everything worth winning in the past 10 years — and then some.
The recipient of this year’s Mechanic/Engineering Award, John Sine, still has the ratchet his stepdad modified for him when he was 10 and didn’t have the strength to handle stock tools. Stine worked with Billy Pauch and Jamie Mills among others.
Longtime racer, promoter and former DIRTcar Series Director Mike Perrotte will receive the prestigious Leonard J. Sammons Jr. Award for Outstanding Contributions to Auto Racing.
Esteemed racing journalist Ron Hedger will receive the Andrew S. Fusco Award for Media Excellence. A SPEED SPORT contributor, Hedger has been on the Central New York scene since the 1950s.
Dedicated race track safety team leader Terri Mohrman will be honored with this year’s Outstanding Woman in Racing Award.
