Bob McCreadie

(Barefoot) Bob McCreadie (born January 19, 1950) is an American Dirt Modified racing driver. He is an inductee to the Lowe's Motor Speedway Walk of Fame, the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame, and the Eastern Motorsport Press Association Hall of Fame.[2]

Bob McCreadie
Born (1950-01-19) January 19, 1950[1]
Watertown, New York, U.S.
Debut season1971 Watertown Speedway
Car number9
Championships29
Wins507
Finished last season2006 Weedsport Speedway
Championship titles
Super Dirt Series Champion, Mr. Dirt Modified Champion
Awards
Lowe's Motor Speedway Walk of Fame; Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame; Eastern Motorsport Press Association Hall of Fame

Racing career

Upon his induction to the Eastern Motorsports Hall of Fame, the Press Association expressed that “Barefoot” Bob McCreadie was famous for his full beard, spectacles, heavy foot and iconic No. 9 dirt-track Modified stock cars that were always towed on an open trailer by a station wagon that was loaded with tools and supplies, and developed a faithful and popular following among those in the grandstands.[3]

McCreadie raced from Florida to the southwestern United States and in Australia and Canada, compiling 507 track victories between 1975–2005. He has won at 56 speedways, captured 29 points championships and eight series championships.[4] McCreadie won the prestigious Super DIRT Week race in 1986 at the Syracuse Mile.[5] He has earned two Mr. DIRT Modified Championships and three Super DIRT Series Championships including back-to-back Super DIRT series titles in 1994 and 1995.[6]

Injuries

McCreadie has broken his back five times in racing accidents, the most serious of which involved a crash in 1988 at Weedsport Speedway when he lost his steering after breaking a bolt and driving off the back straightaway at full speed.[7]

On May 31, 2006, McCreadie, suffered serious injuries when his Harley-Davidson motorcycle was struck by a car in a parking lot in his hometown. McCreadie suffered a fractured femur, two broken ribs and a chip fracture of the lumbar spine, and was unable to return to his racing career. In 2009 a jury awarded McCreadie nearly 1.5 million in damages.[8]

Personal life

Folklore has it that McCreadie got this nickname “Barefoot” when the cockpit of his home built Plymouth Barracuda was so tight that he couldn't wedge his right foot past the transmission linkage to get it on the accelerator with his shoe on.[9] McCreadie has said that he actually got the nickname as a teenager due to the fact that he spent a lot of his time in the summer running around bare-chested and shoeless.[10]

Bob and Sandy McCreadie have three children Tim, Tyne and Jordan. Both Tim and Jordan carry on the family tradition as race car drivers.[11]

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References
  1. "Spotlight: Bob McCreadie". Short Track Racer. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  2. BAREFOOT - The Autobiography of Bob McCreadie
  3. EASTERN MOTORSPORT PRESS ASSOCIATION
  4. "McCreadie Drove to Legendary Status". Watertown Daily Times. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  5. "King of the Hill". Syracuse.com. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  6. "Spotlight: Bob McCreadie". Short Track Racer. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  7. "Speed Defines Racer's Life". The New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  8. "Jury awards more than $1 million to DIRT legend Bob McCreadie". Syracuse.com. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  9. "Speed Defines Racer's Life". The New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  10. EASTERN MOTORSPORT PRESS ASSOCIATION
  11. "Jordan McCreadie Knows Bar is Set High". Watertown Daily Times. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
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