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Mike McLaughlin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other people named Mike McLaughlin, see Michael McLaughlin (disambiguation).
Mike McLaughlin
BornMichael McLaughlin
(1956-10-06) October 6, 1956 (age 68)
Waterloo, New York, U.S.
Retired2005
Previous series
1977-1993
Wins		Modified racing
32
Championship titles
1988 Winston Modified Tour National Champion
Awards
1997 Busch Series Most Popular Driver
1992, 1993 Busch North Series Most Popular Driver
1985 Winston Modified Tour Most Popular Driver
2013 Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame.[1]
2015 Eastern Motorsports Press Association Hall Of Fame.[2]
NASCAR Cup Series career
2 races run over 1 year
Best finish55th (1994)
First race1994 Slick 50 300 Loudon)
Last race1994 The Bud At The Glen (Watkins Glen)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
314 races run over 17 years
Best finish3rd (1995, 1998)
First race1984 Mello Yello 300 (Charlotte)
Last race2004 Ford 300 (Homestead)
First win1995 GM Goodwrench/Delco 200 (Dover)
Last win2001 Subway 300 (Talladega)
Wins Top tens Poles
6 110 5
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career
2 races run over 2 years
Best finish91st (1996, 1997)
First race1996 Cummins 200 (IRP)
Last race1997 Cummins 200 (IRP)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 2 0
Statistics current as of April 4, 2014.

Michael McLaughlin (born October 6, 1956) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. Nicknamed "Magic Shoes", McLaughlin was a perennial fan favorite, winning the Most Popular Driver award in 1997. He also scored several wins and top-5 points finishes in the points standings in the NASCAR Busch Series.

Early career

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Dirt Modified in 1979 or 1980

McLaughlin grew up in New York State and began his professional career at a later stage than most other drivers, competing in his first race at age 20 in a dirt modified he built. He then ran regularly at his home track, Maple Grove Speedway, before moving up into the DIRT Modified series.

McLaughlin lived a few blocks from Maple Grove Speedway and built his first car in the garage at home. According to his mother, he drove the car to the track on his first night of racing.[2]

Move to NASCAR

[edit]

In 1984, McLaughlin made his Busch Series debut at the Mello Yello 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, driving the No. 73 Pontiac home to a 14th-place finish. He ran one more race that season, the October Charlotte race. Unfortunately, mechanical problems ended his day early. He raced twice more the next season, posting an eleventh-place run.

He then advanced into the NASCAR Modified ranks for Sherwood Racing, owned by Bill Corazzo and run by Clyde McLeod. His crew included Corazzo's nephews, Paul Corazzo Jr who would go onto his own racing career in both open wheeled formula cars and Sprint car winning championships in both many times,Greg Zipadelli, who would later win Sprint Cup titles as crew chief, and Greg's younger brother Scott Zipadelli, who is also now a top level NASCAR crew chief. Mike won the 1988 championship in the Winston Modified Tour, now known as the Whelen Modified Tour. He has sixteen career wins in the modified series.

He also drove for Harry and Mike Greci in the Busch North Series, finishing 3rd in points in 1993. Mike became the first driver ever to win both ends of the Modified/Busch North doubleheader at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

NASCAR Busch Series career

[edit]

In 1990, Mike returned to the Busch Series, driving the No. 51 Coors Extra Gold Oldsmobile in six races. Despite two wrecks, McLaughlin had two top-five finishes and caught the eye of many in the sport. He ran eight races the following season, but was unable to duplicate his success. After part-time runs in 1992 and 1993, McLaughlin finally ran his first full-time schedule in the Busch Series in 1994, driving the No. 34 Fiddle Faddle Chevrolet for Cicci-Welliver Racing. Despite not making two races, McLaughlin posted three top-fives and finished 13th in points. He also ran two Winston Cup races for Cicci-Welliver that year, finishing 22nd and 27th at New Hampshire and Watkins Glen, respectively.

In 1995, McLaughlin got his first taste of Victory Lane, winning the GM Goodwrench/Delco 200 at Dover, and collected 13 additional top-tens on his way to a third place points run. After a winless 1996, McLaughlin won twice in 1997 (including at his hometrack at Watkins Glen) and was named the series' Most Popular Driver. 1998 saw him add Goulds Pumps as his primary sponsor, and he won two more races, and matched his career-best finish of third in points.

After going winless in 1999, McLaughlin shockingly announced he would depart from Cicci-Welliver at the season's end, citing a need for a change. He and Goulds left for the No. 48 Chevy fielded by Innovative Motorsports in 2000. Unfortunately, the season was a struggle and McLaughlin could not get the cars up to speed. Despite two fifth-place finishes, McLaughlin jumped ship just weeks before the start of the 2001 season to the unsponsored No. 20 owned by Joe Gibbs Racing. McLaughlin shocked the NASCAR world by winning the NASCAR Subway 300 at Talladega, albeit controversially. Despite the win, the team could not continue to run unsponsored, and McLaughlin moved over to the MBNA No. 18 for the remainder of the season. He finished seventh in points.

In 2001, McLaughlin was Tony Stewart's back-up driver for the Coca-Cola 600. Stewart was running the Indy 500 the same day and McLaughlin was to have started the race if Stewart did not arrive on time. Stewart eventually arrived in Charlotte just minutes before the command to start engines and finished third.

Struggles and retirement from driving

[edit]
McLaughlin smokes his tires while leaving the pits in his No. 25 car during the 2004 California race.

In 2002, McLaughlin went winless once again, but was able to muster a fourth-place finish in points. However, Gibbs wanted to move his son Coy into the No. 18, and McLaughlin was forced to find a new job. In October 2002, McLaughlin announced he would run with a new team, Angela's Motorsports in the 2003 season. The team showed up at that season's Speedweeks, and their Ford Taurus was the fastest in testing. After that, problems began arising, and weeks before the season started, Angela's Motorsports closed its doors. It turned out that the team's owners had been behind in paying their bills, and their debtors took over the operation and shut everything down. McLaughlin appeared to be out of a job, but after word leaked out, fans began donating money to allow McLaughlin to run the Daytona race, and with sponsorship from XM Radio and with Darrell Waltrip's DWStore.com, McLaughlin drove the No. 39 Jay Robinson Racing Ford at the season-opening event, qualifying 4th but finishing 29th after a wreck in the closing laps. The financial windfall could not get McLaughlin a full-time ride, although he returned to Cicci Racing to run seven races, posting one top-ten finish. McLaughlin went unemployed in 2004 until the end of the season, when he replaced Bobby Hamilton Jr. at Team Rensi Motorsports after Hamilton left to join Nextel Cup team PPI Racing, posting a second-place run at the Stacker 200 Presented by YJ Stinger.

McLaughlin became a test driver and development driver coach for Joe Gibbs Racing, and opened his own racing fabrication business. As of 2009, McLaughlin is also building bobsleds for the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project, supplier of sleds to the US Olympic team.

Personal life

[edit]

McLaughlin's son Max currently races in the Super DIRTcar Series and part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driving the No. 96 for FRS Racing. Max formerly competed for Hattori Racing Enterprises in the ARCA Menards Series East, winning a race in 2019 at Watkins Glen International.

Motorsports career results

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NASCAR

[edit]

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

[edit]
NASCAR Winston Cup Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 NWCC Pts Ref
1994 Team 34 34 Chevy DAY CAR RCH ATL DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL SON CLT DOV POC MCH DAY NHA
22 		POC TAL IND GLN
27 		MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR PHO ATL 55th 179 [3]
1996 Team 34 34 Chevy DAY CAR RCH ATL DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL SON CLT DOV POC MCH DAY NHA POC TAL IND GLN
DNQ 		MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR PHO ATL NA - [4]

Busch Series

[edit]
NASCAR Busch Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 NBSC Pts Ref
1984 Boehler's Racing 73 Pontiac DAY RCH CAR HCY MAR DAR ROU NSV LGY MLW DOV CLT
14 		SBO HCY ROU SBO ROU HCY IRP LGY SBO BRI DAR RCH NWS CLT
36 		HCY CAR MAR 67th 176 [5]
1985 DAY
33 		CAR HCY BRI MAR DAR SBO LGY DOV 62nd 194 [6]
03 CLT
11 		SBO HCY ROU IRP SBO LGY HCY MLW BRI DAR RCH NWS ROU CLT HCY CAR MAR
1990 H&H Motorsports 51 Olds DAY
39 		RCH CAR MAR HCY DAR BRI LAN SBO NZH HCY CLT DOV
DNQ 		ROU VOL MYB OXF
DNQ 		NHA
6 		SBO DUB IRP ROU BRI DAR RCH
29 		DOV MAR CLT
17 		NHA
3 		CAR MAR
4 		47th 633 [7]
1991 DAY
37 		RCH CAR MAR VOL HCY DAR BRI LAN SBO NZH CLT
41 		GLN
19 		OXF
39 		NHA
14 		SBO DUB IRP ROU BRI DAR RCH DOV CLT
32 		NHA
12 		CAR MAR 45th 620 [8]
Shoemaker Racing 64 Pontiac DOV
34 		ROU HCY MYB
1992 H&H Motorsports 51 Olds DAY CAR RCH ATL MAR DAR BRI HCY LAN DUB NZH
30 		CLT DOV ROU MYB GLN
13 		VOL NHA
30 		TAL IRP ROU MCH NHA
29 		BRI DAR RCH DOV CLT
14 		MAR CAR HCY
27 		49th 549 [9]
1993 DAY CAR RCH DAR BRI HCY ROU MAR NZH
9 		CLT DOV MYB GLN
12 		MLW TAL IRP MCH NC2 0 [10]
Chevy NHA
22 		BRI DAR RCH DOV ROU CLT MAR CAR HCY ATL
1994 Team 34 34 Chevy DAY
29 		CAR
22 		RCH
11 		ATL
39 		MAR
21 		DAR
21 		HCY
12 		BRI
DNQ 		ROU
16 		NHA
10 		NZH
5 		CLT
9 		DOV
18 		MYB
31 		GLN
19 		MLW
6 		SBO
15 		TAL
7 		HCY
16 		IRP
3 		MCH
4 		BRI
DNQ 		DAR
6 		RCH
11 		DOV
28 		CLT
27 		MAR
11 		CAR
35 		13th 2986 [11]
1995 DAY
37 		CAR
13 		RCH
4 		ATL
31 		NSV
7 		DAR
16 		BRI
30 		HCY
3 		NHA
4 		NZH
31 		CLT
20 		DOV
1* 		MYB
8 		GLN
4 		MLW
5 		TAL
32 		SBO
2 		IRP
3 		MCH
10 		BRI
21 		DAR
10 		RCH
17 		DOV
7 		CLT
5 		CAR
13 		HOM
24 		3rd 3273 [12]
1996 DAY
31 		CAR
2 		RCH
38 		ATL
11 		NSV
30 		DAR
41* 		BRI
27 		HCY
25 		NZH
29 		CLT
35 		DOV
32 		SBO
2 		MYB
6 		GLN
3 		MLW
2 		NHA
9 		TAL
25 		IRP
2 		MCH
13 		BRI
38 		DAR
38 		RCH
11 		DOV
6 		CLT
5 		CAR
4 		HOM
27 		10th 2853 [13]
1997 DAY
33 		CAR
8 		RCH
27 		ATL
17 		LVS
24 		DAR
33 		HCY
10 		TEX
5* 		BRI
2 		NSV
13 		TAL
35 		NHA
1 		NZH
8 		CLT
33 		DOV
23 		SBO
8 		GLN
1 		MLW
13 		MYB
2 		GTY
5 		IRP
37 		MCH
13 		BRI
16 		DAR
2 		RCH
32 		DOV
10 		CLT
13 		CAL
9 		CAR
7 		HOM
22 		4th 3614 [14]
1998 DAY
18 		CAR
5 		LVS
27 		NSV
1 		DAR
8 		BRI
6 		TEX
11 		HCY
21 		TAL
3 		NHA
7 		NZH
3 		CLT
7 		DOV
5 		RCH
34 		PPR
20 		GLN
2 		MLW
6 		MYB
3 		CAL
24 		SBO
3 		IRP
18 		MCH
15 		BRI
17 		DAR
3* 		RCH
28 		DOV
4 		CLT
1 		GTY
12 		CAR
41 		ATL
29 		HOM
18 		3rd 4045 [15]
1999 Cicci-Welliver Racing DAY
15 		CAR
6 		LVS
19 		ATL
12 		DAR
16 		TEX
4 		NSV
7 		BRI
27 		TAL
21 		CAL
41 		NHA
40 		RCH
14 		NZH
28 		CLT
27 		DOV
28 		SBO
15 		GLN
3 		MLW
11 		MYB
12 		PPR
15 		GTY
9 		IRP
17 		MCH
24 		BRI
39 		DAR
38 		RCH
43 		DOV
9 		CLT
3 		CAR
16 		MEM
7 		PHO
16 		HOM
20 		9th 3478 [16]
2000 Innovative Motorsports 48 Chevy DAY
26 		CAR
15 		LVS
43 		ATL
21 		DAR
33 		BRI
42 		TEX
40 		NSV
2 		TAL
14 		CAL
41 		RCH
25 		NHA
33 		CLT
32 		DOV
10 		SBO
24 		MYB
30 		GLN
5 		MLW
28 		NZH
34 		PPR
8 		GTY
36 		IRP
34 		MCH
5 		BRI
28 		DAR RCH
30 		DOV
34 		CLT
39 		CAR
16 		MEM
24 		PHO
15 		HOM
31 		24th 2690 [17]
2001 Joe Gibbs Racing 20 Pontiac DAY
6 		CAR
14 		LVS
9 		ATL
11 		DAR
5 		BRI
13 		TEX
37 		NSH
9 		TAL
1 		CAL
10 		RCH
22 		NHA
10 		NZH
17 		CLT
11 		DOV
21 		KEN
25 		MLW
18 		7th 3962 [18]
18 GLN
17 		CHI
25 		GTY
12 		PPR
14 		IRP
23 		MCH
5 		BRI
16 		DAR
3 		RCH
32 		DOV
31 		KAN
10 		CLT
19 		MEM
10 		PHO
31 		CAR
3 		HOM
12
2002 DAY
38 		CAR
5 		LVS
12 		DAR
6 		BRI
2 		TEX
18 		NSH
20 		CAL
6 		RCH
14 		NHA
5 		NZH
9 		CLT
4 		DOV
8 		NSH
33 		KEN
39 		MLW
8 		DAY
7 		CHI
27 		GTY
7 		PPR
7 		IRP
14 		MCH
17 		BRI
4 		DAR
8 		RCH
19 		DOV
2 		KAN
31 		CLT
8 		MEM
16 		ATL
3 		CAR
13 		PHO
19 		HOM
20 		4th 4253 [19]
Chevy TAL
24
2003 Jay Robinson Racing 39 Ford DAY
29 		CAR 61st 615 [20]
Santerre Racing 01 Ford LVS
DNQ 		DAR BRI TEX
Frank Cicci Racing 34 Chevy TAL
39 		RCH
13 		GTY NZH CLT
30 		DOV NSH KEN MLW DAY
9 		CHI
30 		NHA
26 		PPR IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV KAN CLT MEM ATL PHO CAR HOM
Herzog-Jackson Motorsports 92 Chevy NSH
QL† 		CAL
2004 Roush Racing 60 Ford DAY CAR LVS DAR BRI TEX NSH TAL CAL GTY RCH NZH
QL‡ 		CLT DOV NSH KEN MLW DAY CHI NHA PPR
QL‡ 		IRP MCH 38th 1140 [21]
Team Rensi Motorsports 25 Ford BRI
12 		CAL
11 		RCH
24 		DOV
2 		KAN
11 		CLT
12 		MEM
18 		ATL
41 		PHO
36 		DAR
39 		HOM
16
† - Qualified for Todd Bodine · ‡ - Qualified for Greg Biffle

Craftsman Truck Series

[edit]
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 NCTC Pts Ref
1996 Chesrown Racing 66 Chevy HOM PHO POR EVG TUS CNS HPT BRI NZH MLW LVL I70 IRP
9 		FLM GLN NSV RCH NHA MAR NWS SON MMR PHO LVS 91st 138 [22]
1997 Ken Schrader Racing 53 Chevy WDW TUS HOM PHO POR EVG I70 NHA TEX BRI NZH MLW LVL CNS HPT IRP
5 		FLM NSV GLN RCH MAR SON MMR CAL PHO LVS 91st 155 [23]

2 Competed only in companion events with Busch North Series as BNS driver and ineligible for Busch Series points

References

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  1. ^ "Hall of Fame honors new class of legends". Syracuse.com. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Mike 'Magic Shoes' McLaughlin". Eastern Motorsports Press Association. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  3. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  4. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  5. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 1984 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  6. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 1985 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  7. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 1990 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  8. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 1991 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  9. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 1992 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  10. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 1993 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  11. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 1994 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  12. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 1995 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  13. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 1996 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  14. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 1997 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  15. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 1998 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  16. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 1999 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  17. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 2000 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  18. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 2001 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  19. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 2002 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  20. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 2003 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  21. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 2004 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  22. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 1996 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  23. ^ "Mike McLaughlin – 1997 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
[edit]
Sporting positions
Preceded by NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Champion
1988 		Succeeded by
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