Northeast Dirt Modified Hall Of Fame Driver John McArdell Passes Away At Age 86
Story By: BUFFY SWANSON / NORTHEAST DIRT MODIFEID HALL OF FAME – WEEDSPORT, NY – The Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame issues deepest condolences to the family, friends and fans of John McArdell, a successful Central New York racer in the early days of the sport, who passed away on May 10 at the age of 86.
McArdell, from Baldwinsville, NY, was inducted into the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame in 1995.
A winner from the start, McArdell entered and aced a demolition derby at age 16, his first time on the track. In 1952, John and his brother Gale pooled their money to buy their first stock car for $500, sharing driving duties at tracks like Brewerton and Lafayette.
By the 1960s, John was the family star, wheeling cars for top owners on the circuit. He is best remembered driving Dominic Tantello’s iconic “Leanin’ 11″ to victory at Maple Grove and Weedsport speedways, among other area tracks.
One of few drivers to make the successful transition from flatheads to V8 power, McArdell was one of the first test drivers for Show Car Engineering builder/fabricator Howard Conkey back in the ’60s.
His best season was 1964, where he won 27 feature events, including a 50-lap championship race at Canandaigua, the Open Invitational 100 at Maple Grove, and the NASCAR-sanctioned Salt City 25 on the New York State Fairgrounds mile. McArdell was also fast qualifier at the NY State Fair Labor Day event that year.
During the course of a quarter century of competition, McArdell claimed track championship titles at Maple Grove in Waterloo (1960), Canandaigua (1960, 1964) and Weedsport (1963, 1968). Driving Jim Sincerbeaux’s 0, he was track champion at both Rolling Wheels and Skyline in 1975, before retiring from the sport two years later.
In addition to his 1995 induction in the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame, McArdell was also recognized by the Living Legends of Auto Racing in Daytona Beach in 2006, and the New York State Stock Car Association in 2019.
