NASCAR National Modified Championship
The Modifieds are NASCAR’s oldest division, pre-dating the Cup Series by one season. The inaugural NASCAR Modified Champion was Red Byron in 1948. For 38 seasons, the championship was decided by accumulative points from NASCAR sanctioned events at tracks all over the country. Many drivers chasing national points could race 4, 5 or 6 times a week, earning points for each one. It was similar in structure to today’s NASCAR Advanced Auto Parts Weekly Series.
In the early days of the NASCAR Modifieds, New Jersey was a hotbed for championships. 6 champions during 1950-1958 were from the Garden State. By the early 60’s, many top competitors for the title were from the south, including Alabama’s Bobby Allison. The future NASCAR Cup Series Champion (1983) and NASCAR Hall of Famer won back-to-back championships in 1964-1965. This was followed by a 5-year run when the NASCAR Modified National Championship was won by a New Englander: Ernie Gahan (1966) from New Hampshire, Bugsy Stevens (1967-1969) from Massachusetts and Fred DeSarro (1970) from Rhode Island.
NATIONAL MODIFIED CHAMPIONS FROM NEW ENGLAND
New England’s reign atop the division was followed by a dominant run by a pair of Rome, NY drivers, with Richie Evans (1973, 1978-1985) and Jerry Cook (1974-1977) both earning multiple championships over a 14 season span. Evans set NASCAR records with 9 total and 8 straight championships, the last of which came in the first season the new NASCAR Modified Tour, which would replace the National Modified Championship in determining NASCAR’s modified champion in 1985.
NASCAR NATIONAL MODIFIED CHAMPIONS
| DATE | CHAMPION | HOMETOWN |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | RED BYRON | Anniston, AL |
| 1949 | FONTY FLOCK | Decatur, GA |
| 1950 | CHARLES DYER | North Bergen, NJ |
| 1951 | WALLY CAMPBELL | Trenton, NJ |
| 1952 | FRANKIE SCHNEIDER | Lambertville, NJ |
| 1953 | WALLY CAMPBELL | Trenton, NJ |
| 1954 | JACK CHOQUETTE | Montclair, NJ |
| 1955 | BILL WIDENHOUSE | Midland, NC |
| 1956 | RED FARMER | Hueytown, AL |
| 1957 | KEN MARRIOTT | Baltimore, MD |
| 1958 | BUDD OLSEN | Paulsboro, NJ |
| 1959 | GLEN GUTHRIE | Washington, DC |
| 1960 | JOHNNY ROBERTS | Brooklyn, MD |
| 1961 | JOHNNY ROBERTS | Brooklyn, MD |
| 1962 | EDDIE CROUSE | Tazewell, VA |
| 1963 | EDDIE CROUSE | Tazewell, VA |
| 1964 | BOBBY ALLISON | Hueytown, AL |
| 1965 | BOBBY ALLISON | Hueytown, AL |
| 1966 | ERNIE GAHAN | Dover, NH |
| 1967 | BUGSY STEVENS | Rehoboth, MA |
| 1968 | BUGSY STEVENS | Rehoboth, MA |
| 1969 | BUGSY STEVENS | Rehoboth, MA |
| 1970 | FRED DeSARRO | Hope Valley, RI |
| 1971 | JERRY COOK | Rome, NY |
| 1972 | JERRY COOK | Rome, NY |
| 1973 | RICHIE EVANS | Rome, NY |
| 1974 | JERRY COOK | Rome, NY |
| 1975 | JERRY COOK | Rome, NY |
| 1976 | JERRY COOK | Rome, NY |
| 1977 | JERRY COOK | Rome, NY |
| 1978 | RICHIE EVANS | Rome, NY |
| 1979 | RICHIE EVANS | Rome, NY |
| 1980 | RICHIE EVANS | Rome, NY |
| 1981 | RICHIE EVANS | Rome, NY |
| 1982 | RICHIE EVANS | Rome, NY |
| 1983 | RICHIE EVANS | Rome, NY |
| 1984 | RICHIE EVANS | Rome, NY |
