Eastern Motorsport Press Association
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Mike "Magic Shoes" McLaughlin

One of the most versatile racers, Mike “Magic Shoes” McLaughlin first raced a homebuilt Modified in 1976 at the old Maple Grove Speedway in his hometown of Waterloo, New York. 
 
He advanced to DIRT-sanctioned Modifieds in 1979 and scored his first win beating Will Cagle, not an easy feat.  In his stint in DIRT Mods, McLaughlin won 15 times, including two Super DIRT Series races and in 1979 was the Series point runner-up to Cagle. 
 
Then there’s his time in asphalt Modifieds.  In 172 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour races, McLaughlin came home first 16 times, with 83 top-five finishes, 109 top-tens, and 16 poles.  Oh yeah, he also captured the 1988 Modified Tour championship.
 
And just for good measure, McLaughlin also raced Supermodifieds, winning once at Oswego, but four other times at the Steel Palace in a Modified.
 
Turning his attention to NASCAR full-bodied racing, in 51 Busch North starts, McLaughlin had 7 wins, 23 top-fives, and 30 top-tens.  That led to 314 now Xfinity starts and 6 wins, 58 top-fives, 110 top-tens, and five poles.  He also made two Truck Series starts, with a top-five finish and two top-tens.  To round out his NAASCAR resume, Mike raced twice in the Cup Series.
 
Got all that:  Instead of “Magic Shoes,” “Mr. Versatile” might be a better nickname and it’s why Mike McLaughlin was inducted into the EMPA Hall of Fame in 2015.
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  • Home
  • History of the EMPA
    • History of the EMPA-The 1970's
    • History of the EMPA- 80's
    • History of the EMPA- The 1990's
    • History of the EMPA- The 2000's
    • History of the EMPA- The 2010's
    • History of the EMPA- The 2020's
  • EMPA Application
  • EMPA Hall of Fame A thru L
  • EMPA Hall of Fame M thru Z
  • Convention Sponsors
  • Convention Hotel Info & Room Reservations
  • Convention Photos
    • Convention Photos 2016
    • Convention Photos 2017
    • Convention Photos 2018
    • Convention Photos 2021
    • Convention Photos 2022
    • Video acceptance speeches from Jan 2022 convention
  • Convention Contest Rules
    • Pocono Raceway/EMPA Writer's Contest >
      • Pocono Raceway Writer's Contest Judges Comments by Year
    • Brice's Auto Parts Inc./NAPA Auto Parts EMPA Photographer's Contest
    • Dirt Track Digest.com./EMPA Video and Broadcast Contest Rules
  • Award Winners
    • EMPA National Driver of the Year
    • Junie Donlavey Spirit of the Sport award
    • Richie Evans North East Driver of the Year
    • Ace Lane Photographer of the Year
    • Jim Hunter Writer of the Year
    • Newsmaker of the Year award
    • John Blewett lll Young Gun award presented by New England Fuels
    • Jerry Reigel Outstanding Contribution to Sprint Car Racing award
    • Promotional Effort of the Year
    • Ernie & Marilyn Saxton Service Award
  • Newsletter Archives