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.
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.
