Mike McLaughlin

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.

For other people named Mike McLaughlin, see Michael McLaughlin (disambiguation).
Mike McLaughlin
BornMichael McLaughlin
(1956-10-06) October 6, 1956
Waterloo, New York, U.S.
Achievements1988 Winston Modified Tour Champion
Awards1997 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 1 year
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.

Early career
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.

Move to NASCAR

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

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
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

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

NASCAR

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

Winston Cup Series
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
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
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
  1. "Hall of Fame honors new class of legends". Syracuse.com. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  2. EMPAonline.org
  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.
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