AARN Top 10 Modified racer results

Out of over 350 Nominees for greatest Modified racer in the Area Auto racing News territory, they whittled it down to a top 50, then a top 10, re-voted and announced their version of the Top 10 of all time up there.

----- I KNOW there will be some people that you think SHOULD be on their, and I might even agree… BUT, this is a pretty cool listing all the same-------

*** what is also cool, is that these guys have also been known to primarily run ONE car number and a nickname that they are recognized by…

20 Brett Hearn… the Corporate Jet
61 Richie Evans… The Rapid Roman
15 Billy “The Kid” Pauch
2 Frankie “The Ole Master” Schneider… Frankie is in the hospital tonight, and the family is asking for prayers…
19 Kenny Brightbill, the Shillington Slingshot
51 “Fast” Freddie Rahmer
17 Dick “Toby” Tobias
3 Jimmy Horton… nickname escapes me…
24 Will “The Tampa Terror” Cagle
27 Danny “The Doctor” Johnson

I’ve seen every one of these guys run, and I can’t argue that anyone ‘shouldn’t’ be on here… but I can think of a lot that was just AS good as these guys…

Hearn better’n Richie, huh? Ouch…LOL. Richie did win on both asphalt and dirt (remember the old All-Star days?)(if I recall correctly), and was a NINE-TIME NASCAR Modified champion, even posthumously because he had such a HUGE points lead the year he passed away. Richie’s won at Daytona, both on the road course and the big track.

In searching for pics of Richie on dirt, I found this :slight_smile:

I’m pretty sure Hearn won on asphalt when they tried running the big blocks on asphalt. I could be wrong but know he built a special asphalt car that was beautiful. When he did that, others started doing the same and that was basically the end of the asphalt racing for them. Hearn slid on his roof at Daytona. LOL I can think of others just as good. Kind of surprised Jack Johnson didn’t make it.

As good as Richie was, he only won exactly ONE race on dirt in his career. Brett has won on both, and is well over the 500 win mark… something like 50 Championships between track titles, Mr. Dirt titles, etc… when it comes to pure numbers, Brett does have the advantage…

I completely agree that there are always names missing that we feel should be there. AARN will be naming a number one this weekend so lets refine the argument to something few if any will agree on. Who should be No.1? While I have always been a Reutimann fan and have tremendous respect for Cagle my vote for number one goes to Frankie Schneider. He was a travelling outlaw in a class of racers that was essentially unregulated, he won everywhere he ran in all type cars,transcended the multiple advances in technology engine size etc. Raced weekly for half a century and did it cleanly and with class. I do keep him in my prayers knowing he is unwell. Regardless of who is chosen No.1 it certainly made for 5 weeks of great reading in AARN.

This IS the official top 10, in order. Frankie got 4th.