The 25th annual Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame class was inducted on Monday evening at Weedsport Speedway. The ceremony was conducted on behalf of people dedicating their lives to dirt racing.

Like all hall of fame ceremonies, it was an emotional night for the inductees. The gathering was headlined by drivers Billy Pauch and Jeff Heotzler.

Preparation for the event begins in January. This class was special to another hall of famer, Buffy Swanson, chairwoman of the hall of fame committee, because she knows each inductee personally, making it much more emotional.

“We do it because it’s the right thing to do and to keep the sport alive,” Swanson said of the ceremony. “If you don’t keep the records and the photos, there are no memories. If you don’t recognize these guys acknowledgements, they are just going to get lost in the shuffle and that’s something we don’t want to happen.”

The quarter-century class, including Pauch and Heotzler, also inducted Theresa Rogers, George Caruso Jr., Marty Beberwyk, Bob Dini, Eugene Mills and Don Diffendorf. The category of inductees varies from drivers to mechanics to the media and contributors.

Like most of the recipients, Pauch has been around racing since the age of 17. Still competing, the Pennsylvania native has over 600 career feature wins, including over 100 triumphs at New Egypt Speedway in New Jersey.

Turning 60 next year, Pauch believes he is getting toward the end of his racing career. Back then, he believed that he would be retired by 40, but he can’t leave the sport he loves.

“I’ve raced all my life and never really thought about it,” Pauch said of the special night. “There are a lot of neat drivers. It’s all a part of it. Certain races I look at as special, but being inducted is special, too.”


Inducting Pauch was three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Ray Evernham. The two have known each other since the early 1980s and regularly stay in touch.

Evernham is well known for being the crew chief of four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon. The duo won 47 races together, leading over 10,000 laps.

“Billy and I have been friends for 40 years,” Evernham said. “We were teenagers when we started hanging out together. It certainly means a great deal, not only because we our friends but because I’ve watched him throughout his career and I also worked with some of the best drivers in the world and I know they know Billy Pauch. Racers know racers.”

While the Hall of Fame is put together by volunteers and corporate sponsors, it would not be right if a hard-working engineer and mechanic didn’t get inducted. That’s exactly what Dini was.

Recently being appointed as director of technical operations for DIRTcar Racing Northeast, Dini still travels to many of the big events in the Northeast. But, this was a night of remembrance for him.

“It’s an honor,” Dini said with a smile. “It’s a shock that I got the call. I’m speechless. It means a lot because I put a lot into dirt racing. It’s always been my life.

For one of the top classes in the 25-year history of the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame, the turnout was as expected. Friends and families of all the inductees were in attendance, which made it that much more special.

2016 DIRT Awards

Outstanding Woman in Racing: Theresa Rogers

Andrew S. Fusco Award for Media Excellence: George Caruso, Jr.

Leonard J. Sammons Jr. Award for Outstanding Contributions to Racing: Marty Beberwyk

Mechanic/Engineering Award: Bob Dini

Gene DeWitt Car Owner Award: Eugene Mills

Pioneer Driver Inductee: Don Diffendorf

Driver Inductee: Jeff Heotzler
   
Driver Inductee: Billy Pauch