Dutch Hoag
Encyclopedia
Donald "Dutch" Hoag is an American racing driver who won the Langhorne National Open five times when it was the most prestigious event for Modified and Sportsman racers.
He was the only driver to win that race both when Langhorne Speedway
's surface was dirt (1956, 1960, 1963) and when it was asphalt (1967, 1968). He won an estimated 400 feature events, and won numerous track championships. Hoag was selected for the DIRT Motorsports Hall of Fame (one of thirteen charter members), the New York State Stock Car Association Hall of Fame, and the FOAR Score Hall of Fame.
, and Hoag wanted to try racing. He bought a car from Bob Ratcliffe for $175 and towed it to the track on a chain. Later that year, Hoag won his first feature, at the Civic Stadium in Corning, New York
.
, who was that year's NASCAR National Modified Champion. The National Open was the premiere event for weekly racers; track champions and other top racers from everywhere Modified and Sportsman cars were raced, gathered at a large, fast speedway where nobody had a home-track advantage. The race was renamed to the "Race of Champions" when it was moved to Trenton in 1972 after Langhorne Speedway was closed.
Dutch Hoag first won the National Open in 1956, in a car he did not normally drive. This was Hal Kempeny's 1937 Ford coupe, which had been driven for its previous owner by Pete Corey. It had a Ford overhead-valve V-8 engine.
Hoag won the 1960 and 1963 Langhorne races with another team that wasn't his regular ride. These were with car owner Dave McCredy, as a teammate to Bill Wimble, two-time NASCAR national Sportsman champion.
In 1967, Hoag won the National Open driving for the Turner Brothers, his car owners in weekly racing at several tracks in New York State, along with traveling to special events elsewhere. Hoag and the Turners won one hundred features together.
Dutch Hoag's last Langhorne victory was in 1968, driving his own car. His team was sponsored by the road-construction company of Gene DeWitt, who later was nationally noted as car owner for Richie Evans
' team when Evans won nine NASCAR national Modified championships. Hoag won the 1968 National Open by a full lap.
(Owego, New York) in 1965, 1969, and 1970. In 1965 through 1967, Hoag won three consecutive track championships at Spencer Speedway
(Williamson, New York). He also won the unofficial New York State Modified Championship held at the NYS Fairgrounds (Syracuse, New York) in 1967 and 1968, which were the first two years cars with overhead valve engines were allowed to compete in this race.
) races: one in 1952 (Monroe County Fairgrounds), two in 1955 (Palm Beach Speedway, Monroe County Fairgrounds), and one in 1957 (at Langhorne). His best finish was eighth, at Palm Beach in 1955.
In 1969, Hoag raced a 1965 Dodge, built for Grand National racing by Ray Fox
, in the Permatex 300 for Late Model Sportsman cars (predecessor to the Busch Series
) at Daytona International Speedway
. Hoag finished second to Lee Roy Yarbrough.
Geoff Bodine
's first taste of Modified driving came in Dutch Hoag's car at Shangri-La Speedway, when Hoag let him try it in a practice session. Bodine worked on Dutch Hoag's crew in 1968 and 1969. In the 1969 Race of Champions, Bodine handed the wrong tire over the wall during a pit stop. This was a time when Modifieds ran very different tire sizes among the four corners, so Hoag had to make an extra pit stop. Bodine went on to win the first Race of Champions after it was moved from Langhorne to Trenton Raceway in 1972.
Alex Hoag, Dutch Hoag's grandson and Dean Hoag's son, has won feature races in several divisions on dirt tracks, and was named Rookie of the Year in the DIRT organization's 358 Modified division in 2000. He has raced asphalt Modifieds as his grandfather did. He has raced in limited schedules on the Whelen Modified Tour
and the Busch East Series.
Dutch's son Dean Hoag is the current owner and operator of the Black Rock Speedway in Dundee, New York
.
He was the only driver to win that race both when Langhorne Speedway
Langhorne Speedway
Langhorne Speedway was an automobile racetrack in Middletown Township, Bucks County, near the borough of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, a northern suburb of Philadelphia....
's surface was dirt (1956, 1960, 1963) and when it was asphalt (1967, 1968). He won an estimated 400 feature events, and won numerous track championships. Hoag was selected for the DIRT Motorsports Hall of Fame (one of thirteen charter members), the New York State Stock Car Association Hall of Fame, and the FOAR Score Hall of Fame.
Early career
Hoag first raced in 1949. A new racetrack was opened in Naples, New YorkNaples, New York
Naples may refer to two municipalities in Ontario County, New York in the United States:*Naples , New York*Naples , New York, located entirely within the town...
, and Hoag wanted to try racing. He bought a car from Bob Ratcliffe for $175 and towed it to the track on a chain. Later that year, Hoag won his first feature, at the Civic Stadium in Corning, New York
Corning (city), New York
Corning is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States, on the Chemung River. The population was 10,842 at the 2000 census. It is named for Erastus Corning, an Albany financier and railroad executive who was an investor in the company that developed the community.- Overview :The city of...
.
Langhorne victories
The first Langhorne National Open was held in 1951, and Dutch Hoag raced in it; he was one of the last cars to get through the large wreck which blocked the track and burned driver Wally CampbellWally Campbell
Wally Campbell of Trenton, New Jersey was a stock car, midget, and sprint car racer. He was the 1951 NASCAR Modified champion and the 1953 AAA Eastern Division Sprint car rookie of the year. Wally was killed practicing for an AAA Midwestern Division sprint car race at Salem, Indiana on July 17, 1954...
, who was that year's NASCAR National Modified Champion. The National Open was the premiere event for weekly racers; track champions and other top racers from everywhere Modified and Sportsman cars were raced, gathered at a large, fast speedway where nobody had a home-track advantage. The race was renamed to the "Race of Champions" when it was moved to Trenton in 1972 after Langhorne Speedway was closed.
Dutch Hoag first won the National Open in 1956, in a car he did not normally drive. This was Hal Kempeny's 1937 Ford coupe, which had been driven for its previous owner by Pete Corey. It had a Ford overhead-valve V-8 engine.
Hoag won the 1960 and 1963 Langhorne races with another team that wasn't his regular ride. These were with car owner Dave McCredy, as a teammate to Bill Wimble, two-time NASCAR national Sportsman champion.
In 1967, Hoag won the National Open driving for the Turner Brothers, his car owners in weekly racing at several tracks in New York State, along with traveling to special events elsewhere. Hoag and the Turners won one hundred features together.
Dutch Hoag's last Langhorne victory was in 1968, driving his own car. His team was sponsored by the road-construction company of Gene DeWitt, who later was nationally noted as car owner for Richie Evans
Richie Evans
Richard Ernest Evans , was an American racing driver who won nine NASCAR National Modified Championships, including eight in a row from 1978 to 1985. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame lists this achievement as "one of the supreme accomplishments in motorsports"...
' team when Evans won nine NASCAR national Modified championships. Hoag won the 1968 National Open by a full lap.
Track championships
Dutch Hoag won season championships in the Stock Car, Sportsman, and Modified divisions at several weekly speedways. He won three consecutive Stock division titles at Bath Speedway (Bath, New York) in 1952 through 1954. He won six championships at Monroe County Fairgrounds (Rochester, New York): 1952 through 1955, 1964, and 1967. He was the 1953 Sportsman champion at Hemlock Fairgrounds (Hemlock, New York). He won the Sportsman championship in 1953 and 1954 at Canandaigua Speedway (Canandaigua, New York). He was the Modified division champion at Shangri-La SpeedwayShangri-La Speedway
Shangri-La Speedway was a speedway in Owego, New York. It was a half-mile oval race track facility. Over a span of fifty years, Shangri-La hosted automobile races of various kinds, including a NASCAR Grand National race in 1952, AAA Championship Cars, stock cars, Modifieds, Supermodifieds, and...
(Owego, New York) in 1965, 1969, and 1970. In 1965 through 1967, Hoag won three consecutive track championships at Spencer Speedway
Spencer Speedway
Spencer Speedway opened in 1955 and is a 1/2 mile Flat Ashplat Oval located in Williamson, New York. The track is owned by John White and is currently NASCAR Sanctioned as part of the Whelen All-American Modified Series...
(Williamson, New York). He also won the unofficial New York State Modified Championship held at the NYS Fairgrounds (Syracuse, New York) in 1967 and 1968, which were the first two years cars with overhead valve engines were allowed to compete in this race.
Races in major series
Hoag raced in four NASCAR Grand National (predecessor to NEXTEL CupNEXTEL Cup
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing . The series was originally known as the Strictly Stock Series and Grand National Series . While leasing its naming rights to R. J...
) races: one in 1952 (Monroe County Fairgrounds), two in 1955 (Palm Beach Speedway, Monroe County Fairgrounds), and one in 1957 (at Langhorne). His best finish was eighth, at Palm Beach in 1955.
In 1969, Hoag raced a 1965 Dodge, built for Grand National racing by Ray Fox
Ray Fox
Raymond Lee Fox, Sr. is a retired American engine builder, NASCAR car owner and NASCAR engine inspector. His cars won fourteen NASCAR Grand National events and sixteen pole positions....
, in the Permatex 300 for Late Model Sportsman cars (predecessor to the Busch Series
Busch Series
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...
) at Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...
. Hoag finished second to Lee Roy Yarbrough.
Champion racers influenced by Hoag
Lee Osborne, a former motorcycle racer, was Dutch Hoag's protege for several years. He dated Hoag's daughter Donna from 1964 through 1966. In early 1965, he rebuilt an old Turner Brothers modified and began stock car racing. Osborne won 55 Modified features from 1965 through 1968. He then moved to Indiana to race Sprint cars, where he became a frequent winner and won the 1981 through 1983 championships of the All Star Circuit of Champions. After retiring from driving, Osborne became one of the top Sprint carbuilders. In the 1990s, Donna Hoag lost her husband to cancer, reunited with Osborne, and married him.Geoff Bodine
Geoff Bodine
Geoffrey Eli Bodine is an American motorsport driver and bobsled builder. He is the oldest of the three Bodine brothers . Bodine currently lives in Cornelius, North Carolina....
's first taste of Modified driving came in Dutch Hoag's car at Shangri-La Speedway, when Hoag let him try it in a practice session. Bodine worked on Dutch Hoag's crew in 1968 and 1969. In the 1969 Race of Champions, Bodine handed the wrong tire over the wall during a pit stop. This was a time when Modifieds ran very different tire sizes among the four corners, so Hoag had to make an extra pit stop. Bodine went on to win the first Race of Champions after it was moved from Langhorne to Trenton Raceway in 1972.
Descendants in racing
Dutch's son Dean Hoag got his start by driving Dutch's backup Modified, an older car, at Shangri-La Speedway. Dean drove Modifieds for a few years in the 1970s. Dean won the 1978 Perry Raceway (now Wyoming County International Speedway) Modified title with his #7. When Oswego Speedway created a Limited Supermodified division, Dean Hoag was a top contender driving the #41, with 16 feature victories to lead that division's all-time win list. Dean claimed the 1996 and 1997 titles before retiring in 1999. He went on to own Black Rock Speedway (Dundee, New York).Alex Hoag, Dutch Hoag's grandson and Dean Hoag's son, has won feature races in several divisions on dirt tracks, and was named Rookie of the Year in the DIRT organization's 358 Modified division in 2000. He has raced asphalt Modifieds as his grandfather did. He has raced in limited schedules on the Whelen Modified Tour
Whelen Modified Tour
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is a stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR in the Modified division. The Modified division is NASCAR's oldest division, and its one of two open-wheeled divisions...
and the Busch East Series.
Dutch's son Dean Hoag is the current owner and operator of the Black Rock Speedway in Dundee, New York
Dundee, New York
Dundee is a village in Yates County, New York, USA. The population was 1,690 at the 2000 census. The name was taken from Dundee, the city in Scotland with a population of 160,000.The Village of Dundee is in the Town of Starkey...
.