RPW Exclusive: Bob McGannon’s Hoping Notes Gained On The Road In ’24 Will Produce Success In ’25

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Column By: BOBBY CHALMERS / RPW – GARNERVILLE, NY – Sometimes, when you’re a creature of habit, it’s hard to break from that.

A lot of race car drivers are one-night-a-week racers, using their home track to get their “fix.” However, what happens when that home track significantly cuts down how many times you’ll get behind the wheel? You seek other outlets.

That’s exactly what Bob McGannon did in 2024.

McGannon’s home track, the Orange County Fair Speedway, ran only three Sunday night specials during the season as well as their annual Eastern States Weekend. That meant only four times for fans to see the bright red no. 21M on track.

It also meant four times McGannon got the strap in. He needed more than that, so Bob and his team hit the road.

“I love to race, plain and simple” McGannon said. “I’ve been doing it for a long time but have mainly been known as a Middletown guy. With them going to such a limited schedule last season, we had to take to the road and I’m glad we did.”

McGannon, who’s been behind the wheel of a Modified now for nearly two decades, has gotten to other tracks from time to time, namely the Dirt Track at Charlotte and once a year to Super DIRT Week when it was at the Syracuse Mile.

However, that was it, and with his schedule looking to be just a handful of starts, Bob looked around for places to go.

That’s when he found tracks like Volusia and New Egypt and Port Royal and Accord. He found Weedsport and Thunder Mountain and Brewerton and Land of Legends and Fulton and Albany-Saratoga.

You know what he also found? He located his fix. There wasn’t ever really any talk of finding a new weekly track. Bob just wanted to race and he found that rush again, out on the road.

“We really weren’t searching for a new Saturday night home,” he said. “We decided to bounce around and see what happens. No real home track last year. We wanted hit some of the Super DIRTcar Series races and maybe some Short Track Super Series events.”

That allowed McGannon to gain some needed experience on a multitude of tracks and surfaces. It gave him the opportunity to learn about changing track conditions and how to adjust for them extremely quickly. That type of knowledge is invaluable, and for 2025, the 21M team will be doing more of the same.

“I’m excited for this season to get going,” he said. “Last year was the first that we traveled more than just Charlotte. I’m excited to get back to some of those tracks again for the second time now that we have some notes.”

He’ll kick off this season at Volusia Speedway Park for the DIRTcar Nationals in a few weeks before hitting several of the same tracks he did in 2024. He’d like to expand his schedule, but unfortunately it’s just not in the cards right now.

“I would love to run the complete Super DIRTcar Series.” he said. “We can’t because help at the track is hard for my guys at this point. I’m going to try and do a few more shows this year.”

Where those will be is currently being determined but if last year’s any indication, you might see venture to New Egypt Speedway again for the Super DIRTcar Series opener. Last year, McGannon won his heat race and had a strong showing in the feature, but it was the smile on his face that was great to see.

“Winning that heat race and running strong all night was something I definitely needed,” he said. “Confidence is key in this sport and that was just what the doctor ordered.”

The McGannon team will be heading into the 2025 season with some fresh equipment. They have a brand new Bicknell at their disposal with a rebuilt powerplant freshened by Billy the Kid strapped between the frame rails.

They’re ready.

“The 2025 season will be my 19th year in Modifieds,” he said. “We’ve always been a team that sticks close to home. Going to all these new tracks have been a challenge, but we’re enjoying it. We’re just hoping for some better results this year.”

Speaking of that “home” track, Orange County’s promoters, Doug Dulgarian and Brett Hearn, recently announced they’re adding in a couple of additional dates to their plans this season, and McGannon likes that.

“I’m glad their expanding the schedule,” he said. “That track has so much history and I’m glad I’ve been a part of it, even back to the days I ran Pro Stock. It’s a big part of my racing resume and the history of our sport. It needs to be here.”

Bob McGannon and his team learned a lot in 2024. They’re ready to put those notes to use and have better luck this season. However, it’s not all about wins and losses for Bob. He truly enjoys this sport and all it has to offer.

He wants to run well and knows, by doing that, strong finishes will come. That’s what has him pumped for 2025.

Be on the lookout for the smile on ‘Big Brother Bob’ once again this season.

A Special Note From Bob…

“I appreciate everyone that has supported my racing through the years. I have the same guys helping me since my Pro Stock days. We all pretty much learned these cars together.

I’m going to Volusia with my brother-in-law, Ed Alexander. nephew Darren Alexander and Joe Bongiovanni. I can’t thank them enough for helping me out down there.

I also have to thank our sponsors who make it happen, like Schultz Ford, Curti’s Landscaping, RJL Enterprises, Colonnelli Bros. Contractors, Precision Fleet Maintenance, Precast Concrete, Orange Nursery & Stone Supply, Wildeats.com, MCM Paving, Behrents Performance Warehouse and Performance Engines by Billy the Kid. Without each and every person or business that’s a part of this team, we wouldn’t be on track so thank you all.”

 
 
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