Top 10 Figure 8 Drivers of ALL TIME.

[Teds Race Tours]

I was chatting with my buds in Turn 2 last week during the Figure 8 Feature, and we got around to "Who was the best ever" So, we'd like your top 10 Figure 8 drivers ever. If you can't think of 10, just post what you have in the order of Top to Bottom. Lets have some fun with this one. I'll post mine in a day or so.

[W. J.]

In no particular order: Ernie Maynor, Roger Maynor, Joe Biondolillo Jr., Tommy Ryan, Tom Kraft, Tommy Rogers Jr., Joe Hlatky, Doug Huber, RJ Faveau, Jerry Bowers. I could add more, but really should stop at 10, since that's what's asked for here.

Okay, here's more: Clay Walston, Fred Lamac, Fred Dunlop, Chris Young, 'Downtown' George Brown, Quinn Vollgraff, Bill Stockert

[Teds Race Tours]

Heck, go to 20 if you want. No real rules apply. FYI, my top 10 has 5 of the same drivers as yours.

[Fkraft99]

Wow thanks WJ... lol I assume you prob meant my dad... My top 10 I'm going Riverhead only, since that was all I was alive for...

1. TK... I'm biased...

without including him...

1. John Fortin
2. Joey Jr.
3. Tom Rogers Jr.
4. Roger Maynor
5. Bill Steen
6. George Sprague
7. Chuck Hlatky
8. Ralph Tasso
9. Tommy Ryan
10 Kenny Hyde

Yeah, Fred, sorry about that error, I did mean your Dad. - WJ

[The Bullfather]

Roger Maynor
Joe Biondolillo Jr.
R.J. Faveau
Chuck Hlacky
Luigi Tirripicchio
Tom Kraft
John Fortin
Tommy Ryan
'Downtown' George Brown
George Sprague

[randomrodder]

We're forgetting World Champion, Bobby Lane.
Then there was Quinn Vollgraff
Old School Leslie Wagner
Down Town George Brown
Slim Brown from back in the early 60s
Ernie "The wrench" Maynor
Chris Young
Any many already mentioned.

[Teds Race Tours]

With due respect to guys like Taylor, Faveau, + Voelker, I just didn't see enough of their careers to put them here, This is my top 10.

Honorable Mention #1 Dan Avondet. Career was too short, but won the 1980 Islip Championship against a great field of cars.

Honorable Mention #2 Bill Steen. Bill beat every driver on this list at one time or another, and that alone deserves some credit.

10 Tommy Kraft. Might have been higher, but the main part of his career he was running against 12-15 car fields.

9 Quinn Volgraff. If his career occurred right now, he might be trading wins with Roger.

8 Jerry Bowers. Hailed from Upstate Cairo, NY, as BF used to say every week. "The Rabbit" was great, especially when he bought Chris Young's #49.

7 Ernie Maynor. It's hard going generation vs generation. Ernie may have been better than his son. Back when "The Wrench" raced, 30-35 car field were the norm. Making the feature was an accomplishment. Ernie won his share, but was never the DOMINANT driver of his day. Having said that, if he raced today, he may well have been the dominant driver of the 90's and 00's.

6. John Fortin. You know when John Fortin is number 6, the top 5 is very talented. I know he probably deserves top 5 status. Really, throw a dart to anybody #2-6 and they could be anywhere from 2nd to 6th. To me, John is a Much better Mod driver, and I guess that hurts him when I remember his Fig 8 days.

TOP 5

5 Downtown George Brown. I disliked DTGB as much as any driver ever, In any division. But you cannot deny the talent and desire he had in anything he raced. His figure 8 battles over the years were fierce with anybody who was trying to beat him. It's funny that I also could have just described Tony Stewart, yet I am a big fan of his. George Brown was an awesome Fig 8 Driver.

4 Roger Maynor. Roger, like his father, is hard to rank. He's been there forever. He's won in every generation, and been dominant at times. It would have been great to see the main part of his career in 1977 to 1984 at Islip, and that might move him up of down some notches. I put him at number 4, but he could easily be number 2.

3 Joe Biondillio Jr. Another guy I was not a fan of. When he was at the top of his game, the race was his to lose. He had the best move off of turn 2 I have ever seen. He left us way too early. No stretch to put him at number 2 either.

2. Chris Young. Was it the driver, or the car? That number 49 would probably be winning today. Chris once went an entire year that he won every heat race at Islip. EVERY ONE. Put him #6, put him #2. My gut says 2.

1 Doug Huber. Another of my non-favorites. Doug ran the number 19 Nova. Doug was a multi-time World Champion, and won the final 4 Figure 8 Championships at Islip, in what I consider the toughtest weekly competition in the 34 years I have been attending races. No doubt, as I think about it, that Doug was head and shoulders above the rest.

[Golf Guy]

My picks are a combination of accomplishment and who I like. My time frame to judge is 71-84 at Islip and 98-06 at Riverhead.
10- Sammy Atkins- my first year at Islip and he was the man.
9- Bobby Lane- My early favorite, loved to watch him race.
8- Tom Kraft- tough as nails, a true fig 8 driver.
7- Doug Huber- 4 straight championships and the last at Islip.
6- Tommy Rogers jr.- dominant in a short time.
5- John Fortin- Only saw a few races, but he was awesome!
4- Roger Maynor- still going strong, a true professional, the best ever at RH.
3-Joe Biondolillo Jr. - Before I got back to RH only saw a few of his races, but you cannot ignore the win total.
2-George Sprague- My man!
1- Young- Probably the best I ever seen and a really cool car.

[Teds Race Tours]

I'd pay to watch that Feature Jim. Now where is Steve's list?

[hollywoodmic]

Ok Ted, that was fun last Saturday

10. Tommy Ryan
9. Ernie Maynor
8. Ralph Tasso
7. Gerry Bowers
6. Tommy Kraft
5. Doug Huber
4. George Brown
3. Roger Maynor
2. Joe Biondillo Jr.
1. John Fortin - Because no matter what you put him in he won. Hell he even won a World Figure Championship race in Papa Joe's car one year. All great drivers and could be #1 on any given day.

[The Bullfather]

either way you pick em' everyone mentioned, except Freddie Kraft lol could win against each other. I think everyone picked so far could pull off a win against each other. Wish it could happen, but wishing is about much as it could happen. lol

[Tower Man]

10 - Clay Walston - nobody worked harder
9 - Bobby Lane - an innovator, well ahead of his time
8- Luigi Teriphichio - a fans driver
7 - Ralph Tasso - nice cars, tough competitor
6 - Tommy Rogers - Exciting to watch
5 - Ernie Maynor - No comments necessary
4 - Roger Maynor - 22 winning seasons speak for itself
3 - Bill Steen - Brought class to the division with great looking cars
2 - John Fortin - Told me how to race Figure 8's. I should have listened
#1 - "T K" Tom Kraft, my Uncle and my friend. He could win in a wheel barrow. Forget the part about 12 and 13 car fields, he can still run with and beat the best of them, and has for over 30 years.

[RACENUT]

Tower Man Did You Pick Clay Walston Over John Rigney And Jerry Bowers, I Guess You DIDN'T WATCH ANY FIG. 8'S AT ISLIP.

[art11758]

Ever hah??
I'm not sure I could rank them the way some have, but the ones that impressed me for smooth style and or innovative ideas:
Sam Atkins, Jerry Bowers, Bobby Lane, R.J. Faveau, Ernie Maynor, Chris Young, John Fortin, and Manny Buss. Mind you, I missed quite a few of the years you all considered.
Based on winning percentages, I believe Bobby Taylor was tops there.
Based on "balls", Ol' Downtown.
Of the "touring/travelling" guys I met, Sonny Eaton was one of the craftiest thinkers (the nickname "cheatin' Eaton" may have been well deserved), very smooth behind the wheel as well.

[Tower Man]

Hey Racenut, yeah I did, but the difference with Clay was he was basically a one man show, limited funds and still managed to finish second in the points back in 1979. He built my first car also.

Not taking away from Rigney or Bowers or Sammy. they were great as well. But it's my top 10 and I'm proud of 'em.

BTW, I've been watching Figure 8's since 1968. Almost 40 years, maybe my memory is fading at my age.