2/16/2024
Can-Am Speedway
Golden Jubilee: Steve Hall - Most Dominant Sportsman Driver of All Time
As the 50th Golden Jubilee at the Can-Am Speedway draws near, we look back at many drivers, events and memorable moments over the years.
One of the most dominant drivers in the DIRTCar Sportsman division made Can-Am Speedway his personal playground. He began here as a champion and closed out his career as a champion, that man is Steve Hall.
After tagging along with Late Model legends Tommy Reinbeck and Sonny Mandigo to come to the races at the age of 14, Steve Hall was hooked on the place right away. Hall eventually got a Street Stock together and made his first laps at Can-Am. He had this to say about his first few laps around the track.
“The place was big and fast!” Hall said with a chuckle as he recalled the first competitive laps he made at the big half mile oval in his iconic number 61. “The track had a lot of bite in it and we were flying around there in our Street Stock with Bill Gill and those other guys.” Hall added.
The safety of his car was tested following a bad accident, when he lost control ahead of Bill Gill and violently flipped, which tore the cage off his ride.
“That was our last time there in a Street Stock and we started in Sportsman the next year and I think we made the right move.” Hall said.
“That wreck could have been a lot worse I don’t know how I made it through that one.”
Hall eventually moved to the Sportsman division making Can-Am his home track and won right away, but also got a little help from Watertown New York’s Bob McCreadie.
“Bob told me. You think you’re driving hard? Count to three before you let off in the corners.” Said Hall as he recalled some advice that was given to him. “He basically told me if you do that you’ll pass more cars in a lap than many will do in an entire feature, I was scared to death trying that but I got confident and never stopped.”
Pass cars he did, a lot of them. Hall was clearly the dominant force winning a record 4 consecutive DIRTCar Sportsman track championships from 1993-1996 and many feature wins, which included the first his three DIRTCar Sportsman Series wins at Can-Am on September 14th of 1996, when he won the first of his two Mr. Dirt Sportsman championships.
“The fans were great I mean you couldn’t get a seat in the place most nights I mean the Thurston family really had it going well back then and it’s going great to this day too, Hall added. We had a great relationship with the fans then and that’s so important.”
After adding 2 more track championships, a 2nd Mr. Dirt championship and two more track titles in 1998 and 1999, Hall decided that 2000 would be his final year. “We accomplished a lot, but I became a father and the construction business was really taking off, my crew was working sun up to sun down working on the car, working for me or their own jobs too,” Hall said as he talked about making the decision to get out of the drivers seat after the 2000 season.
Hall also added, “it was really hard to quit. We had so many great partners that helped us with sponsorship, but I told my guys I said look, we have accomplished what we set out to do we had fun doing this, I think this is a good time to move on while we are on top”
So does Hall miss being a part of the racing action at The Nasty Track of the North? “I miss my friends I really do,” Hall said. “But I have no regrets hanging up the helmet, we accomplished so much and yes it was hard to quit, but it was the right time to step away”
The career for Hall at Can-Am is legendary.
Other drivers have come into the division and left their mark but Hall will be forever remembered for his effortless driving style, which led to a total of 6 track championships and 85 DIRTCar sanctioned wins with 52 of them coming at Can-Am, the most in track history.
The Golden Jubilee season is on the way as the Thunder in the 1000 Islands weekend will kick off the 50th year of operation for the track, highlighted by the opener for the Super DIRTCar Series and DIRTCar 358 Modified Series April 12th and 13th.
Stay tuned to our website at racecanam.com and the track Facebook page for more feature stories on drivers, special events and historical moments that have all been part of the 50 years at Can-Am Speedway in Lafargeville New York.
Article Credit: Tim Baltz
Submitted By: Tyler & Michelle Bartlett
Article Media
