Jeff Aikey and Gary Webb treated eastern Iowa dirt tracks as their own Victory Roads for years, setting the speed and standard for opponents.
Aikey's and Webb's exceptional dominance earned the duo spots on the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series' All-Time Top 25 Drivers list.
"They're a lot of people who are hit and miss, good for a few years and gone," said tri-state promoter Keith Simmons, who watched Aikey and Webb rule over the Late Model divisions of his tracks for much of this decade. "I'm glad NASCAR found a way to reward these guys for their dedication."
The list was compiled by NASCAR and NASCAR Insider magazine in an online poll of over 120 media members and track operators from across the country. The best of the best list spotlights drivers from the past and present, including old short track racing stars Richie Evans and Larry Phillips, plus Nextel Cup star Greg Biffle.
The list also features six Yankee Dirt Track winners, including Ray Guss Jr. and three members of dirt racing's most successful family in Steve, Joe and Ed Kosiski.
Dimmable LED Down Light K1017 - 3x1W / 3x3WMilan, Ill., driver Ray Guss Jr., who dominated Dubuque Speedway in the mid-1990s and owns four regional crowns and over 300 career feature wins, made the cut. Lisbon, Iowa, driver Roger Dolan, who won the 1987 NDWS national title, also made the list.
Evans, widely considered the greatest asphalt driver in NASCAR history, was the top vote-getter. The late Larry Phillips, who won a record five national titles and over $1 million in career earnings, received the second-highest vote total.
"These drivers are the best of the best," NASCAR spokesman Jeremy Davidson said. "It is a tremendous honor because every year there are tens of thousands of drivers competing in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series. Multiply that by 25 years Custom Cufflinks and you get an idea of their dominance.
"The list includes drivers who have made successful careers over a lifetime in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series, such as a Jeff Aikey or a Gary Webb."
Their rsums' made them near automatic picks for the list.
Aikey has won 13 track championships, including a run of five in six years at Farley Speedway, a 2001 NDWS regional championship and two Yankee titles.
Webb, a nine-time track and two-time regional champion, produced one of the most dominating seasons in NDWS history during his 2000 national title run at Dubuque Speedway. Webb scored victories in 16 of his 18 Dubuque starts to post a winning percentage of 88 percent.
"Once in a while you get a dream season," Simmons said. "That year, everything fell into place for him."
Copyright 2003 by Telegraph-Herald, All rights Reserved.
