Bob McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., one of the all-time greats in Northeast big block modified racing, died Wednesday after a period of declining health. He was 74.

Affectionately known throughout his distinguished career by his "Barefoot Bob" nickname, McCreadie became a short track cult hero by excelling far-and-wide on a high level while maintaining a humble personality and home-grown racing effort that usually included him towing his car to the track on an open trailer. 

His appearance was unmistakable — thin frame, bearded face, glasses and ever-present hat atop his head — and his No. 9 machine was iconic in the modified world. No driver was more respected by fans, fellow drivers and others in the motorsports industry than McCreadie, whose spectacular resume boasted 507 career victories and 29 points championships and success on both dirt and asphalt ovals.

His biggest victory came in the 1986 Super DIRT Week 200 at the one-mile New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y., but there were few major events that escaped his grasp during a career that spanned from 1971-2006 and saw him win at 56 tracks. He recorded a career-high 47 triumphs in 1994 — topped by a checkered flag in the prestigious Eastern States 200 at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y. — and claimed three Super DIRTcar Series and two Mr. DIRT Modified titles.

A statement from the Super DIRTcar Series described McCreadie as being “synonymous with big block modified racing, a legend among legends of the sport.” And New York superstar Alan Johnson, one of McCreadie’s fiercest rivals on the track and closest pals off it, responded to news of his passing by thanking him in a Facebook post, “for the hundreds of memories and being a great friend.” While McCreadie suffered back injuries several times in on-track incidents — the most serious coming in a 1988 crash at Weedsport (N.Y.) Speedway that sidelined him for three months — his driving career came to an end following a 2006 accident in a Watertown, N.Y., parking lot when his Harley-Davidson motorcycle was struck by a car. His injuries included a fractured femur, two broken ribs and a chip fracture of the lumbar spine. 

McCreadie’s long list of special recognition includes his induction to the Northeast DIRT Modified Hall of Fame, the Eastern Motorsport Press Association Hall of Fame and The Dirt Track at Charlotte’s Walk of Fame. A media poll conducted by Area Auto Racing News in 2000 named him among the Top 25 Dirt Modified Drivers of the 20th Century and he was also voted one of the 50 Greatest Drivers in Super DIRT Week history before the 50th anniversary event in 2022.

McCreadie is survived by his wife Sandy and their three children Tim, Tyne and Jordan. Tim, 50, followed in his father’s tire tracks by becoming a standout big-block modified driver and now stars in national Dirt Late Model racing while Jordan, 34, has also become a racer competing in the big-block modified division.