Pat Ward (racing driver)

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Pat Ward
BornPatrick Ward
(1957-03-06) March 6, 1957 (age 67) [1]
Genoa, New York
Debut season1973
Car number42P
Championships4
Wins145+
Championship titles
1998 New York State Fair Champion[2]
2004 Mr. Dirt 358 Modified Champion
2007, 2008, 2009 Race of Champions Dirt Modified Tour[3]
Last updated on: July 23, 2023.

Patrick "Pat" Ward (March 6, 1957) is an American Dirt Modified racing driver, currently credited with over 145 career wins at 17 tracks in New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida.[4]

Racing career[edit]

Pat Ward began his racing career in 1973 in a late model Mustang at Weedsport Speedway Since progressing to the Modified division, he has claimed track championships at Can-Am, Fulton, and Utica-Rome speedways in New York state.[4][5][6][7] He has also competed and been victorious at the east coast race tracks from Florida to Canada, including Brewerton Speedway NY, Fonda Speedway NY, Selinsgrove Speedway PA, and the Syracuse Mile NY.[1][3][4][8][9]

Ward is also a respected fabricator and mechanic, having built his own cars and engines for much of his early career, and then joining manufacturer Howard Conkey's Show Car Engineering company in 1982.[4]

Pat Ward was inducted into the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame in 2021.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Pat Ward-Career Results by Series". The Third Turn. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  2. ^ "New York State Fairgrounds: Touring Series and Major Events". The Third Turn. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Ward begins defense of his RoC title with Icebreaker weekend". Reading Eagle. March 23, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e Swanson, Buffy (May 13, 2021). "Cayuga County driver Pat Ward grew up racing". The Citizen (Auburn, New York). Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  5. ^ Medler, Dave (September 1, 2013). "Dan Vauter Wins The Modified Feature At The Fulton Speedway; Pat Ward Earns His First Track Championship". Oswego County Today. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  6. ^ "Pat Ward wins Fulton Speedway modified feature in dramatic fashion". The Palladium Times. August 25, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  7. ^ Elkins, Doug (June 3, 2013). "Pat Ward goes from operating table to victory at Fulton". The Post-Standard. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  8. ^ Szczerba, Ron (August 23, 2010). "Ward dominates in Fonda Speedway homecoming". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  9. ^ Boogie, Tom (August 19, 1994). "Ward's broken shock ruins Fonda points race showdown". The Daily Gazette. p. C6. Retrieved July 22, 2023 – via Google Books.