Dale Planck
American Dirt Modified racing driver (1970–2024)
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Dale Planck (July 16, 1970 – June 22, 2024) was an American Dirt Modified racing driver, credited with over 200 career wins at tracks in the Mid-Atlantic (United States) and two Canadian provinces.[2][3]
| Dale Planck | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 16, 1970 |
| Died | June 22, 2024 (aged 53) |
| Retired | 2019 |
| Debut season | 1985 |
| Modified racing career | |
| Years active | 1988-2019 |
| Car number | 77X |
| Championships | 11 |
| Wins | 189[1] |
| Previous series | |
| 1985-1987 Wins | Mini-Stock 12 |
| Championship titles | |
| 1994, 1995 NASCAR Mid-America and 1996 NASCAR New England Regional Champion 2012 Mr. Dirt 358 Modified Champion | |
Racing career
Planck began his racing career in 1985 in a 4-cylinder mini-mod at Dundee Speedway, New York, and by 1988 he had moved to the 358-modified class.[2] He was soon competing successfully at the toughest venues in the Northeast, including Big Diamond Speedway (Pottsville) and Kutztown Speedway in Pennsylvania; Afton Park Speedway, Brewerton Speedway, Canandaigua Speedway, Orange County Fair Speedway (Middletown), Rolling Wheels Raceway (Elbridge), the Syracuse Mile, and the Weedsport Speedway in New York; Hagerstown Speedway, Maryland; and Merrittville Speedway in Thorold, Ontario.[4][5][6][7][8]
Planck won the first of three consecutive NASCAR regional modified championships in 1994, captured the 2009 and 2012 DIRTcar 358-Modified touring series, and was the Mr. Dirt 358-modified titlist in 2012. Along the way, he claimed track championships at Fulton Speedway and Utica-Rome Speedway (Vernon) in New York.[9][10][11]
Planck was inducted into the New York State Stock Car Association Hall of Fame with the class of 2024 and the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame in 2025.[12]