Tim Mccreadie - The Big Switch

With that tuft of blond hair, he looks like he's about 18 years old. With his ready smile and fun-loving personality, T-Mac acts like he's 15. But put him on a high-speed, high-banked dirt track, and he steers his Dirt Late Model to the front like he's been doing it for three decades.

OK, so just how old is World of Outlaws dirt stock car driver Tim McCreadie? Well, he's in the middle of those observations. Try 32 years old. But that age is deceiving since he's only been in the Dirt Late Models for about three years.

McCreadie. Hey, isn't that the name of a celebrated DIRT Modified driver? And there's a connection because Tim is the son of the legendary "Barefoot Bob" McCreadie, who has won innumerable races and championships over the decades.

So with that background and name recognition, what's Tim doing in these fendered cars?

Well, his career started out quite as expected as he completed a highly successful kart career that brought over 100 wins and three divisional victories over a six-year period. His biggest accomplishment probably came when he won the top-gun WKA Pro-Kart Series.

Then, as expected, the Watertown, New York, star joined the Northeast-based DIRT Modified series that is essentially based in the New England area, with the exception of a few dates in Florida and the Midwest. The Modified career started in 1996 and his dad's genes pushed him to immediate and significant success. He showed strong in the 358 and big-block classes.

But things are not always smooth when you're the son of a legend of the sport. "I knew that people would say that I had it made because of Dad and his success," Tim recalls. "Dad told me, 'Whatever you do, there will be people that will figure you have had everything handed to you.'"

Tim, however, takes a mature approach in evaluating his success and the success of others in this tough sport.

"Nobody makes it in today's racing without some help," he says. "It's the work you put in after you get that help that makes the difference."

The first three years in the Modifieds saw Tim concentrate on the 358 small-block class, where he produced 19 victories. Then he felt he was ready for the big-block machines, which are powered by an engine in the same horsepower class as his current Dirt Late Model ride.

Next came a seven-year span in those more-powerful big-blocks, a time period that brought an amazing 59 victories, topped by 18 wins in 2003, along with 13 in 2002, and a dozen in 2001.

The word was getting out that maybe the kid was almost as good as the old man, or just maybe, equally as good. By then, the McCreadie youngster was making quite a statement.

But during this period, Tim was looking elsewhere. "I wanted to race on a more national level," he says. "The Modifieds were so restricted in area, and there were many parts of the country where the fans had no idea what they were."

The inkling of what was to follow actually took place in 2001 when the team he was running for asked him if he'd be interested in running a Dirt Late Model the team owned.

"I asked my dad what he would think about my trying the Dirt Late Models, not really knowing what his attitude would be," recalls Tim. "But he also thought it was a good move because of the publicity of the class and the fact that there were so many of the cars nationwide."

Then, in 2003, McCreadie went with the Sweeteners Company as his primary sponsor, and his Dirt Late Model career began in earnest in 2004.

He ran four Dirt Late Model races that first year and made the feature in all of them.

"You know, when I made the move, there were a lot of people who figured that I wouldn't be able to cut it in those cars," he says. "Some of them told me that I'd be back in a year."

Tim says that even though the Modifieds and Dirt Late Models look quite different to the eye, there are some definite similarities. "Obviously the Modifieds are considerably shorter than the Dirt Late Models, lacking that long nose protruding out in front."

The engines in each class produce about 800 hp, but there is a 467-cid limit on the Modified engines, while there's no engine limit on the Dirt Late Models.

Suspension-wise, the Modifieds use a straight front axle and a Z-link system, whereas the Late Model uses coilover shocks and a four-link arrangement. "With the greater downforce of the Modified body style and its body side panels, the Dirt Late Model is a lot looser than the Modified," McCreadie says.