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Weedsport, NY (Aug. 11, 2024) – The Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame extends sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Bobby Bottcher, a fan favorite at Orange County Fair Speedway back in the 1970s, who passed away this week at the age of 85.
Bottcher, from Lehighton, PA, was inducted into the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame in 2000.
Bottcher started his storied racing career in 1957 at the Lehighton Fairgrounds. All of 16 years old, Bobby climbed into an entry-level Limited Sportsman when the regular driver failed to show and performed well enough to keep the ride. He went on to occupy victory lane at Mahoning Valley Speedway—for seven straight weeks in 1961—and by ’64 he was a threat at Evergreen and Grandview, as well.
Hall of Fame car owner Harold Cope was impressed and put him in a Modified in 1967. Bottcher won five events at Nazareth for Cope, before he was tapped by the No. 9 team owned by Paul Hildebrandt and Richard Ege, continuing to conquer both Nazareth and Orange County Fair Speedway from 1969-70.
But it was in the Ron Ritter/Jack Kleintop No. 666 (“The Devil Made Us Do It”) that Bottcher had his breakout. From 1971-75, he stacked up 41 wins for the team at Harmony, Nazareth, Orange County and in Lebanon Valley’s highly-touted Sunday Opens. He was the 1973 OCFS Modified champion, claiming the title over rival Buzzie Reutimann, and took the track’s Eastern States 200 in 1974.
Following those glory days in the No. 666, Bottcher’s star descended. He would walk away from the sport twice—the first time, after suffering serious head injuries in a horrifyingly brutal wreck at Orange County driving Loren Holland’s car in 1975; and finally, when he turned the controls of the Higbie brothers’ No. 97 over to his up-and-coming son Stevie.
Bottcher’s final victory came at Nazareth on June 8, 1980, driving for Jerry and Gary Higbie.
