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Weedsport, NY (Feb. 14, 2025) – The Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame is saddened to learn of the passing of Kenny Meahl, a popular Western New York racer in the post-war era and into the 1970s. Meahl died this past week at the age of 93.
Hailing from East Amherst, NY, Meahl was inducted into the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame in 1997.
Meahl started tearing up dusty fairgrounds and local tracks in a ’35 Ford roadster at the age of 16, in 1947. He was in on the NASCAR action when Buffalo’s Civic Stadium opened in ’49 and was the first champion at the Monroe County Fairgrounds that same year. Then duty called: Meahl served a three-year Army stint during the Korean Conflict.
Upon his discharge, he was back in the thick of it. Ken’s father worked alongside a fellow with a 14-year-old son who was building stock cars and had stars in his eyes. He was too young to drive, so the two dads decided to team up, putting Kenny in the seat of the kid’s creations. Starting in 1958, Meahl drove the No. 38 for future NASCAR Hall of Famer Jerry Cook and the team took off—chasing points throughout the Northeast and down south against some of the scrappiest drivers in the business, Cook and Meahl were sixth in the nation in the 1962 NASCAR National Sportsman point standings.
After Cook came of age and took the wheel in 1963, Meahl didn’t miss a beat. Partnered with Red Snediker, he strung together five straight at Canandaigua, took a 60-lapper at Utica-Rome, the 150-lap Pepsi Championship event at Lancaster, and the prestigious Salt City 100 on the Syracuse mile that first season. In ’64, Meahl claimed the inaugural Southern Tier 100 at Five Mile Point and beat out fellow Hall of Famer Steve Danish in a 100-lap championship race at Victoria Speedway.
Meahl was a two-time Ransomville Speedway track champ, in 1960 and 1966. Following a frustrating 1967 campaign that only produced one victory, Kenny cut back his schedule to local events only. His final year of competition was 1975.
