The 100 winningest drivers MY EYES have seen - By Bobby Gerould - August 8, 2005. Rocklin, CA. …Here is a fun project that anyone can do. Try to re-trace all the races that you have been to in your lifetime, and list the winners of each feature your eyes have seen. It takes time; I've been working on my list literally for about six years. About once a month I take a few hours and dig through old programs, do Google searches, read journals, and use Kevin Eckert's website to try to find the race winners I saw. For the sake of clarity - I am including any race where I was on the grounds - even the ones I may have slept through as a three year old. My Dad was an announcer of super-modified, and sprint car events on the West Coast. From birth I went to West Capital Raceway (W. Sacramento, CA.) on Saturdays. Later, as Dad did more writing, and announcing we included Friday nights at Chico CA. and special events at Dixon CA. into the mix. As a teenager and college student I worked for NARC and hit all the major Northern California dirt tracks. Adult work for USAC, the World of Outlaws, and others has blessed us with the opportunity to see many tracks across the USA, and into Canada. The results of all this logging and work will be a historical log that I can always go back to for reflection. Over the course of the next 100 weeks, HammerDownUSA.com will list a driver in a countdown of the driver who MY EYES have seen win the most feature races. My list will obviously reflect my environment. It will not be a list of who I consider to be the greatest drivers ever. That would be subjective, and impossible. But I can scientifically list the best drivers I have seen. This list is a fun project for me and I hope you will enjoy the journey to naming number one.

#97 Johnny Tiner - Rio Linda, California. 2 wins.

Johnny Tiner runs a NARC race at the Dixon (CA.) Fairgrounds in 1977.

…The Tiner Family from Rio Linda has 40 years of racing experience. Johnny Tiner is another guy that I probably saw win more than twice but so far that is the verifiable total. I was seven years old when Tiner drove his Valley Ring & Rebore #94 super-modified to a West Capital Raceway win on April 19, 1975. Tiner was a regular in the Saturday night points racing series and our recollections of him were that he held the HammerDown! and raced with passion. I recall more than a couple post race incidents involving the Tiner crew. The second time I can verify a Tiner win I witnessed was July 8th, 1983 at Placerville Speedway. I remember this one. Johnny beat the NARC winged sprint car competition in a memorable 'upset'. Chuck Gurney was the man to beat at the time, and Tiner held him off to score a win that made the local P-Ville fans dance in the stands. Johnny always treated me with respect and a smile. From a distance I always viewed him as a gentle man with a big heart. He never had the expensive store-bought equipment but always found a way to find speed. …Johnny is father to racers Randy and Rich Tiner. Rod Tiner is a chassis specialist regarded as one of the sharpest minds on the West Coast. Johnny is Grandpa to driver Steven Tiner. Johnny's brother Mac also raced the Supers at West Cap. Johnny's nephew Mac Tiner Jr. ran sprint cars as well. Johnny retired from driving some time ago but we often see him at the local California dirt tracks. He is a member of the West Capital Raceway Hall of Fame.