Ronald Bouchard
Born(1948-11-23)November 23, 1948
Fitchburg, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedDecember 10, 2015(2015-12-10) (aged 67)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Cause of deathCancer
Awards1981 Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year
New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame (1998)
NASCAR Cup Series career
160 races run over 7 years
Best finish8th (1982)
First race1981 Valleydale 500 (Bristol)
Last race1987 Winston 500 (Talladega)
First win1981 Talladega 500 (Talladega)
Wins Top tens Poles
1 60 3
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
20 races run over 5 years
Best finish31st (1984)
First race1983 Darlington 250 (Darlington)
Last race1987 Winn-Dixie 300 (Charlotte)
First win1984 Dixie Cup 200 (Darlington)
Last win1984 Darlington 200 (Darlington)
Wins Top tens Poles
2 8 4

Ronald R. Bouchard[1] (November 23, 1948 – December 10, 2015) was an American NASCAR driver who was the 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year. His brother Ken Bouchard was the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year. His father-in-law, Ed Flemke Sr., and brother-in-law, Ed Flemke Jr., were also NASCAR Modified racers.

Local driving career

Ron Bouchard began racing career at Brookline Speedway as a substitute driver in 1963 by replacing the ill driver for his father's car. After high school he began racing in his father's car, and he rapidly moved up the ranks to late models at Seekonk Speedway. He claimed five consecutive track championships from 1967 to 1971. He began racing at other local tracks in the Camaro, and he was noticed by Bob Johnson.

Johnson quickly put Bouchard in his modified car at the famous Stafford Speedway, and he won his first of his 35 career victories at Stafford in April 1972. He won the 1973 and 1979 track modified championships. Bouchard also drove for car owners Bob Judkins (No. 2x, grandfather of former JTG Daugherty Racing driver Ryan Preece) and also Len Boehler (No. 3), where he won numerous races at Stafford Speedway, Thompson Speedway, Seekonk Speedway, Waterford Speedbowl and Westboro Speedway. One of Bouchard's biggest modified victories came at Thompson Speedway driving Dick Armstrong's No. 1 in the Thompson 300 in 1980.

Bouchard was also a notable rival of fellow New Englander, Geoffrey Bodine, whom he beat several times for modified victories and vice versa. Bodine also beat Bouchard in the NASCAR race at Martinsville in 1984. In spite of their rivalry, however, Bodine recommended Bouchard when Hendrick Motorsports began their Busch Series program later in 1984, allowing Bouchard to drive one race for the team.

NASCAR career

1983 racecar

Bouchard began his NASCAR career in 1981 in the No. 47 J.D. Stacy Buick for owner Jack Beebe (Race Hill Farm team). He captured the 1981 NASCAR Rookie of the Year title even though he only raced in 22 of 31 events. He posted 12 top 10 finishes in the 22 races, including his only career win, in the Talladega 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Running third to Darrell Waltrip and Terry Labonte on the last lap, he swooped under both of them as they battled side by side out of the final turn. The three cars crossed the finish line nearly simultaneously, with Bouchard winning in a photo finish.[2] After the race, Waltrip, who had been watching Labonte and not seen Bouchard pass him, asked, "Where the hell did he come from?" Waltrip has stated in interviews over the race that part of the reason he lost was because he did not try to block Bouchard as he believed that Bouchard was a lap down.

Bouchard's victory is considered by many as the biggest upset in NASCAR history and the win essentially clinched the Cup Series rookie of the year award for Bouchard. In 1982 Bouchard finished a career-high eighth in the final points standing with 15 top 10 finishes in 30 races. He ran full-time in 1983, 1984, and 1985. He finished between eleventh and sixteenth in the final points standing each of those years. Bouchard also came close to winning races at Martinsville in 1984 (finishing second to Geoffrey Bodine) and Rockingham in 1985 (where the roles of Talladega were reversed and he finished second to Waltrip).

1984 racecar

In 1986 he changed to the No. 98 Valvoline Pontiac for owner Mike Curb (Curb-Agajanian Motorsports). The team generally finished in the top 20 when they completed a race, but they had 9 DNFs (did not finish) in their 17 events.

In 1987 he raced in the No. 1 Bull's Eye Barbecue Sauce Chevrolet for owner Hoss Ellington in five events. Their two finishes were eighth and twelfth.

Awards

In 1998, he was inducted into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame in its inaugural class.

In 2016, New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame began awarding the Ron Bouchard Award for lifetime service to motorsport in the area.[3]

After racing

After racing in Winston Cup, Bouchard returned home to Fitchburg, Massachusetts, opening Ron Bouchard's Auto Stores, which currently represents Honda, Acura, Stellantis, Kia, and Nissan.

Bouchard married Paula Flemke, daughter of New England Modified racer "Steady" Ed Flemke, Sr. and sister to Ed Flemke Jr, in June 1983. The couple had five children—Eugene, Robert, Michelle, Tracey, and Chad.

In September 2015, Bouchard opened a museum at his Stellantis dealership celebrating his motorsport history, three months before his death to cancer on December 10, 2015.[4]

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

NASCAR Winston Cup Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 NWCC Pts Ref
1981 Race Hill Farm Team 47 Buick RSD DAY RCH CAR ATL BRI
24		 NWS
8		 DAR
27		 TAL
20		 NSV DOV
27		 CLT
26		 TWS RSD MCH
10		 DAY
9		 NSV POC
10		 TAL
1		 MCH
29		 BRI
5		 DAR
11		 RCH
25		 DOV
4		 MAR
6		 NWS
5		 CLT
5		 CAR
11		 ATL
39		 RSD
10		 21st 2594 [5]
Pontiac MAR
9
1982 Buick DAY
6		 RCH
9		 BRI
8		 ATL
36		 CAR
16		 DAR
34		 NWS
13		 MAR
19		 TAL
36		 NSV
3		 DOV
6		 CLT
10		 POC
31		 RSD
9		 MCH
12		 DAY
3		 NSV
10		 POC
4		 TAL
34		 MCH
10		 DAR
26		 NWS
7		 MAR
14		 CAR
8		 ATL
32		 RSD
6		 8th 3545 [6]
Olds BRI
12		 RCH
15		 DOV
8		 CLT
35
1983 Buick DAY
26		 RCH
12		 CAR
20		 ATL
12		 DAR
18		 NWS
11		 MAR
7		 TAL
20		 NSV
9		 DOV
34		 BRI
7		 CLT
41		 RSD POC
34		 MCH
28		 DAY
4		 NSV
27		 POC
13		 TAL
12		 MCH
12		 BRI
7		 DAR
32		 RCH
25		 DOV
16		 MAR NWS
7		 CLT
15		 CAR
6		 ATL
35		 RSD
11		 16th 3113 [7]
1984 DAY
27		 RCH
29		 CAR
21		 ATL
12		 BRI
3		 NWS
7		 DAR
17		 MAR
2		 TAL
10		 NSV
5		 DOV
9		 CLT
3		 RSD
19		 POC
19		 MCH
20		 DAY
34		 NSV
4		 POC
7		 TAL
16		 MCH
10		 BRI
14		 DAR
33		 RCH
13		 DOV
8		 MAR
19		 CLT
11		 NWS
28		 CAR
14		 ATL
12		 RSD
35		 11th 3609 [8]
1985 DAY
38		 RCH
4		 CAR
33		 ATL
7		 BRI
17		 DAR
16		 NWS
13		 MAR
28		 TAL
28		 DOV
20		 CLT
29		 RSD
32		 POC
29		 MCH
13		 DAY
4		 POC
9		 TAL
3		 MCH
38		 BRI
7		 DAR
5		 RCH
18		 DOV
8		 MAR
6		 NWS
6		 CLT
26		 CAR
2		 ATL
16		 RSD
10		 13th 3267 [9]
1986 Curb Racing 98 Pontiac DAY
6		 RCH
18		 ATL
40		 BRI
25		 DAR
37		 NWS
17		 MAR TAL
9		 DOV
27		 CLT
19		 RSD POC
12		 MCH
36		 DAY
41		 POC TAL
17		 GLN MCH BRI DAR
30		 RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT
21		 CAR ATL
42		 RSD 31st 1553 [10]
Buick CAR
13
1987 Ellington Racing 1 Chevy DAY
32		 CAR
36		 RCH ATL
12		 DAR
8		 NWS BRI MAR 48th 440 [11]
Buick TAL
38		 CLT DOV POC RSD MCH DAY POC TAL GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR RSD ATL
Daytona 500
Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish
1982 Race Hill Farm Team Buick 22 6
1983 23 26
1984 18 27
1985 15 38
1986 Curb Racing Pontiac 14 6
1987 Ellington Racing Chevy 17 32

Busch Series

NASCAR Busch Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 NBGNC Pts Ref
1983 Boehler's Racing 08 Pontiac DAY RCH CAR HCY MAR NWS SBO GPS LGY DOV BRI CLT SBO HCY ROU SBO ROU CRW ROU SBO HCY LGY IRP GPS BRI HCY DAR
5		 RCH NWS SBO MAR ROU 61st 320 [12]
Race Hill Farm Team 74 Pontiac CLT
3		 HCY MAR
1984 DuBee Racing 47 DAY
26		 RCH CAR
3		 HCY MAR DAR
1		 ROU NSV LGY MLW CLT
22*		 SBO HCY ROU SBO ROU HCY IRP LGY SBO BRI DAR
1*		 RCH NWS CLT
28		 HCY CAR
2		 MAR 31st 956 [13]
All-Star Racing 15 Pontiac DOV
2
1985 Race Hill Farm Team 47 Buick DAY
28		 CAR HCY BRI MAR DAR
25		 SBO LGY DOV CLT
40		 SBO HCY ROU IRP SBO LGY HCY MLW BRI
24		 DAR
29		 RCH NWS ROU CLT
11		 HCY CAR MAR
23		 42nd 507 [14]
1986 Spencer Racing 28 Pontiac DAY
4		 CAR HCY MAR BRI DAR SBO LGY JFC DOV CLT SBO HCY ROU IRP SBO RAL OXF SBO HCY LGY ROU BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR ROU CLT CAR MAR 98th 0 [15]
1987 Shepherd Racing 97 Buick DAY
40		 HCY MAR DAR BRI LGY SBO 67th 80 [16]
Shugart Racing 90 Buick CLT
42		 DOV IRP ROU JFC OXF SBO HCY RAL LGY ROU BRI JFC DAR RCH DOV MAR CLT CAR MAR

References

  1. ↑ "Ronald R. "Ron" Bouchard Obituary (2015) Sentinel & Enterprise".
  2. ↑ Caraviello, David (October 17, 2013). "Ranking the top 10 moments at Talladega". NASCAR. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  3. ↑ Speed Sport: New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame 2016
  4. ↑ Courchesne, Shawn (December 10, 2015). "New England Auto Racers Hall Of Fame Member Ron Bouchard Dies". RaceDay CT. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Ron Bouchard − 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Ron Bouchard − 1982 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Ron Bouchard − 1983 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Ron Bouchard − 1984 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Ron Bouchard − 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Ron Bouchard − 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Ron Bouchard − 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Ron Bouchard − 1983 NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Ron Bouchard − 1984 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Ron Bouchard − 1985 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Ron Bouchard − 1986 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Ron Bouchard − 1987 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
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