Veteran NASCAR Driver Ron Bouchard Dies At 67

1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year Ron Bouchard passed away at age 67 on Wednesday; he had been battling cancer for several years and finally succumbed to the disease.

“It was a tough battle,” Ed Flemke Jr., Bouchard’s brother-in-law, told RacedayCT. “But he fought the good fight, as he always did.”

Bouchard began racing at 16, but his most memorable victory came 11th professional start. At Talladega, then known as Alabama International Motor Speedway, he leapt from third to first place in the final lap to capture the checkered flag. He would go on to be named the 1981 Rookie of the Year.

“Ron Bouchard’s passion for racing was evident from his very early years in NASCAR. Competition fueled Ron, whether racing modifieds at short tracks across the Northeast or winning rookie of the year honors in NASCAR’s premier series,” NASCAR said in a statement. ” He loved this sport, and made an indelible mark on it, one that won’t soon be forgotten. NASCAR extends its condolences to the friends and family of Ron Bouchard, a true racer.”

Photo: NASCAR driver w:Ron Bouchard in the 1980s. Photo by Ted Van Pelt via Wikimedia Commons