Rene Charland (November 13, 1928 – September 30, 2013), nicknamed "The Champ", was an American stock car racing driver. He was a four-time champion of the NASCAR National Sportsman Division, now known as the Xfinity Series.
| Rene Charland | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | November 13, 1928 Chicopee, Massachusetts | ||||||
| Died | September 30, 2013 (aged 84) Amsterdam, New York | ||||||
| Retired | 1984 | ||||||
| Motorsports career | |||||||
| Debut season | 1949 | ||||||
| Car number | 3, 69, 888 | ||||||
| Wins | 700+ | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965 NASCAR National Sportsman Champion[1] | |||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 9 races run over 4 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 77th (1966) | ||||||
| First race | 1964 Race No. 1 (Islip) | ||||||
| Last race | 1971 Albany-Saratoga 250 (Malta) | ||||||
| |||||||
Career
editCharland was born in Chicopee, Massachusetts on November 13, 1928[2] and made his home in Agawam.[3] His racing career began in 1949 at Riverside Park Speedway in Massachusetts.[2] By the 1960s he was part of a group of Northeastern racers called "The Eastern Bandits" who moved to the Mid-Atlantic and South to compete in NASCAR competition.[2] In 1962 Charland won his first championship in the NASCAR National Sportsman Division, now the XFinity Series. He won the title again the following three years,[4] and finished third in the series' 1966 standings despite missing half of the season due to an injury suffered at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.[3] His run of four straight championships gave Charland the nickname "The Champ",[2] a name he became better known by than his given name, which was pronounced "REE-nee".[3]
Charland also competed in the NASCAR Grand National Series,[3] running nine races between 1964 and 1971, including the 1966 Daytona 500, posting a best career finish of third at Fonda Speedway in 1966.[5]
Charland was estimated as having won over 700 races during his career.[3] He was an inductee into the New England Antique Racers Hall of Fame, the New York State Stock Car Association Hall of Fame and the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame.[2][3] In his later years Charland suffered from dementia.[2] He died on September 30, 2013, in a nursing home in Amsterdam, New York.[2]
Motorsports career results
editNASCAR
edit(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Grand National Series
editReferences
edit- ^ "NASCAR Xfinity Series Events". The Third Turn. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Remillard, Jason. "Auto racing legend Rene Charland, of Agawam, dies at 84". October 1, 2013. Springfield, MA: The Republican Accessed 2013-10-03.
- ^ a b c d e f Boggie, Tom. "Four-time NASCAR champ Charland dies". October 2, 2013. Schenectady, NY: The Daily Gazette. Accessed 2013-10-03.
- ^ "Past Sportsman Champions". February 25, 1968. Daytona Beach, FL: Daytona Beach Morning Journal, page 8C. Accessed 2013-10-03.
- ^ Rene Charland - NASCAR Sprint Cup Results. Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Accessed 2013-10-03.
- ^ "Rene Charland – 1964 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ^ "Rene Charland – 1965 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ^ "Rene Charland – 1966 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ^ "Rene Charland – 1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
External links
edit- Rene Charland driver statistics at Racing-Reference