New Book Chronicles The Life Of The Late Ron Bouchard

Motorsports publisher Coastal 181 has announced the upcoming release of “RON BOUCHARD: Remembering the Kid from Fitchburg,” compiled and edited by Bones Bourcier. The book will first be available at a book-signing event at Thompson Speedway, in conjunction with the return of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour for the Budweiser “King of Beers 150” on August 10. Bouchard was 1978 Modified champ at Thompson and also claimed 37 wins at the storied venue, more than any other track at which he raced.   

Bouchard stepped into the spotlight at a young age, racking up track championships as a teenager and beating the best NASCAR Modified drivers in the Northeast in his early 20s. While a common occurrence these days, during the early ’60s, winning a feature at age 16 (in a cutdown at the Pines Speedway in Groveland, Mass.), was head-turning. That was the beginning of a stellar racing career, first winning track championships at Seekonk and multiple features at other local short tracks, then on to Modified success across the Northeast, and finally to NASCAR’s Winston Cup, where he stunned the racing world with a victory at Talladega in August of 1981.   

In the mid-’80s Bouchard turned his talents from racing cars to selling them, growing his business from a small used-car lot in Fitchburg, Mass., into a highly successful chain of dealerships in central Massachusetts. In all his dealings -- with other drivers, car owners and crew, or family and employees -- Ronnie was an even-tempered, laughter-loving, and generous man, turning his own competitiveness and drive for success into opportunities for all around him.   

Award-winning author Bourcier knew Bouchard well, having covered his career for racing papers and magazines since 1976. Bourcier and Bouchard had often talked about collaborating on a book before Ronnie’s death from cancer in December 2015, which shocked the racing community. Bones has interviewed those who knew Ronnie best, from family members to household racing names, including Modified icons Bugs Stevens and George Summers, legendary car owners Bob Johnson and Bob Judkins, NASCAR Cup winners Geoff Bodine and Ricky Rudd, broadcasters Jack Arute and Mike Joy, and many more. This book is a labor of love. 

  

After the launch and autograph session at Thompson, the book will be available from Coastal 181 for $27.95 plus S&H.  It can also be pre-ordered for free shipping before August 10, online at www.coastal181.com, or by phone at 877-907-8181. Soft cover, 264 pages, including 24 pages of photographs.