(Press Release from Thompson Speedway)
Last December, the racing community lost two well-known and admired figures in its ranks. New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame members, Ron Bouchard and Joe Brady were both legendary names in the Modified racing ranks and at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP).
It is only fitting that as the New England racing season gets started this weekend, we honor both Bouchard and Brady. TSMP will welcome their wives, Paula Bouchard and Linda Brady, as honorary guests at the 42nd Annual Icebreaker on April 8-10, and both Ron Bouchard’s Cup car and Joe Brady’s Modified will be on display in the paddock area outside of the track Pro Shop.
Driver, Ron Bouchard earned 37 wins throughout his famed career at Thompson’s 5/8 mile oval and earned the Thompson Modified crown in 1978. While continuing to race Modifieds, he also moved to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now the NASCAR Sprint Cup) in the 1980’s. He became the second of four New England drivers to win a race in NASCAR’s premier series when he won his 11th start, the 1981 Talladega 500 in a photo finish. He was an inductee in the first class of the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame in 1998. He was also inducted into the Eastern Motorsports Press Association (EMPA) Hall of Fame in 2014.
Joe Brady was a car owner, known for building cars for some of the best Modified drivers in the country, including Bugsy Stevens, Leo Cleary, Bob Santos, Ken Bouchard, Steve Park and Ted Christopher. Though he did not have a big budget, he was known for being able to do a lot for a little, resulting in championship winning cars. Brady was inducted into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame in 2008.
Ron Bouchard and Joe Brady will be honored as part of the Icebreaker on April 8-10. For more information about the event or Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, visit www.thompsonspeedway.com.
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