Rene Charland

Rene Charland
Born	(1928-11-13)November 13, 1928 Chicopee, Massachusetts
Died	September 30, 2013(2013-09-30) (aged 84) Amsterdam, New York
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)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 1 0
NASCAR Sportsman Division
1962,1963, 1964, 1965	National Champion

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.

Career

Charland was born in Chicopee, Massachusetts on November 13, 1928 and made his home in Agawam. His racing career began in 1949 at Riverside Park Speedway in Massachusetts. 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. 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, and finished third in the series' 1966 standings despite missing half of the season due to an injury suffered at Albany-Saratoga Speedway. His run of four straight championships gave Charland the nickname "The Champ", a name he became better known by than his given name, which was pronounced "REE-nee".

Charland also competed in the NASCAR Grand National Series, running nine races between 1964 and 1971, including the 1966 Daytona 500, posting a best career finish of third at Fonda Speedway in 1966.

Charland was estimated as having won over 700 races during his career. 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. In his later years Charland suffered from dementia. He died on September 30, 2013, in a nursing home in Amsterdam, New York.

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.)

Grand National Series

NASCAR Grand National 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	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46	47	48	49	50	51	52	53	54	55	56	57	58	59	60	61	62	NGNC	Pts	Ref
1964	Bernard Alvarez	10	Ford	CON	AUG	JSP	SVH	RSD	DAY	DAY	DAY	RCH	BRI	GPS	BGS	ATL	AWS	HBO	PIF	CLB	NWS	MAR	SVH	DAR	LGY	HCY	SBO	CLT	GPS	ASH	ATL	CON	NSV	CHT	BIR	VAL	PIF	DAY	ODS	OBS	BRR	ISP 16	GLN	LIN	BRI	NSV	MBS	AWS	DTS	ONA	CLB	BGS	STR	DAR	HCY	RCH	ODS	HBO	MAR	SVH	NWS	CLT	HAR	AUG	JAC	119th	160
1965	Julian Buesink	03	Ford	RSD	DAY	DAY	DAY DNQ	PIF	ASW	RCH	HBO	ATL	GPS	NWS	MAR	CLB	BRI	DAR	LGY	BGS	HCY	CLT	CCF	ASH	HAR	NSV	BIR	ATL	GPS	MBS	VAL	DAY	ODS	OBS	ISP	GLN	BRI	NSV	CCF	AWS	SMR	PIF	AUG	CLB	DTS	BLV	BGS	DAR	HCY	LIN	ODS	RCH	MAR	NWS												108th	192
	Gary Weaver	10	Ford																																																				CLT 38	HBO
	Herman Beam	1	Ford																																																						CAR 39	DTS
1966	Ed Ackerman	03	Ford	AUG	RSD	DAY	DAY 33	DAY 50	CAR	BRI	ATL	HCY	CLB	GPS	BGS	NWS	MAR	DAR	LGY	MGR	MON	RCH	CLT	DTS	ASH	PIF	SMR	AWS	BLV	GPS	DAY	ODS	BRR	OXF 15	FON 3	ISP 24	BRI	SMR	NSV	ATL	CLB	AWS	BLV	BGS	DAR	HCY	RCH	HBO	MAR	NWS	CLT	CAR														77th	794
1971	John Keselowski	62	Dodge	RSD	DAY	DAY	DAY	ONT	RCH	CAR	HCY	BRI	ATL	CLB	GPS	SMR	NWS	MAR	DAR	SBO	TAL	ASH	KPT	CLT	DOV	MCH	RSD	HOU	GPS	DAY	BRI	AST 31	ISP	TRN	NSV	ATL	BGS	ONA	MCH	TAL	CLB	HCY	DAR	MAR	CLT	DOV	CAR	MGR	RCH	NWS	TWS															NA	-

External links

• Rene Charland driver statistics at Racing-Reference