Rene Charland, nicknamed "The Champ", was an American stock car racing driver.
10 Facts About Rene Charland
1.
2.
Rene Charland was a four-time champion of the NASCAR National Sportsman Division, now known as the Xfinity Series.
3.
Rene Charland's racing career began in 1949 at Riverside Park Speedway in Massachusetts.
4.
In 1962 Rene Charland won his first championship in the NASCAR National Sportsman Division, now the XFinity Series.
5.
Rene Charland 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.
6.
Rene Charland's 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".
7.
Rene Charland 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.
8.
Rene Charland was estimated as having won over 700 races during his career.
9.
Rene Charland 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.
10.
Rene Charland died on September 30,2013, in a nursing home in Amsterdam, New York.