Kenneth Aaron Bouchard (April 6, 1955) is an American former NASCAR driver and the 1988 Rookie of the Year. His brother Ron Bouchard was the 1981 Rookie of the Year.
Modified career
Before he came to
NASCAR, Bouchard was a modified racer in the Northeast. He won eleven
NASCAR modified races in one season. He was voted one of NASCAR Modified’s 50 Greatest Drivers of All-Time. He then ran a part-time
Busch Series schedule.
He has driven for car owners including Sonny Koszela No. 15, and Len Boehler No. 3. Bouchard had success driving the Ted Marsh No. 55 in which he won several races and championships.
Winston Cup career
He made his
Winston Cup debut in 1987 at the Miller American 400 at Michigan, finishing 32nd after suffering oil pressure problems. The next year, he raced full-time in
Winston Cup in an unsponsored car owned by Bob Whitcomb. Despite this, he finished eighth at North Carolina Speedway and defeated promising rivals
Ernie Irvan and
Brad Noffsinger to become the 1988 NASCAR Rookie of the Year. In 1989, however, he was released from his ride after just four races. He returned in 1993, running three races for
Thee Dixon in his No. 85
Safety-Kleen/
Burger King Ford. He ran his last
Winston Cup race in 1994 at the Hooters 500, where his No. 67 Ford expired after 280 laps because of valve trouble, finishing 29th. Since then, Bouchard has competed in five Craftsman Truck Series races. He also attempted several
Winston Cup events, but failed to qualify for each of them, the last of which was the 1999 Pepsi 400, in the No. 84
Chevy sponsored by
Island Oasis.
Driving instructor career
Bouchard now operates the Drive to Victory Lane Racing School at Thompson International Speedway. He finished thirteenth in the "Icebreaker 2006"
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at the track.
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
() (
Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Winston Cup Series
Daytona 500
Busch Series
Craftsman Truck Series
Busch North Series
Winston West Series
Whelen Southern Modified Tour
ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series
() (
Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
External links
