Fred DeSarro

Competitor
CLASS OF 1999

Fred DeSarro raced bikes as a youth, then moved on to hydroplane boats all over New England. After a couple of years racing go-karts, Fred finally moved to stock cars during his early 20’s. He started at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl driving for car owner Bob ‘Slim’ Ross’ and his #122 ‘Bounty Hunter’ with limited success.

He then moved to Norwood Arena with his own car, the #11 coupe, eventually winning the 1967 Sportsman Championship.

In 1970, DeSarro replaced Leo Cleary in Sonny Koszela‘s ‘Woodchopper Special’ #15. They traveled all over the northeast chasing NASCAR points and by season’s end earned the 1970 NASCAR Modified National Championship. That same year DeSarro was also champion at Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, NY. Despite their success, the team split early in the 1971 season. Koszela hired Bugsy Stevens, while DeSarro would team up with Stevens’ former car owner Lenny Boehler. Known as “The Swap” or “The Shot Heard Around the Racing World”, the change was widely perceived as the beginning of fierce rivalry between the two drivers, when they in fact were close friends and remained so afterward.

The Boehler/DeSarro combination became one of the dominant teams of the 1970’s winning Modified Championships at Stafford Speedway in 1972 & 1976 and four straight titles at Thompson Speedway (1974-1977), including winning 14 of 18 races there during the 1974 season.

Notable wins for DeSarro include the inaugural Stafford Spring Sizzler in 1972, the Race of Champions at Trenton Speedway in 1974 and a Modified race at the annual World Series at New Smyrna Speedway in FL in 1977. He also finished 2nd to Merv Treichler at the Permatex 200 Modified road course race in 1975. Other tracks where he visited victory lane include the Waterford Speedbowl, Islip Speedway, Utica Rome Speedway, Seekonk Speedway, Catamount Stadium, Lee USA Speedway, Oswego Speedway and Martinsville Speedway.

On October 8, 1978, DeSarro was critically injured during warm-ups at the Thompson Speedway. He passed away weeks later on November 1st. A memorial race held to benefit the DeSarro family at Thompson Speedway on November 5, 1978. It remains the largest attended event in the track’s history.

DeSarro was honored by NASCAR as part of their 100 Greatest Drivers annd 10 Greatest Modified Drivers. He was also posthumously inducted into the Eastern Motorsports Press Association’s Hall of Fame in 2014.