Charlie Ethier

Competitor
CLASS OF 2012 | Pioneers
Veterans Committee Selection

Charlie Ethier was born in Chicopee, MA on March 5, 1919 and got into racing in 1941 when he would warm up cars for car owner Pappy Hough. He began competing himself in 1947.

During his career Ethier scored wins at New England tracks such as Westboro Speedway & Norwood Arena in MA, Candlelight Stadium in Bridgeport, CT, Cherry Park in Avon, CT and Lonsdale Sports Arena. He also won at Freeport Speedway and Empire Raceway in NY. He was runner-up to the ARDC Championship in 1950.

In 1951, Charlie Ethier modified his midget car into a sprint car, or what many called “big cars” back then. His first sprint car race was at Salem Speedway in Indiana on July 15, 1951. He was involved in a violent wreck on lap 3 of a 50 lap race and was immediately rushed to the hospital. He sadly succumbed to his injuries and passed away 4 days later. He was only 32 years old.

He was inducted into the NEAR Hall of Fame in a special Pioneers induction ceremony in 2012.