Lenny Boehler

By the grace of God and 600 horsepower! Those words describe those that drive and own the Modifieds. Car owner Len Boehler was one of those. For over forty years Boehler owned and built Modifieds that won from the deep woods in Maine at the Oxford Plains Speedway to the sands at the New Smyrna Speedway in Florida .

His credits include six NASCAR National Modified Championships, three in a row with Bugsy Stevens as his driver in 1967-68-69, Wayne Anderson in 1994 and with Tony Hirshman in 1995 and 1996. Fourteen track championships including seven at the Thompson Speedway, three at the Stafford Motor Speedway, three at the Seekonk Speedway and one at the Norwood Arena. At Thompson, Boehler won four titles in a row with Fred DeSarro and with Stevens he won titles in 1966, 1968 and 1969. The three titles at Stafford came with Stevens in 1968 and with DeSarro in 1972 and 1976. At Seekonk, track titles came with Stevens in 1965, Leo Cleary in 1979 and Bruce ”Gomer” Taylor in 1986. Boehler's lone track championship at the Norwood Arena came in 1966.

In four decades Boehler's cars amassed over 300 wins. Among his major wins were the Trenton 200 in 1967, the Dogwood 300 in Martinsville, Va. in 1968, The Thompson 500 in 1969, the Islip 200 in 1971, back to back wins in the Fall 100 and the Cardinal 500 at Martinsville in 1971, the Spring Sizzler at Stafford in 1972, the Race of Champions at Trenton in 1974, the Oswego 200 in 1985, the Richmond 200 in 1992 and four wins at Loudon, New Hampshire including three in a row with Tony Hirshman in 1996.

Len Boehler was the consummate racer. He built his own chassis until he died and engines well into the 1980's when his competition was going to professional chassis and engine shops. His head, hands, and the local junkyard were the ingredients. He was also the master of deception. His ball joint coolers made from Maxwell House Coffee cans received national recognition in the Stock Car Racing magazine. He wore shoes that were taped up and shirts that had other people's name on them. His engines looked like something that had been pulled out of a swamp. His competition would see all of this and walk away laughing and shaking their heads. It was Len Boehler who would have the last laugh as his cars always ran up front and hardly ever broke. Bugsy Stevens, who drove Boehler's cars from 1964 until early 1971, stated, “Lenny built bullet proof motors”. Boehler's diversions would keep his competition at bay, as many would never take a closer look at what he really had.

Boehler began his career as a car owner-builder in 1957 with Tony Cortes as his driver in 1957 through1962, Don Hall in 1963 and Ed Hoyle in 1964. Racing primarily at Seekonk and Norwood , Boehler never achieved the success he desired. At Seekonk Boehler became friendly with a young upstart by the name of Bugsy Stevens. Hoyle didn't like the big track at Thompson; so on June 14, 1964 Boehler asked Stevens to drive his car at the fast 5/8-mile oval. The first time out they won, went back the following weekend and won again. Boehler was committed to Hoyle for the balance of the 1964 season and let him go at season's end.

Boehler and Stevens became a team in 1965 concentrating their effort at the Seekonk Speedway. A dynasty was begun and the legend of Ole Blue was born. Stevens won nine of the twenty-one events run at the D. Anthony Vendetti owned ¼ mile speedway. At season's end, Stevens `had won Boehler his first track championship. On Columbus Day weekend they ventured to the Langhorne speedway in Pennsylvania for the 200 mile Race of Champions where they finished third behind Bill Slater who won the prestigious event. That third place finish gave Boehler the confidence that his cars could compete on a national level.

In 1966, Boehler and Stevens left Seekonk to compete at the NASCAR sanctioned Norwood Arena, which at the time was considered the hotbed of Modified Stock Car racing in the Northeast. In their first outing, Bugsy brought Ole Blue home in third spot behind Freddie Schulz and Fred DeSarro. It was quite an accomplishment as the best in the business including Leo Cleary, Eddy Flemke, Bill Slater, Hop Harrington, and Fats Caruso, to name a few, ran there every Saturday night. At season's end, Ole Blue had carried Stevens to three wins and a second track championship for Boehler. They also raced at Thompson where another track championship was served up. The Stafford Speedway was in its last year as a dirt track. Stevens drove for John Koszela at the half mile and despite going winless, won the track championship, which made it a grand slam for Stevens. Ernie Gahan won the 1966 NASCAR National Modified Championship. Stevens, in his first year of NASCAR competition, finished second. It was also during 1966 that Lenny and Bugsy went into partnership in an auto salvage yard in Assonet , Massachusetts .

During the winter months the decision was made to go after the NASCAR National Modified Championship in 1967. Boehler built a new car and two new engines. The run for the Championship meant a lot of traveling. Back then there was no tour series. All the weekly races, plus the special events awarded points toward the Championship. Boehler did almost all of the maintenance work himself plus on many occasions was a one-man pit crew.

The weekly venue included Catamount Stadium in Milton , Vermont on Thursday night, the newly paved Stafford Speedway in Connecticut on Friday night, the Norwood Arena in Massachusetts on Saturday night, and Thompson in Connecticut on Sunday night. In the spring and fall when Thompson ran on Sunday afternoon, Boehler would leave as soon as the race ended, making a high speed run to the Utica-Rome Speedway in Vernon , New York . Utica-Rome is a little over 90 miles west of Albany , New York . Lenny installed a 427 Chevy engine and a real tall gear in his racecar hauler for the high-speed runs. Bugsy would jump out of the car and into the truck without even changing his uniform. Boehler would drive while his driver slept. They would always make it in time to run the consolation, then the feature.

From Utica-Rome it was back home to East Freetown , Massachusetts , arriving just as the sun was coming up. Bugsy would go home to Rehoboth , Massachusetts for a couple of hours of sleep before heading out to the salvage yard to open up in time for the Monday morning business. Lenny, who had been up since Sunday morning would sleep until noon on Monday and then spend the rest of the day making repairs and doing general upkeep. Lenny Boehler was an iron man to say the least. On a few occasions he and Stevens ventured off their well-worn path to race in special events at Plattsburg, New York, and as far south as Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

In addition, to that first championship the highlight of the year came in August when Bugsy and Ole Blu out-ran Donnie Allison to win the North-South battle at Trenton . It was especially gratifying to Boehler as his car beat the famous Tant-Mitchell No. 11, which at the time was considered the best car in the NASCAR Modified division. Boehler's car, for the championship run, was a thing of beauty and looked like a Modified should look like. He used the coupe body of a 1937 Chevrolet mounted on a 1953 Chevrolet frame. His engines, 327 and 427 Chevrolet, were built in his garage. Both sported Hilborn fuel injection. He had his own hue of blue for color with a ceramic-yellow No. 3 on the doors. The hard work and stamina paid off with over 25 wins and the 1967 Modified National Championship.

In 1968, Boehler's car carried Bugsy Stevens to twenty-nine feature wins out of sixty-eight races entered. A new adversary in the form of Don MacTavish kept Boehler and Stevens on their toes throughout the season. MacTavish was a seasoned point chaser who had George Colwell as his crew chief. In addition to the many races they ran on the track, Boehler and Colwell had many races of their own on the Mass Pike and New York Thruway. Boehler and Stevens started the 1968 season by winning the Dogwood 300 in Martinsville and by season's end has won track championships at Thompson and Stafford in addition to their second National Championship, Boehler used one engine for the entire season, a fuel injected 427 Chevrolet that he had been re-built after the 1967 season. Following the 1968 season, Ole Blue was getting tired. The Tant/Mitchell No. 11 has beaten Ole Blu at Trenton and Martinsville in the fall. Clayton Mitchell, who had built the No. 11, had abandoned the conventional straight axle-Flemke split spring front end and gone with a Chrysler-type torsion bar front end. Lenny spotted the new front end set up at Trenton and after making a few mental notes, put the plans into motion to duplicate the torsion bar front end in a new car he was about to build.

The 1969 season for Len Boehler was bittersweet. Don McTavish lost his life in a horrific crash at Daytona and Lenny's wife Joanne was diagnosed with cancer and passed away after the season had ended. MacTavish was a rival, but he was also a friend. His passing bothered Lenny and Bugsy deeply. The season itself started off with a bang-literally. Work on a new car had started, but was a long way from being completed. Lenny took his two-year-old mount to Martinsville for what was then a 500-lap event. Bugsy qualified the car second fastest to Ray Hendrick in the Tant/Mitchell No. 11.

The two ran side by side for 19 laps when they came together in a grinding crash as they exited turn four. Fred DeSarro, who was running his own car at the time, assumed the lead and led until there were four laps to go when his battery shorted out and ended his day. Jerry Cook, who was two laps down, took the lead and the win. Not one to cry in his beer, Boehler loaded the wrecked racer and took it home to East Freetown to make repairs that would keep them going until he completed the new car. Cook led the point standings up until the final race, which was the first and only Thompson 500 which Stevens and Boehler won.

In route to the championship, Boehler and Stevens ran fifty-four races and recorded fifteen wins and ten seconds. Catamount had dropped the Modifieds with the exception of an All Star League event, which Stevens and Boehler won. Cook was a conservative racer and coupled with the fact that a mid-summer strike at Stafford, Norwood, and Thompson took away available races to run, was the main reason it took so long to take the point lead that led to the third championship.

Boehler finally finished the new torsion front-end car in mid July. The first time out for the car was a mid week All Star League event at Norwood on July 23 rd . Stevens won the event, but in his own words, “the car was a beast and didn't handle”. It took Boehler a few weeks to understand how torsion bars affected chassis loading, but once he hit on it, that car was unbeatable. After completing the season with a third championship in hand, Boehler's world all but disintegrated when his wife lost her fight with cancer and passed away.

The sport of Modified racing also changed. Norwood dropped the Modifieds and Stafford , now under the ownership of Jack Arute, changed their race night to Saturdays, plus fuel injection was no longer allowed. Boehler was devastated by his wife's passing and lost interest in everything. Had it not been for the efforts of Bugsy and his wife Doris, Lenny may not have made it through the winter.

When the 1970 season rolled around, the decision had been made not to seek a fourth National Championship. Boehler and Stevens would race part time as Bugsy had an offer to go down south to do some Grand National (Winston-Nextel Cup) racing. Stevens took Boehler with him, but the good rides never came. Stevens did get an offer for a factory-backed ride at Holman and Moody, but turned it down as he, along with Boehler, felt their first responsibility was to their junkyard business. Racing on a part time basis, Bugsy still recorded seventeen wins in Boehler's car. Boehler, still hurting from the loss of his wife, went into a deep depression over the winter months, not wanted to work at the salvage yard or work on the race cars. During his championship years, Stevens had been offered rides in other top cars of the day, but always refused. With everything that was happening with Lenny Boehler, Stevens began to look for another ride.

The 1971 season began like many others in Martinsville , Virginia . Boehler managed to get a car ready for Stevens. The weekend ended up a disaster. Down on power and off on handling, Stevens qualified poorly and on race day was not as competitive as he once was. In the closing laps of the race, Stevens tangled with Lou Austin, which resulted in a massive wreck that all but blocked the track. Somehow, Bernie Miller got through the mess and went on to record his biggest win. Fred DeSarro, who had won the 1970 NASCAR National Modified Championship, was embroiled in a dispute with car owner John Koszela, Jr. DeSarro had qualified on the outside pole of the Martinsville event, but after an early race tangle with Ray Hendrick, found himself out of the race. Unknown to everyone, including himself, it would be his final ride in the famous Woodchopper Special that had carried him to the title.

The New England racing season began at Thompson on April 11. Boehler had patched up his car and was ready to race. Stevens won the opener but the wheels had been set in motion to vacate Boehler's cars and buy out Boehler's interest in the salvage yard. The combination that had been so successful was over. Koszela had split from DeSarro and Stevens had accepted the open ride. The split was complete when Stevens took sole possession of the salvage yard. Very few knew of the split until the following Sunday when Stevens took the Koszela 15 out for practice. Boehler evidently assumed that DeSarro would be at the track as he had the mighty No. 3 unloaded and ready to go. DeSarro, not one to hang around a racetrack looking for a ride, spent the day with his family.

A few drivers approached a dejected Boehler, offering their services. Lenny had his mind set. There was only one who could fill the seat. Needless to say, Bugsy went out and won the twin 25 laps features that day as Boehler loaded his car and went home. In Modified racing circles, it was known as the “Shot Heard Round the World”. Later that evening the phone line between East Freetown , Massachusetts and Hope Valley, Rhode Island was buzzing. A deal was struck and Fred DeSarro would be the new driver of the Len Boehler No. 3.

With renewed vigor, Boehler went to work preparing Ole Blue for the following weekend's events, which would include a 100 lapper at Martinsville on Saturday afternoon and the twin 25s at Thompson on Sunday. Boehler headed out for Virginia by himself, picking up DeSarro and his mechanic, Charlie Main along the way. Their first outing together produced a fourth, nothing to brag about, but gratifying just the same. The all night ride home produced some excitement, too. Just north of Roanoke , Virginia on route I-81, Boehler spotted the Koszela hauler and the race was on. They were side-by-side, wheel-to-wheel and wide open, all the way to Harrisburg , Pennsylvania . It was quite a night to say the least. Best of all, Boehler was back! He drove the entire distance to Thompson, making it in plenty of time. Back on home turf, DeSarro put the mighty No. 3 through its paces and won both ends of the Sunday afternoon twin bill, beating Stevens in the bargain. It was, to the delight of the fans, great wheel to wheel racing.

Lenny Boehler got a new lease on life. Bugsy's leaving gave Lenny the motivation to be competitive once again. DeSarro and Stevens would wage many battles, but would always remain good friends. During the summer of 1971 Lenny was back in the groove running four, sometimes five times a week. The routine for the weekend included Malta , New York on Friday night, and Stafford Speedway in Connecticut on Saturday night, Thompson , Connecticut on Sunday afternoon, and the Utica-Rome Speedway in Vernon , New York on Sunday night. The resulting schedule showed 19 wins for the Boehler-DeSarro team. They closed out the season with back-to-back wins at Martinsville . Coupled with Stevens' win at Thompson in the spring, it gave Boehler 20 wins for the year. Boehler earned living by racing cars. It was also, once again a labor of love. It was also during the 1971 season that he met and ultimately married Janice, his second wife.

Lenny Boehler began the 1972 season with renewed enthusiasm. The first win came in April at he inaugural Spring Sizzler at Stafford, a unique 80 lap open competition-all green sprint that was conceived by Dr. Dick Bergeron, Bruce Cohen, and Lew Boyd. Eddy Flemke appeared to be the eventual winner until his water pump failed in the closing laps. DeSarro, running second at the time, took advantage of the Flemke's misfortune and went on to take the win. Boehler and DeSarro would go on to score twelve more wins including seven at Stafford , which would give Boehler and DeSarro their first championship together.

The 1973 season saw the beginning of the end of the backyard mechanic being able to field a competitive Modified. Modified racing was beginning to be infiltrated with wealthy car owners who went racing with unlimited funds, while Boehler tried to survive still building his own equipment and financing his racing out of his own wallet. The season produced only six wins, four at Malta and one each at Stafford and Thompson. The highlight of his season came when his wife Janice gave birth to a son, Michael. It was also during the season that DeSarro received numerous phone calls from wealthy car owners who told him he could write his own ticket. His standard answer was, “I followed that car for a lot of years and as soon as I get out of it, I will be following it again”. DeSarro was extremely loyal to Lenny Boehler but he never told him about the phone calls.

The Thompson Speedway dropped their NASCAR sanction after the 1971 season. They ran with competitors who were on strike from the Seekonk Speedway in 1972 before going with their own program of open competition: Small block modifieds in 1973. The big block 427 Chevrolet was still the engine of choice in the NASCAR modifieds. The 1974 NASCAR modified season for Len Boehler was one disappointment after another. Much of his competition had gone to using professionally built big block engines that put out considerably more horsepower than Boehler's home built power plants did. Finally, he and DeSarro gave up on Stafford . In the meantime, Boehler had built a small block engine for Thompson. The events only paid $500 to win, but the field of cars consisted of many home built cars like his own. Boehler and DeSarro cleaned house on Sunday night wracking up 14 winds and the track championship. Unknown to many, Boehler was assembling another big block power plant, which would bring him one of his greatest wins. In mid September, Boehler and DeSarro traveled to Trenton , New Jersey for the Race of Champions. The best that modified racing had to offer was in competition. It all came down to the final lap. DeSarro and Bugsy Stevens roared off turn four, wheel to wheel, heading for the checker. The Boehler built engine mustered the needed horsepower and gave DeSarro a six-inch victory over his old adversary.

Boehler took his Race of Champions winning Vega to Daytona Beach in February of 1975 for a 200-mile event run on the 4.1-mile road course at the Daytona International Speedway. It was a while new ballgame for the season car owner and his driver. Just about everybody there suffered transmission and clutch failure in the practice sessions leading up to the event including the high dollar teams of Maynard Troyer and Geoff Bodine. While many ran out to buy special road racing transmissions, Lenny Boehler built his own using files and a body shop grinder. Once again, Boehler had the last laugh as Fred DeSarro finished second to Merv Treichler in the Daytona 200.

By 1975, the expensive high winding small block engine had all but shoved the big block into oblivion. Boehler still ran his big block at Stafford , but the writing was on the wall. One win, as a result of Eddie Flemke being disqualified for being 60 lbs. light, brought Boehler his only win at Stafford that season. The competition in Thompson's small block division was becoming very intense as many of the big names Geoff Bodine, Ronnie Bouchard were now running there every week. DeSarro still managed to garner five wins and another track championship for Ole Blue.

For the 1976 season, Lenny built a new Vega bodied modified. Rather than buy new body skin, Boehler used body parts from the three wrecked Vegas. When the new car rolled out of its beech bluff garage, it was tri-colored. It was white on one side, blue on the other, and had a red rear deck. Rather than sanding and painting the body panels, Boehler left them just the way he found them in the junkyard. Daytona 500 television anchorman Mike Joy, the announcer at Stafford at the time, labeled the car the Bicentennial Vega in honor of our country's 200 th anniversary. The name stuck and the race fans loved the patriotic theme of the car.

The Vega ran consistently in the top three at Stafford plus entered Victory Lane twice. When the points were tallied at season's end, Boehler and DeSarro were the track champions. Boehler's small block Vega took seven wins at Thompson, which produced another track championship. One of the most notable runs made by the Bicentennial Vega came at Trenton in the Race of Champions. An oil leak early on in the event put Ole Blu and DeSarro three laps down in the 200-mile event. After numerous pit stops, Lenny made the necessary repairs and got DeSarro and Ole Blue back in the hunt. DeSarro caught the cautions right and was able to make up the three laps he has lost. Maynard Troyer had led during the late stages of the event and had just taken the white flag when he looked in the mirror and to his amazement, saw Ole Blu closing in. DeSarro had already passed Troyer three times and had there been one more lap at the 1.5 mile oval, DeSarro would have taken the win.

Lenny and his wife Janice always took a mid-winter vacation in Daytona Beach , Florida in February during Speed Weeks. Just about every year, Lenny had taken a car to race at the Daytona International Speedway. Bill Slater convinced the owners of the New Smyrna Speedway to add the modifieds to their nine night World Series program. Most of the top drivers of the day were there including Geoff Bodine, Richie Evans, Eddie Flemke, and Ronnie Bouchard. Boehler watched DeSarro closely during practice and made a few chassis adjustments prior to the feature. Boehler sent Ole Blu into battle for the 25 lap main event. DeSarro started on the outside pole and sprinted to a non-stop win. Lenny Boehler had now won from Maine to Florida . With all things being equal including new tires on all the cars, Boehler's cars could hold their own against anyone.

The only difference between Lenny and his competition was that he refused to try to out-spend the competition in order to win. The rest of the Florida series turned into a slugfest between Evans and Bodine who raced with unlimited bank accounts behind them. While they would bolt on four new tires a night, Boehler elected to wear a set out before replacing them and by weeks end, Boehler had run consistently in the top five and finished third in points. The bottom line was the fact that Boehler spent considerably less and in the end actually made more money. Boehler and DeSarro skipped Martinsville and the Spring Sizzler at Stafford . They did run a spring event at Trenton where they finished second.

DeSarro was employed at Stanley-Bostich in East Greenwich , Rhode Island . He has become a part of management and his superiors were pressuring him to cut back or get out of racing all together. Boehler understood as he scaled back to two nights a week. With the exception of one win at Stafford on May 27 th , Friday nights saw one frustration after another. On one occasion, DeSarro didn't make it to Stafford . Lenny's main effort went into the Thompson car. It paid off in spades as DeSarro romped to 14 wins, including four in a row in one stretch during the summer. At season's end, Ole Blue, with DeSarro aboard, won the small block modified portion of the World Series and wrapped up the Thompson Track Championship; their fourth in a row!

Boehler made the trip to New Smyrna again in 1978. A mid winter February blizzard dropped close to two feet of snow in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island . Lenny found himself land locked in East Freetown and with just a day to spare was able to leave for Florida . All roads in Rhode Island were closed, so Boehler had to drive to Springfield , Massachusetts before heading south. DeSarro ended up getting a ride on a snow mobile from his home in Hope Valley, Rhode Island to Stonington , Connecticut were he hooked up with Charlie Main and headed south.

At New Smyrna the competition was intense. Ole Blu was not quite up to par. Geoff Bodine, Ron Bouchard, and Bugs Stevens dominated the series. DeSarro managed to stay in the top five but sensed that something wasn't right. DeSarro had to return to his job and left one night early. Lenny took the car out himself and finished tenth. An engine blew at Martinsville and DeSarro retired Ole Blu at Trenton when he broke a valve spring. After finishing fifth at the Sizzler, Lenny told Fred that he has been diagnosed with Lymphoma, a form of cancer.

Throughout the summer, Lenny managed to race. It took the willpower of a man of steel. The effects of the Chemotherapy were sometimes devastating. Lenny was a very private person. His friends and family, many of his competitors and the fans in the grandstands never knew of his ordeal. The performance of Ole Blue was not what it once was. DeSarro understood and continued to give it its all and managed three wins at Thompson and two at Seekonk. Late in the summer DeSarro and Boehler discussed their future plans. Both agreed that they would scale back their racing in 1979 to running just the added purse special events.

Despite his medical problems and with a lot of help from his friends, Lenny rolled out a new car at Thompson on September 3 rd . DeSarro had wanted to “call it a season” which would allow Lenny to deal with his health, but Lenny insisted they finish out the year, at least at Thompson where they had enjoyed so many wins and championships. The new car never won and then on October 8 th , the unthinkable happened.

During warm ups, DeSarro has just gotten the new Vega up to speed on the back stretch when he sailed off the third turn at high speed. Kenny Bouchard and Bugsy Stevens were directly behind DeSarro when he went over the bank. Both stopped their cars and ran to DeSarro's aid. With his bare hands, Bouchard tore the roof off the car. Although the car landed on all fours, the impact inflicted severe head injuries to DeSarro. DeSarro was unconscious and was eventually moved to the trauma unit of the Rhode Island Hospital in Providence . Lenny was devastated. DeSarro was not only his driver, he was a friend and they had been through a lot together. DeSarro remained in a comatose state until he died on November 1 at 2:00pm . While DeSarro laid in the hospital on life support, Lenny's condition deteriorated. At Fred DeSarro's funeral, Lenny had to be all but carried into the funeral home. Many thought he would never make it through the winter.

Lenny spent a lot of time in the hospital during the winter of 1978-79. A strong will to live and to be with his wife and son, Boehler made his way down the road to recovery to the point where the cancer was in remission. While Boehler was recovering many his friends including Leo Cleary worked to finish another new car that he had started the previous year. He had made a remarkable recovery, enough as he was able to once again field a car. The first time out with Leo Cleary behind the wheel was the Seekonk opener on April 8 th . The Boehler magic was still there. Cleary led the first 42 laps of the 100 lapper until Richie Evans got by and was able to take the win.

Boehler and Cleary also raced at Stafford but it was at Seekonk where their light burned brightest. Lenny rolled out the new Chevette bodied modified on May 18 th . Cleary went on a tear at the Seekonk oval, wracking up five wins on his way to the track championship. Boehler was back! It was a good season except for one problem. Lenny was all but broke. The cost of racing had escalated to the point where it was no longer feasible to race without being wealthy or having a major sponsor or a driver who could bring the necessary funding with him. Leo Cleary was a hired gun: he raced for a percentage of what he won. In fact, Cleary prided himself in the fact that he had put his kids through college with money he made racing. During the winter months, Lennie was approached by Ronnie Bouchard and his mentor-sponsor Marvin Rifkin of M&H Tires. Rifkin has two cars and coupled with Lenny's Chevette a deal with struck. Lenny would maintain Rifkin's cars plus his own for Bouchard to drive. Marvin would provide the sponsorship to run the race team.

One of the hardest things he ever did was when he called Cleary and told him he was being replaced by Bouchard. It was strictly a business decision he needed to make in order to survive. Clearly was bitter but in time realized that Lenny had little choice in the matter. Boehler often stated that he had the highest regard and respect for Leo Cleary.

It was a sign of the times. The cost of fielding a competitive modified had gotten so far out of sight, Lenny became a hired gun himself. With Rifkin's cars and sponsorship, Boehler was back on top. Ronnie Bouchard was in his prime and wracked up 23 wins during the 1980 season. In 1981 Bouchard got the opportunity to go Winston Cup racing with Jack Beebe Race Hill Farm team out of Madison , Connecticut . In his rookie year, Bouchard won the Talladega 500 and a Busch pole and took Rookie of the Year in NASCAR's elite division. During his off time, Bouchard drove Boehler's and Rifkin's modifieds to eight wins. When Ronnie was off racing in the Southland, his younger brother Kenny drove the cars to three wins. The arrangement with Bouchard carried over though 1983. In 1982, Ronnie ran the full Winston Cup schedule and Kenny picked up a modified ride in the Ted Marsh No. 55. Ronnie still found time for Ole Blu, especially if there was a mid-week show.

For Boehler, it was an easy paycheck. Ronnie's' best finishes came at Thompson where he recorded a third on August 3 rd and a win on August 29 th . In 1983, Boehler raced very little but was still keeping the cars ready for Bouchard. Ronnie finished 7 th in a Modified event at the Pocono Raceway on May 30 th and John Rosati drove the car to a ninth place finish at Oxford Plains on September 17 th .

Following the 1983 season, Boehler parked his car. The association with Bouchard and Rifkin had ended. When the1984 season began, Lenny didn't have a driver or a sponsor. Ole Blue sat in his East Freetown garage collecting dust. Lenny's son Michael turned 12 and started to show an interest in racing. A very secretive person, Boehler began to show his son the basics of racing. By mid May, opportunity knocked in the form of Mike McLaughlin. McLaughlin has been driving for a western New York car owner who decided to drop out of racing. McLaughlin brought sponsorship and funding which put Lenny Boehler back in the racing business. They only ran the big shows but the results were positive. McLaughlin recorded major wins at Thompson, Oswego , Stafford , and Riverside Park .

The NASCAR Modifieds were placed into the touring series concept in 1985. McLaughlin and Boehler ran the entire series and recorded one win, the rich Oswego 200 on Labor Day Weekend. McLaughlin's consistency and Ole Blue's reliability served up a second place finish in the final point standings behind Richie Evans. Ironically, Evans was killed in a practice crash prior to the last event at Martinsville .

Evans had sewn up the title one week before at Thompson. Boehler had high hopes for the 1986 season when just before the season started, McLaughlin left to drive the Corazzo Sheri-Cup 12. Corazzo had on his crew among others Clyde McCloud and Greg Zippadeli who would in later years, open doors for McLaughlin in the Busch South Series. Lenny, without a driver, hooked up with Kenny Bouchard. With limited sponsorship, they raced exclusively on the Modified Tour series and at season's end finished 4 th in points with one win: Monadnock on May 18 th . Lenny and Kenny ran a partial schedule in 1987 and finished 16 th in points.

Enter Kerry Malone. Lenny had known Jack Malone from the Norwood Arena days. Jack's son Kerry drove SK Modifieds at Stafford and Thompson. The second-generation racer had aspirations to move on to the tour type Modified division. Jack Malone became quite wealthy because of his real estate dealings in the Boston area and agreed to sponsor and fund his son's efforts in Old Blu for the 1988 season. Boehler and Malone never achieved the success they desired and split up at the end of the season. Malone went back to the SK's at Stafford and Thompson.

Doug Hevron, a product of the central New York area, had raced and won in quarter midgets in the Syracuse area as a youngster then raced and won in a Super Modifieds at the Oswego Speedway. Plus, he had run in selected Winston Cup events and Modified events in his family owned equipment. Hevron had the desire and necessary funding to compete on a national level in the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour Series. Lenny Boehler's operation appeared to be a perfect fit and an alliance was formed for the 1989 season.

Hevron's tenure as the driver of Ole Blue lasted five years. During that time Hevron recorded many top finishes and recorded big wins at Loudon , New Hampshire and at Richmond , Virginia in 1992. His best finish in the Featherlite Modified Tour Series was a 5 th in points in 1993. Following the 1993 season, Hevron quit racing Modifieds and moved to Florida .

Wayne Anderson was a successful campaigner on Long Island where he has won at Islip , Freeport , and Riverhead. Anderson , also a successful trucking company owner had attempted to compete on a national level but with a part time crew it couldn't be done. Anderson , then in his early 50's contacted Len Boehler and a deal was struck for a run at the 1994 Modified Tour Series Championship. Boehler worked day and night to keep two cars ready and competitive. Lenny's work paid off and by mid season, Anderson was in the heat of battle for the championship he wanted. It all came down to the last race, which was the Fall Final at Stafford . Anderson 's father had just recently passed away as the veteran driver entered what was to be the race of his life. True to form, Len Boehler had made Ole Blue bullet proof as the mighty No. 3 carried Anderson to a convincing win and the 1994 Tour Series Championship. It was a long grind. Equally responsible for the championship effort were Michael Boehler and Lenny's stepson Peter Caron, and brother in law Jimmy Fournier who had taken over much of the fabrication and preparation of the Boehler Racing Enterprises effort. Anderson returned to racing part time in his own equipment on Long Island after the 1994 season.

Tony Hirshman, a veteran driver from North Hampton , Pennsylvania had lost his ride at the end of 1994. Hirshman had the funding behind him and the timing was right. He needed a ride and Boehler needed a driver. Hirshman, a very aggressive driver at times, rewarded Boehler with back-to-back championships in 1995 and 1996. Hirshman had only one win in 1995, that coming at Nazareth , but in 1996 won three in row at Loudon. Hirshman won the 1996 Championship by a mere 12 points over Steven Park. Despite midseason slumps in 1997 and 1998, Hirshman moved on when some friends close to his home put a race team together.

Tom Cravenho, of nearby Raynham, Massachusetts had heard the Boehler had lost his driver. After some necessary details were ironed out, Cravenho had the much-treasured ride in a Boehler car for 1999. Racing exclusively on the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour Series Cravenho annexed one win at Riverhead in August and finished 7 th in the final point standings. Continuing into 2000, Cravenho stepped it up to finish 6 th in points with eighth top 10s including a season ending win at the World Series at Thompson.

The 2000 season gave Lenny Boehler his most gratifying season. His son Michael had taken one of the back up Ole Blus, renumbered it 34 and also drove on the tour. Lenny Boehler was a very non-excitable person. Win, lose, crash or break, his emotions never changed or showed. That all changed one Sunday afternoon in September during the running of the Fall Final at Stafford .

Michael had been using, for the most part, hand-me-down equipment with a tight budget. About midway in the event, Michael charged his way into the lead. The smile on Lenny Boehler's face lit up the entire pit area. Without a doubt, the kid was a Boehler. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. He had learned his lessons well. Another big moment in Lenny Boehler's life came at the awards banquet when he was summoned to the podium to present Michael the 2000 NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour Series Rookie of the Year award. Equally proud was his mother, Janice.

The cancer that had almost claimed Lenny's life in 1978 reared its ugly head again in 2001. Lenny never gave up. While most of the fabricating and preparation was done by Peter Caron and Michael Boehler, Lenny oversaw the operation. Cravenho began the season with a fourth at South Boston in Virginia .

Jerry Marquis had won the 2000 Championship while driving for Mario Fiore. Marquis started the defense of his title with a win at South Boston only to lose his ride because of a dispute between Fiore and his sponsor. The sponsor took the cars and the equipment leaving Fiore out of business and Marquis out of a ride. Marquis knew the Boehler Racing operation was top rate and he had seen what Michael had done with the equipment he had. A phone call was made and Michael agreed to step aside giving his ride in the Boehler team car. Lenny never got to see Marquis win in Michael's car as he passed away on May 13.

It was a devastating blow to his family and many friends. Michael, Janice and Peter agreed to continue on the Boehler Racing. Like Kyle Petty has said many times, “Racing is what we do”! They picked up the pieces and continued on in Lenny's memory. Cravenho finished out the season and Marquis went on a tear and gave Michael his first win as a car owner on August 10 at Chemung Speedrome in New York . He backed it up by winning the Thompson 300.

Lenny Boehler is gone but his memory and legacy will live on in the hearts of his family and friends forever. He had the uncanny ability to do more with less and was always a step ahead of his competition. What many didn't' know was that Lenny was a devoted husband and family man as he was deeply loved by his wife and children. Throughout his life he was highly respected by his peers. The legacy of Lenny Boehler and the legend of Ole Blue will live on for many years to come.