Ed Flemke Web Site Debuts
EdFlemke.com, a web site documenting the career of Ed Flemke launched this weekend. A project by the Williams brothers, the longtime racing fans have built a digital home for the legendary New Britain, CT driver. The web site features a collection of photos, race results, reports, and the cars he drove.
“The three Williams brothers were and still are big fans of our father and also followed my career too,” Ed Flemke, Jr. said. “They ran his fan club back in the day and they wanted to gather everything about him in one place and keep his memory alive. They are great people!”
Flemke began his career in 1948, racing the United circuit in the 1950s. He won a pair of championships at the old Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, MA (1956 and 1958) and several Riverside 500s.
Not a bad start, but he branched out to continue winning at Empire, New Egypt, and Norwood. Flemke was part of a group called the Eastern Bandits with Rene Charland, Red Foote, and Denny Zimmerman. They traveled from the north to dominate the competition at Marlboro. Old Dominion, and Southside.
He won high profile races later in his career including the second Spring Sizzler at Stafford, the Thompson 300 and a pair of Utica Rome 400s.
Flemke retired after a lengthy career and died in 1984.
He was an inductee into inaugural New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1998. Steady Eddie: Memories of Ed Flemke, Modified Racing’s Fastest Professor by Bones Bourcier was published by Coastal 181 Publications in 2007.
Sources: Nicholas Teto/YankeeRacer.com