Charlie Jarzombek

Charles Jarzombek (September 30, 1942 – March 22, 1987) was an American racecar driver from Baiting Hollow, New York.

Racing career

He started racing in 1962 on the Long Island tracks of Islip, Riverhead Raceway and Freeport Stadium. Jarzombek won on Long Island and other tracks throughout the years.

Jarzombek won 187 feature events at 16 different racetracks from Massachusetts to Florida in his career. Career race win highlights include winning the 1986 Icebreaker at Thompson International Speedway. He won the 1985 Stafford Speedway Modified Championship. He also raced on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (then known as the NASCAR Winston Modified Series). Jarzombek drove modifieds at Waterford-New London and Plainville, as well as southern tracks including Wall Stadium, Martinsville, Trenton and New Smyrna.

Death and memorials

Jarzombek died from the effects of a racing accident, when his throttle appeared to hang, at Martinsville Speedway in the March 1987 event.

Jarzombek was inducted in the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Long Island Sports Hall of Fame.

For many years at Riverhead Raceway in New York State, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour would run one extra lap in their feature races in his memory.