One of NASCAR’s most flamboyant heroes has passed away, with former champion Stroker Ace dying this past Thursday from natural causes.
“Mr. Ace was a true legend, both on and off the track”, acting NASCAR communications director Mary Nelsne said in a prepared statement. “Whether it was destroying his old team owner’s car, driving in a chicken suit for the infamous Clyde Torkel, or his memorable scraps with his mechanic, the late Lugs Harvey, Ace was a real force of nature.”
Ace’s battled constantly with team owner Torkel, who also owned his primary sponsor at the time, The Chicken Pit. The two reportedly made peace with each other in recent years.
“Today is a sad day at Chicken Pits everywhere”, Torkel said in a brief press release. “We may have had our differences, but Stroker and I won a championship together, and there’s nothing that can take that away. In memorium, I’m ordering all flags flown at half-staff at all participating locations for ‘The Fastest Chicken in the South’”.
Ace’s career seemed to stall after losing makeshift crew member Arnold from his team. In his later years he attracted attention for his forays into the worlds of adult films, low-cost collision repair, and his frequent sparring with Alex Trebek on Celebrity Jeopardy.
Nelsne’s statement mentioned that in Ace’s honor, the sport would retire his mustache at the end of the season.