Competitors and friends of Mike Stefanik reflect on his lasting impact and influence

On Sept. 15, 2019, both the NASCAR and Modified racing communities were hit with an immeasurable loss when Mike Stefanik lost his life following a plane crash in Sterling, Connecticut.

A loyal and stalwart competitor on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour since its first season in 1985, Stefanik gradually established himself as the best in the series’ storied history. Across 453 starts, Stefanik amassed 74 victories and seven championships, the most of any driver who has competed in a Modified Tour race.

Stefanik's most impressive stretch came between 1997 and 1998 while splitting his priorities between the Modified Tour and what was then the Busch North Series. Although he only contested the entire 1998 Modified season during that stretch, Stefanik still managed to claim all four championships.

Stefanik’s efficiency across multiple disciplines, which included a full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign in 1999, was crucial toward his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2022.

Six years after his passing, as the Modified Tour celebrates its 40th season, Stefanik is still remembered fondly across the motorsports industry not only for his on-track accomplishments, but also for his dedicated work ethic. Embodying an old-school, blue-collar mindset to his craft, Stefanik’s commitment earned him the respect and admiration of many around the infield and beyond.

Below is a collection of first-hand accounts from Stefanik’s former colleagues and competitors regarding their favorite memories of Stefanik and the impact he still has on racing.

Reggie Ruggiero

The winner of 44 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races remembers two frantic-but-fair battles he shared with Stefanik.

“I think in [1988 at Pocono Raceway], it was a [250]-lap race. I had to start [50th] that day because we had problems in qualifying and had to take a promoter’s choice [provisional]. I got all the way up to second. Mike was leading, and it was getting down to the end of the race. I caught him, and we were battling it out.

"There was a caution, and under the caution, his tire went flat. He was all mad, but that’s part of racing. I ended up winning the race after starting [50th]. He was pretty upset with himself, but not with me. It would have been a good battle between him and myself for the end of the race because there were only [a few] laps left to go.

"One of the championships we were racing for, we were like two points apart going into the last race at Thompson Speedway. I remember we were racing, and I was ahead of him. There was a caution ahead of me; a car had spun out. The guy’s rear bumper went flying in the air, and it torpedoed my left front tire. I had to pit, came from the back and got up to Michael.

"Because I respected him, I could have dumped him and won the championship, but I raced him wheel-to-wheel for the last 20-30 laps, and he ended up winning by a nose. I finished second, but that was a hell of a race.

"Mike was a gentleman, to me, anyways. He might have roughed other people up, and I did too, but when you get older and into your years, you respect each other. I had fun racing with him."

Ed Flemke Jr.

The 17-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race winner recounts how his relationship with Stefanik evolved over the years.

"One time we were at Stafford [Motor Speedway] for the [Spring] Sizzler, and there was a Hoosier/Goodyear [tire] battle. We were on Hoosiers, [Stefanik] was on Goodyears. Hoosiers qualified terrible but they raced good, while the Goodyears qualified good and didn’t race as good.

"Myself, Jan Leaty and all the Hoosier cars are up front, and with [a few] laps to go, we had a caution. All the Goodyear cars come down pit road; the Hoosier cars stayed out because we didn’t have to pit. They came up through, and on the restart, I got into Mike pretty good and almost ruined his day, knocked him back toward the back. He gathered it back up and ended up winning.

"In Victory Lane, he tore me apart; [during] the post-race interviews with the press, he tore me apart, and in the racing papers during the week, I got tore apart. During the next race, NASCAR didn’t want any problems going on, so they brought me into the trailer with Mike, and Mike ripped me apart again.

"He said I was probably the best fabricator he’s ever met in his life, so maybe I should stick to building cars, not drive them. He questioned my heritage -- everything. It strained our relationship. He was justified in his cause, but I thought it went too far, so therefore in my head, I had a vengeance against him all those years.

"Mike came to me at Thompson for this test session after a few years of mending all the fences, running good together, having good times, but there was never any discussion about it until this point. He comes up, and we first talked about my Corvette because he was thinking about buying a Corvette. I said to Mike, 'Hey, if you want to take it for the weekend, take it. As long as I have a car to get home, I don't care.'

"We started talking [some more], and he says, 'By the way, I owe you an apology.' I go, 'For what?' He says, 'For all the years we've been racing together, I really gave you a hard time,' and it took Julie, his wife, to tell him it wasn't fair what he was doing to me. I told him it was water under the bridge and we're fine, but he says, 'No, I got to tell you a story.'

He goes, 'When I first started my career, I was at Thompson one day, and I brought that new Troyer car. I was flying; that thing was badass fast. I was fastest in practice, won my heat race, but this guy comes over to me and [said I] was going really good with that car. We talked here and there, and Mike says, 'I knew who it was, it was your father [Ed Flemke Sr.].'

"[Ed Sr.] goes, 'You’re going really good, Mike. You’re probably going to win today, but if you don't back up, calm down just a little bit, you're going to end up watching the end of this feature on the end of the hook. Maybe you might want to tone it down a little bit.' Mike said all the time he was talking, 'I knew it was your dad. I respected him, and he was only there to help, but I was this cocky little kid with this new toy and was saying some bad words under my [breath] ... and I didn’t listen to him. ...

'At the end of that night, I watched your father beat Ron Bouchard over the start-finish line on the end of the hook. Julie reminded me of that. Your father never came over and ripped me a new butthole. He said what he said and left it alone. What I did to you after the Sizzler, I should have just come over to you and have that conversation, instead of bashing and humiliating you in public. I really feel bad because I handled it the wrong way.’

"I’ve always looked up to Mike, and even before that talk, we had a really good relationship. That mended a lot of fences, and we had that mutual respect after that. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to enjoy his retirement like we should have."

Greg Zipadelli

NASCAR Cup Series championship crew chief who helped guide Stefanik to his 1997 Busch North Series title

"When we raced the Modifieds, I was crew chiefing for Mike McLaughlin, and we were always racing him. Stefanik always showed up. He was a fierce competitor and a lot of fun to hang out with. He was one of those guys who could race you to death, but as soon as the race was over, we could all hang out and have a few beers.

"I was fortunate enough to race against him, then work with him to win a championship in the Busch North Series. I really got to hang out with him as both a friend and partner at that time, and it was a ton of fun. He would drive over every week and work in the Busch North shop with me for a day; sometimes he’d spend the night depending on what we had to do for work.

"He taught you so much about details and how important every little thing was. I remember when our Busch North car wasn’t performing how we liked. The next thing you know, we went to lunch, we come back, and him and I have strings, lines and everything drawn all over the floor trying to find how to roll center and make some adjustments.

"I remember it like it was yesterday. That's the kind of guy he was. He would just sit and figure things out with you. In the Modifieds, he was always making changes, being innovative and trying to develop his car to be that one step better than you every week.

"I loved him as a competitor and was very appreciative to be able to work directly with him. That was a great time in my life."

Ray Dunlap

Former NASCAR pit reporter/commentator on interviewing Stefanik after he was spun from the lead at Daytona on the last lap

"NASCAR had set up these little short-track races at Daytona International Speedway; they called them the Battle at the Beach. Mike was such a great competitor, and having the accolades he did in 1997 and 1998 by winning both [the Modified Tour and Busch North] championships, he was the driver you figured had a shot at winning [in 2013].

"The way this race track was set up, it was kind of designed for failure for the drivers, [because] there was an opportunity for somebody to get spun out, and it happened to be the leader who was Mike.

"I went to do the interview with him in the garage, and at this point, he is just beside himself with anger. We did the television interview, and he swore on that interview, and it became a little piece of folklore from that time.

"It was interesting to talk to him after that. He wasn't as angry about the fact that he got spun I think as he was about the fact that race track set itself up for the guy in the front to get knocked out of the way. He was such an ultimate competitor and thought he had a shot to win.

"For an interviewer, you have to be prepared when you get a short answer like that, and it caught me off guard a little bit. Having seen the frustration in his face as we got ready to do that interview, I wasn't quite sure what to expect other than basically what I got.

"Mike was so meticulous about everything he did. I had the opportunity to get to know him really well back [in the late 1990s]. He reminded me so much of Rusty Wallace and Alan Kulwicki in the sense that they could fabricate, study and were always under the race car looking at stuff. They weren’t the type to go sit in a lounge and play video games.

"I always say Richard Petty is the king of stock-car racing. Jimmie Johnson, Frank Kimmel and Mike Stefanik are the three princes of stock-car racing. With their championships and numbers of wins in different divisions, those three guys stand out way above the rest of the field, but no one is ever going to outshine The King."

Justin Bonsignore

The four-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion recalls advice Stefanik provided early in his own career.

"Mike jokingly told me one time, 'When you pull out onto the track for practice and you're scuffing your tires, if the car doesn't turn at 40 mph, what makes you think it will turn at 140 mph?'

"That kind of always stuck with me, and I think of it often.

"Mike was always super nice to me and always went out of his way to offer advice or would criticize if needed. Even after he retired, he and his wife Julie would reach out to congratulate me on wins. It always meant a lot to hear from them."

Ron Silk

The two-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion remembers how efficient Stefanik was up until his later years.

"[Stefanik] was someone that I really looked up to and admired. I got the chance to race with him quite a bit over the years. The one [story] that sticks out to me was when he beat me at Loudon by a few thousandths of a second.

"I had a pretty big motor advantage that day, but he was such a great driver that he beat me, anyway.

"I always respected how smart he was behind the wheel and his knowledge of the cars."

Jamie Tomaino

The 1990 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion and all-time series starts leader who raced against Mike Stefanik from 1985-2014

"Mike built me a new chassis in 1986. It didn’t take long for me to beat Mike with his own chassis one week. I crashed real bad and had to bring it back to Mike so he could put a new front clip on it.

"Grandpa [Jack] Koszela [told Stefanik], 'You better put the clip on crooked, because Tomaino will start beating you every week!'"

Julie Stefanik (neé Koszela)

Mike Stefanik’s widow reflects on the impact her late husband still has on and off the track.

"I remember we went to one of the championship [banquets] in New York, and Jeff Gordon was there. He [said to Mike], 'Hey, how are you doing?' [Mike] was like, 'Oh, I'm just trying to be like you.' [Jeff] was like, 'No, we're trying to be like you.'

"Gatorade used to give green jackets for the championship. We went to some function in 1991, and Dale said to Michael, 'Oh it's tough, you had to go dig out your jacket, didn't you?' They only gave you one. You didn't get one for every championship. We met a lot of cool people.

"[After his Daytona interview in 2013], it went viral that he made the Jay Leno Show. Jay Leno has a place in Newport, Rhode Island, and we had done some car shows for the foundation. I actually have something signed by Jay Leno that says 'Miss you, the best, Jay Leno. Thanks.'

"To be with someone for 38 years, you have a lot of stories. He always said, 'I'm not going to sit on the porch; don't put the Velcros on me.' He was an adrenaline junkie. When he was done racing, he got his pilot license and went flying.

"He lived his life to the fullest. I don't regret anything. He had a wonderful life, and he was a wonderful person. Sometimes he was a quiet person, but once you got to know him, you loved him."