Not only did “Flash” Gordon Rodgers have one of the best nicknames in Speedbowl history, he was also a master chassis builder and one of the most successful car owners for over 20 seasons.
Flash gave driving a shot in the early 1980’s, but it didn’t take long for him to realize he’d be more successful with someone else behind the wheel. Teaming up with C.J. Frye, Rodgers’ 6x cars would visit victory lane 12 times from 1983-1985 and win the 1984 Super Stock Championship after a battle with Mike Lovetere that went down to the last race of the season.
Bob Greene took over driving duties of the 6x in 1986. He won a race that year and another the next year, finishing 2nd in the 1987 final point standings. C.J. Frye returned to the 6x from 1991-1994 They won 7 more races together and finished runner-up to the 1994 track title. They did win the championship in 1994 at Stafford & Thompson, giving both Rodgers and Frye Late Model Championships at all 3 Connecticut tracks.
Ed Reed Jr took over driving duties in 1996 behind the wheel of #27 Late Model. The team finished 5th in points with Reed winning Rookie of the Year honors. That would change in 1997 when they won 4 races and Flash won his 2nd Speedbowl Late Model Championship. After finishing runner-up to another championship in 1999, Flash went SK Modified racing with Reed in 2000.
Reed would again win Rookie of the Year honors and then the team (now #72) finished runner-up to the championship for 3 straight seasons (2001-2003) before finally dethroning Dennis Gada in 2004. Rodgers then retired from racing to spend more time with his family.
Flash was known for building fast race cars and choosing drivers who were good on equipment. In both Late Models and SK Modifieds, his team was always a contender for wins and championships. In the 17 seasons when he ran full-time at the Speedbowl, Flash’s teams never finished worse than 5th in points and 14 of those seasons they finished in the Top 3. In addition to his 3 Speedbowl Championships, he also finished runner-up in 7 other seasons – at least once with each of his 3 drivers.
Sadly, Gordon Rodgers passed away after battling cancer on January 12, 2016 at the age of 54.
STATISTICAL SNAPSHOT
| TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS | 1984, 1997 Late Model Owner Champion |
| 2004 SK Modified Owner Champion | |
| CAREER WINS | 36 – (28 Late Model, 8 SK Modified) |
| OTHER NOTABLE STATS | finished runner-up to Speedbowl Championship 7 different times |
| AWARDS & HONORS | 2001 SK Modified Pit Crew of the Year |
| 2003 SK Modified Pit Crew of the Year | |
| 2003 SK Modified Best Appearing Car | |
| 2004 NASCAR Regional Mechanic of the Year |
‘FLASH’ GORDON RODGERS
SPEEDBOWL PHOTO ALBUM
