Todd Szegedy, born May 6, 1976 in Ridgefield

Ridgefield

-Places:United States*Ridgefield, Connecticut**Ridgefield Playhouse, a theater located in Ridgefield*Ridgefield, New Jersey*Ridgefield Park, New Jersey*Ridgefield Township, New Jersey*Ridgefield, Washington*Ridgefield Township, Huron County, Ohio...

, Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

, is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 racecar driver. He was the 2003 champion of the NASCAR

NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...

 Whelen Modified Tour

Whelen Modified Tour

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is a stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR in the Modified division. The Modified division is NASCAR's oldest division, and its one of two open-wheeled divisions...

.

Busch Series Career

In 2004, he competed in three NASCAR Busch Series

Busch Series

The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...

 races for NEMCO Motorsports

NEMCO Motorsports

NEMCO Motorsports is a NASCAR team that is owned by driver Joe Nemechek and his family. After a two-year hiatus, NEMCO Motorsports fielded full time entries in both the Cup and Nationwide Series in 2009 with driver Joe Nemechek. It carried the number 87 in both Cup and Nationwide. The team ran...

 in the #87 Chevrolet

Chevrolet

Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...

, with an average finish of 25th place. He made his Busch Series debut at the Milwaukee Mile

Milwaukee Mile

The Milwaukee Mile is a -long oval race track in West Allis, Wisconsin that seats about 40,000 spectators. It operated as a dirt track until 1953. The track was paved in 1954....

 starting in the 23rd position and finishing 21st. His best career finish came at the Memphis Motorsports Park

Memphis Motorsports Park

Memphis International Raceway is an auto racing park located across the Loosahatchie River from Memphis, Tennessee, approximately ten miles south of Millington, Tennessee. The facility opened in 1987 with a drag strip and 1.8-mile road course...

 which he started 37th and finished 15th.

He is probably best remembered by NASCAR fans for an incident that took place during his qualifying run for his 2nd career start, which came at Chicagoland Speedway

Chicagoland Speedway

Chicagoland Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, USA, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing including the opening event in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IZOD IndyCar Series, recording...

 in July of 2004

2004 in NASCAR Busch Series

The 2004 NASCAR Busch Series Season began on February 14 and ended on November 20. Martin Truex, Jr. of Chance 2 Motorsports won the championship.See Also: 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series-2004 Team chart:...

. During his run, a gigantic inflatable orange

Orange (fruit)

An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....

 promoting race sponsor Tropicana

Tropicana Products

Tropicana Products is an American based company, and was founded in 1947 by Anthony T. Rossi in Bradenton, Florida, U.S.A. Since 1998, it has been owned by PepsiCo, Inc. Tropicana's headquarters are in Chicago, Illinois.-Anthony T. Rossi:...

 was blown by the wind onto the racing surface, forcing Szegedy to dodge it. Szegedy was granted another qualifying attempt and qualified 12th.

Whelen Modified Career

Szegedy resumed driving in the Whelen Modified Tour full-time in 2006. Currently he has 16 career wins along with 8 pole positions. He was awarded win number 16 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after Ryan Newman's

Ryan Newman

Ryan Joseph Newman is a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He drives the #39 United States Army/Tornados/Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala for Stewart Haas Racing under crew chief Tony Gibson. Newman graduated from Purdue University in 2001 with a B.S. in vehicle structure engineering...

car was disqualified after failing post race inspection.