WOODBURY, Conn. -- A former race-car champion is picking up the pieces after a lightning bolt sparked a fire at his Woodbury home.

Only rubble was left of retired driver Charles "Chick" Stockwell's property on Thursday.

Fire Destroys Race-Car Champion's Home

Friends are assisting the 80-year-old retired race-car driver salvage his belongings after a fire that destroyed the barn that housed all of his equipment and memorabilia as well as the home that was attached to it.

"He heard a big bang. He was up watching TV, and he heard a big bang," said Stockwell's son, Tom Stockwell. "All the lights, all the power went out and everything."

Chick Stockwell was a star and champion at the Danbury Short Track for a 30-year stretch from the 50s through the 80s.

"It's just devastating," Tom Stockwell said. "He lost all the tools, lost about everything."

The fire consumed the first car Chick Stockwell ever raced, a 1936 Ford he and his family recently restored.

"I'm glad he saw the flash because usually when the power goes out, he goes to bed. I don't think he would have been here today if he did," Tom Stockwell said.

Chick Stockwell didn't have insurance on the property. His son said it doesn't matter because none of the belongings that burned were replaceable.