Tim Richmond | |||||||
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Born | Ashland, Ohio, U.S. | June 7, 1955||||||
Died | August 13, 1989 West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. | (aged 34)||||||
Cause of death | Complications from HIV/AIDS | ||||||
Achievements | 1986 Southern 500 Winner | ||||||
Awards | Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)[1] International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee (2002)[2] Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023) | ||||||
NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
185 races run over 8 years | |||||||
Best finish | 3rd (1986)[3] | ||||||
First race | 1980 Coca-Cola 500 (Pocono) | ||||||
Last race | 1987 Champion Spark Plug 400 (Michigan) | ||||||
First win | 1982 Budweiser 400 (Riverside) | ||||||
Last win | 1987 Budweiser 400 (Riverside) | ||||||
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NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
10 races run over 4 years | |||||||
Best finish | 48th (1986) | ||||||
First race | 1983 Kroger 200 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
Last race | 1986 Gatorade 200 (Darlington) | ||||||
First win | 1985 Winn-Dixie 300 (Charlotte) | ||||||
Last win | 1986 Winn-Dixie 300 (Charlotte) | ||||||
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Timothy Lee Richmond (June 7, 1955 – August 13, 1989) was an American race car driver from Ashland, Ohio. He competed in IndyCar racing before transferring to NASCAR's Winston Cup Series. Richmond was one of the first drivers to change from open wheel racing to NASCAR stock cars full-time, which later became an industry trend.[4] He won the 1980 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award and had 13 victories during eight NASCAR seasons.
Richmond achieved his top NASCAR season in 1986 when he finished third in points.[1] He won seven races that season, more than any other driver on the tour.[1] When he missed the season-opening Daytona 500 in February 1987, media reported that he had pneumonia.[1] The infection most likely resulted from his compromised immune system, which was weakened by AIDS. Despite the state of his health, Richmond competed in eight races in 1987, winning two events and one pole position before his final race in August of that year.[1] He attempted a comeback in 1988 before NASCAR banned him for testing positive for excessive over-the-counter drugs, ibuprofen and pseudoephedrine; NASCAR later announced it gave Richmond a new test and tested negative. Richmond filed a lawsuit against NASCAR after the organization insisted it wanted access to his entire medical record before it would reinstate him. After losing the lawsuit, Richmond withdrew from racing. NASCAR later stated its original test was a "bad test."[5]
Richmond grew up in a wealthy family and lived a freewheeling lifestyle, earning him the nickname "Hollywood".[6] In describing Richmond's influence in racing, Charlotte Motor Speedway president Humpy Wheeler said, "We've never had a race driver like Tim in stock car racing. He was almost a James Dean-like character."[6] When Richmond was cast for a bit part in the 1983 movie Stroker Ace,[6] "He fell right in with the group working on the film," said director Hal Needham.[6] Cole Trickle, the main character in the movie Days of Thunder, played by Tom Cruise, was loosely based on Richmond and his interaction with Harry Hyde and Rick Hendrick.[7]
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