| Dick Brooks | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Richard Harold Brooks April 14, 1942 Porterville, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | February 1, 2006 (aged 63) Porterville, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Awards | 1969 NASCAR Grand National Series Rookie of the Year | ||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 358 races run over 17 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 6th (1977) | ||||||
| First race | 1969 Daytona 500 qualifier No. 1 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last race | 1985 Coca-Cola World 600 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| First win | 1973 Talladega 500 (Talladega) | ||||||
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Richard Harold Brooks (April 14, 1942 – February 1, 2006) was an American NASCAR driver. Born in Porterville, California, he was the 1969 NASCAR Rookie of the Year, and went on to win the 1973 Talladega 500. Brooks held off veteran Buddy Baker by 7.2 seconds for the Talladega win. After he retired, he served as a NASCAR sportscaster for a brief period of time. His Grand National statistics include the win at Talladega Superspeedway, 57 top fives, 150 top tens, 4 top-ten points finishes (1975 through 1978), and 358 career races. Although Brooks only won one NASCAR race, he was a popular figure in that league of motorsports. Brooks drove for the underfunded Junie Donlavey team throughout his racing career.