Tim Richmond

This article is about the racing driver who competed in the NASCAR Cup Series in the 1980s. For the racing driver who currently competes in the ARCA Menards Series with the same name and is not related to Tim, see Tim Richmond (racing driver, born 1998).
For the English photographer, see Tim Richmond (photographer).

Tim Richmond
Born(1955-06-07)June 7, 1955
Ashland, Ohio, U.S.
DiedAugust 13, 1989(1989-08-13) (aged 34)
West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Cause of deathComplications from HIV/AIDS
Achievements1986 Southern 500 Winner
AwardsNamed 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 finish3rd (1986)[3]
First race1980 Coca-Cola 500 (Pocono)
Last race1987 Champion Spark Plug 400 (Michigan)
First win1982 Budweiser 400 (Riverside)
Last win1987 Budweiser 400 (Riverside)
Wins Top tens Poles
13 78 14
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
10 races run over 4 years
Best finish48th (1986)
First race1983 Kroger 200 (Indianapolis)
Last race1986 Gatorade 200 (Darlington)
First win1985 Winn-Dixie 300 (Charlotte)
Last win1986 Winn-Dixie 300 (Charlotte)
Wins Top tens Poles
2 4 6

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]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Tim Richmond: NASCAR Winston Cup Career: 1980-87". NASCAR. Archived from the original on December 12, 2008. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
  2. ^ "Tim Richmond". International Motorsports Hall of Fame. 2002. Archived from the original on November 20, 2008. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
  3. ^ "Tim Richmond statistics". NASCAR. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
  4. ^ Aumann, Mark (June 5, 2008). "Richmond was always a threat to win at Pocono". NASCAR. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference call3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b c d Gross, Ken; Grant, Meg (January 8, 1990). "Racer Tim Richmond Set Records Aplenty, but His Lovers Now Fear That Aids Will Be His Real Legacy". People. Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
  7. ^ Howell, Mark D. (1997). From Moonshine to Madison Avenue: A Cultural History of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Popular Press. p. 7. ISBN 0-87972-740-3.