Horrible News - Dick Trickle Dead

[ancrdave]

Former NASCAR driver Dick Trickle is dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Lincoln County (N.C.) police.
At about noon on Thursday, the Lincoln County Communications Center received a call indicating that there would be a dead body at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Boger City, and it would be the speaker's. Return calls to the number went unanswered. Crews arriving at the scene found Trickle's body lying near his pickup truck.
Trickle ran in 303 races in the Sprint Cup series over the course of 24 years, finally retiring in 2002. His best year was 1989, where he notched six top-5s, including three third-place finishes, driving the #84 Miller High Life Buick. He ended that year ranked 15th, ahead of Michael Waltrip, Brett Bodine and Richard Petty, among others.

[BVS40FL]

Man, that's bad news.

My memories of Trickle were watching him race the governors cup at Golden Gate . Driving Cale Yarborough's Phillips 66 car at Daytona and Atlanta .
But the best was my first year of racing , 1990 , down at Tom Stimus' Desoto Speedway. Tom used to pay Nascar stars to come and sign autographs and drive his house car . All the other drivers I saw would come and get in the car and drive it a few laps and then go back behind the scenes. Dick drove the car in practice or the heat race and wasn't quite up to speed. Instead of going back in the A/C and waiting for the feature , he was up under the car for an hour or so before it was time to race again. He was dirty up to the elbows and sweating , but he waxed their asses in the feature race. Don't know what he did to the car but he was definitely a "hands on" driver.

[Boneman]

I'm shocked and very sad. He was such a colorful guy, and one hell of a fine racer.

[VICKY]

Oh No............

Very sad to hear this. He was a household name around here in the day.

RIP Dick.

[modmini55]

Not sure but heard he might have had cancer. Still sorry for the loss.

[Woody]

he was my friend and a insperation truley a champion

[Frasson118]

Totally shocked. I started hearing of Trickle in about 1970 or so, although it took another 10 or 12 before I'd actually seen him race. He was a legend then, still is now, and forever will be.

To me, he was the Late Model equivalent of Richie Evans. He would help anyone with advice or set-ups, go out and whip all their asses, and be the first one to offer a cold beer to anyone interested. Then, he would drive all night for several hundred miles, and do it all again tomorrow..... 6 & 7 nights a week for decades in a row.

He won somewhere around 1300 races in his lifetime.... and I'm betting a party was involved after almost every race, whether he won, blew up, or crashed.

THIS guy lived his life to the fullest. And I'm proud to have been a fan all these years.

Long Live the White Knight....!!!

[Jimmy McKinley]

I'd read about Trickle all year long in my dad's weekly Speed Sport News about hinmm kickin' ass and takin' names up north all summer, then, them boys'd come down south and run the big shows down in Florida. Dick was one of my all-time greatest short track heroes. Whether it was the Mustang, the Granada, the Firebird, Coors Light, Pabst, Miller High Life, Hanley, Dillon, Prototype, ASA, weekly show, Winston Cup, Late Model Sportsman, Busch Grand National....didn't matter. I always rooted for Trickle. Tell Alan, Davey, and Neil "Hi" for all of us short track racers.

Few pics I have of Trickle racing in Florida for the '84 and '85 Triple Crowns at DeSoto and St. Pete:

[ALASKA54]

Sad when someone takes the easy way out, they just don't understand how hard it is on their family and friends they leave behind.

[ModelCarMan]

First time I saw him race was at the Gate and he was awesome!

RIP Dick Trickle!

[Jim Fenton]

Without a doubt the undisputed King of short-track racing.

Dick to me was the epitome of a Grass Roots Racer and always set the bar a little higher when the famous #99 pulled into your home race track.

In my experience he wasn’t impossible to beat, but you better pack a lunch.

RIP Dick.

[Trash Inturn4]

Jim,

I'm not sure if the picture is from the race you beat Dick, to win the race, but I will never forget your 'Brother-in-Law', Kenny Faircloth, saying with a grin from ear to ear after the race...."We just beat America's finest" ....no truer words were ever spoken about the man.

[Jacque Debris]

Man, I remember seeing some awesome racing between Trickle, Fenton, Scarborough, Porter, Eddy and many more at the Governer's Cup at Golden Gate and Sunshine. Was there the day that Fenton won the Governer's Cup at Sunshine. If you beat Trickle, you really accomplished something special.

[Jim Fenton]

Jim,
I'm not sure if the picture is from the race you beat Dick, to win the race, but I will never forget your 'Brother-in-Law', Kenny Faircloth, saying with a grin from ear to ear after the race...."We just beat America's finest" ....no truer words were ever spoken about the man.

Yes, this was that race and I shall never forget that day. Those that were there know that after several laps of trying inside & outside we finally got around him with only a few to go.

Besides the quote you heard from Kenny that day I was reminded yesterday from my long-time friend Whitey Wescott as we were talking about him what comment Dick made to Whitey after the race.

Whitey was an associate sponsor of the FOUR that day (Big Three Auto Salvage) as he had been in the years prior and after the race while we were lined up on the front chute for the hardware Whitey went back to Dick and congratulated him for a good and clean race. Dick commented to Whitey; “before the pass every time I looked in the mirror to see where he was all I could see was that big black beard”.

I was proud of our accomplishment that day but I can tell you it was usually the other way around when Dick came to town.

Dick Trickle was one hell-uva short track hot shoe and I can’t imagine anyone ever coming close to his record.

[egspeedway]

Every short track in America that has a flagpole should fly the American Flag at half staff for this weekends races. He was clearly an icon in short track racing. RIP