Recently I’ve been reading about one of NASCAR’s fallen
heroes, a driver from the 1980s whose star shown very brightly for an all too
brief period of time. His name was Tim Richmond.
If you missed his era you may not know a lot or anything
about him. I became a fan of NASCAR in 1990 and missed everything about
Richmond. While I was filling my coffers of NASCAR history, NASCAR past and
present, and NASCAR now, Richmond’s name was rarely if ever mentioned.
Once I became active on Facebook NASCAR and racing fan sites
his name came up more regularly.
I knew Richmond had a reputation for being a man women
wanted to be with and men wanted to emulate. His racing prowess was enviable as
was his reputation as a lothario.
At a time when jeans, cowboy hats, and big belt buckles were
the dress uniform for many drivers and crew men in and around the garage,
Richmond showed up in Italian suits, feathered and coiffed long hair, and a
devil-may-care attitude.
There was no mistaking his intensity. He was, forgive the
pun, totally driven in a racecar. Whether it was IndyCar or a NASCAR Winston
Cup Car, Richmond drove it to the outer limits. He won many poles in his short NASCAR
Winston Cup career, running hard and fast, some say even recklessly, but found
it difficult initially to win races. Richmond’s first two years in Cup, 1980
and 1981, he had no poles, wins, or Top Fives, but did earn six Top 10s.
Paired with a legendary crew chief, Harry Hyde, in 1986 in
Rick Hendrick’s fledgling stable, Richmond learned to rein in his talent just
enough to produce wins and challenge for a championship. He challenged alright,
but he was denied the championship in that year by his good friend Dale
Earnhardt. Regardless, in that one season Richmond’s statistics were very
impressive. He won eight poles, seven races, and earned 13 Top Fives and 17 Top
10s. Richmond finished third that year, only six points behind Darrell Waltrip
in second.
That was the pinnacle of Richmond’s career. Unbeknownst to
many a disease was riddling Richmond’s body, weakening him and stealing his
thunder in the sport he so desperately loved.
Richmond, it’s now known, had contracted HIV, the virus that
leads to AIDS. This happened at a time when hysteria was high about the disease
and knowledge was pathetically little.
Masking his illness with lies and bravado, Richmond was able
to return to a partial schedule of racing in the Cup scene. With eight races
run in 1987, Richmond captured one pole, two wins, and three Top Fives and four
Top 10s. But those were the last glimpses of Richmond’s greatness.
By summer 1987 Richmond’s erratic behavior akin to
drunkenness and/or drug abuse caused uproar among many of NASCAR’s elite,
drivers, crew members, and NASCAR officials. Not knowing or understanding the
true cause of Richmond’s behaviors – manic moods one moment and sleeping for
hours after that regardless of what appearances were on his itinerary – gave
concern to those he was in close competition.
Drug tests were implemented, results were mishandled, and
judgments were made, right or wrong. All the while Richmond continued to hide
the fact he was fallen with AIDS, desperately taking the only medicinal
cocktail available at the time, AZT. He went so far as to take himself off AZT
to make certain he passed NASCAR’s drug test.
But it was too late. The prejudice against Richmond was
palpable. His career was over in NASCAR. Unfortunately, his health was
deteriorating at a rapid pace as well.
Richmond shook thinks up dramatically in NASCAR. The mostly
Southeastern sport full of good ol’ boys was not sure how to handle the slick
Midwesterner who was a natty dresser, had “pretty hair”, and ran his racecar at
11/10s at every outing on a track.
Richmond not only brought a Hollywood feel to NASCAR for the
time he was present, but he would posthumously bring a discussion to the table
about AIDS affecting the NASCAR community, not just the homosexual or Hollywood
ones.
That conversation has only gone so far. Even after noted
journalist David Poole wrote a book about Richmond, who died on August 13,
1989, entitled “Tim Richmond: The Fast
Life And Remarkable Times Of NASCAR’s Top Gun” (2005) I still heard
remarkably little about this man in the sport I had grown to love.
If nothing else, I’d love to read what others think,
remember, and reminisce about Tim Richmond from those who actually saw him
race. So, I’m opening the comments up to you all to do just that.
Teach me about the Tim Richmond I cannot access through
books and YouTube clips. I’d love to learn more about NASCAR’s most dynamic
driver.