Every 10-30 years a young driver comes along who shakes up the Nascar world. Tim Richmond was no different. His lifestyle mirrored that of someone you would have thought was born and raised in California living the life of a Hollywood playboy. But instead was born in Ashland, Ohio June 7th 1955. Tim was a very flamboyant person both on and off the track. Most of it coming from his fast paced lifestyle that he was brought up in.

Tim did not grow up with racing in his blood. Nor did he come from the hard working lower class lifestyle that most of Nascar’s big names came from. Instead he was born into wealth. Which would later turn out to be one of his biggest drawbacks, coming into a sport that was born on the back country roads of moonshiners.

Tim would also find out later in his short career that Nascar would frown on his, “lets party all night” attitude. Even though he was a hit with the fans as well as the ladies. Nascar was not ready for this type of driver to enter into their hallowed premier racing series. He would even pull down his racing suit at times to sign autographs which really got the women excited. But at the same time he really got the heads of Nascar angry. In his 8 years as a cup driver which didn’t start until the age of 21. He visited victory lane an astounding 13 times. With his very first cup win coming on a road course in Riverside, California. He also added 78 top 10’s and 14 poles to his 185 race starts. Which included 7 wins in 1986 driving for Rick Hendrick in the #25 Folgers’s Monte Carlo. This was also his best year driving in the Winston Cup series finishing 3rd in points behind eventual cup winner Dale Earnhardt Sr.

A lot of his fellow racers also said that he was the only driver who had the guts enough to challenge Dale Sr. and drive side by side with him.
Tim’s driving style matched the lifestyle that he was living. He lived a very fast paced life and his driving showed it. Tim would even finish 9th in the 1980 Indianapolis 500. Tim had a take no prisoners type of driving style that also showed in the way he handled the road courses. Riverside being one of the biggest and fastest road courses on the schedule. And during his time. He had mastered that track as well as the others that he had raced on.

His life was even loosely portrayed in the movie, “Days of Thunder” by the driver Cole Trickle. Tim had a very promising career ahead of him until it was cut short in 1986 as he was diagnosed with A.I.D.S. 1987 would bring even more challenges in his life. It wasn’t until the middle of that season that he would return and pick up back to back wins at Pocono and Riverside. The win at Riverside would ultimately be his last.

By the following year. Nascar would step in and deal Tim a very sour hand. Nascar would begin to treat Tim like some kind of drug addict. They defamed his integrity by making him take a drug test because of his deteriorating health. Then going as far as suspending him indefinitely because Nascar said that he had tested positive for a controlled substance. Richmond demanded another test. And when those results came back. They were negative. Nascar would also later admit that the first test was also negative. The only thing that showed up was Sudafed and Advil.

Little by little Nascar was trying to not only defame Richmond. But they also wanted him out of the Cup series acting like some western day l y n c h mob. Nascar went as far as to not let him race until he came up with all of his medical records. Richmond filed a defamation of character lawsuit. But then would later withdraw it and leave the sport. Richmond would move back to Florida where he eventually died in 1989. Nascar to this day has not apologized for the brash and disrespectable way that Tim was treated. But in typical France fashion. They have just chosen to not mention it. How many times have we seen them hide under their, “We don’t see anything syndrome” Or the ever so popular, “What did we do wrong attitude?”

Tim was one of their race car drivers. Maybe he didn’t fit the mold that the France family wants all of their drivers to follow. But he was still a human being. Breathing the same air as them. Bringing money into their racing empire. Tim was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2002. An award that not even the dictatorship that the France family is can ever take from him.

For those of us who chose to follow his career and support him. He will be dearly missed. Maybe not by Nascar.  But by the fans and drivers who stood next to him through thick and thin. I’m Out.