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Dick Trickle, one of the most popular if not one of the most successful NASCAR drivers, is dead at 71 year of age due to an “an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound,” according to local police in Lincoln County North Carolina.
The police report said authorities “received a call apparently from the victim that 'there would be a dead body and it would be his'. Communications Center workers tried to place a return call to the number but did not get an answer. The first emergency units arriving on the scene located the body lying near the victim's pickup truck.”
Trickle was one of the few early drivers from the United States Midwest to head to the then southern US states based NASCAR series to achieve national notoriety.
Rusty Wallace, a Cup Champion and NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee who comes from Missouri, tweeted “Dick Trickle was a friend, a mentor & one of the best drivers ever. Without him, I wouldn't be where I am now. I will miss him tremendously.”
Then Wallace added in an interview, “Dick Trickle was my mentor. When I was short track racing, I would call him every Monday morning and he would always help me with race setups and stuff. He and I had such a good time telling little stories, but he was the guy that taught me almost everything in the American Speed Association. And he was the guy that I battled right to the end for my 1983 ASA championship. I barely beat the guy that taught me everything.”
NASCAR's Chairman & CEO, Brian France, said in a written statement:
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Dick Trickle on his passing today. Dick was a legend in the short-track racing community, particularly in his home state of Wisconsin, and he was a true fan favorite. Personalities like Dick Trickle helped shape our sport. He will be missed.”
Reigning Sprint Cup Champion Brad Keselowski, who hails from Michigan, told reporters Thursday that Trickle "... was the most significant (short-track) racer in that era." Keselowski added. "His loss, in some ways, is a symbol of the end of that era. That's very sad to see."
Mark Martin an extremely successful driver who came from a Midwest background tweeted “Say it's not so. Sad news about a racing legend. Dick Trickle.”
One Trickle's crowning achievements was being named NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year, in 1989, at 48-years of age. He was one of the oldest if not the oldest drivers so honored in NASCAR's premier series.
In a Cup career spanning 24 seasons and over 300 hundred races he had no victories, but he did have two wins in the Busch Series now known as the Nationwide Series.
Trickle was a short-track hero who won more than 500 regional races as a part-time driver from Wisconsin, according to longtime friend and former president of Charlotte Motor Speedway Humpy Wheeler.
“He won a tremendous amount of races but never got national acclaim because he won in a regional area,” Wheeler said.
The police report said authorities “received a call apparently from the victim that 'there would be a dead body and it would be his'. Communications Center workers tried to place a return call to the number but did not get an answer. The first emergency units arriving on the scene located the body lying near the victim's pickup truck.”
Trickle was one of the few early drivers from the United States Midwest to head to the then southern US states based NASCAR series to achieve national notoriety.
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| Dick Trickle. (Photo: NASCAR) |
Rusty Wallace, a Cup Champion and NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee who comes from Missouri, tweeted “Dick Trickle was a friend, a mentor & one of the best drivers ever. Without him, I wouldn't be where I am now. I will miss him tremendously.”
Then Wallace added in an interview, “Dick Trickle was my mentor. When I was short track racing, I would call him every Monday morning and he would always help me with race setups and stuff. He and I had such a good time telling little stories, but he was the guy that taught me almost everything in the American Speed Association. And he was the guy that I battled right to the end for my 1983 ASA championship. I barely beat the guy that taught me everything.”
NASCAR's Chairman & CEO, Brian France, said in a written statement:
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Dick Trickle on his passing today. Dick was a legend in the short-track racing community, particularly in his home state of Wisconsin, and he was a true fan favorite. Personalities like Dick Trickle helped shape our sport. He will be missed.”
Reigning Sprint Cup Champion Brad Keselowski, who hails from Michigan, told reporters Thursday that Trickle "... was the most significant (short-track) racer in that era." Keselowski added. "His loss, in some ways, is a symbol of the end of that era. That's very sad to see."
Mark Martin an extremely successful driver who came from a Midwest background tweeted “Say it's not so. Sad news about a racing legend. Dick Trickle.”
One Trickle's crowning achievements was being named NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year, in 1989, at 48-years of age. He was one of the oldest if not the oldest drivers so honored in NASCAR's premier series.
In a Cup career spanning 24 seasons and over 300 hundred races he had no victories, but he did have two wins in the Busch Series now known as the Nationwide Series.
Trickle was a short-track hero who won more than 500 regional races as a part-time driver from Wisconsin, according to longtime friend and former president of Charlotte Motor Speedway Humpy Wheeler.
“He won a tremendous amount of races but never got national acclaim because he won in a regional area,” Wheeler said.