" I was taught to never give up, and that's kind of the attitude that I kind of work in is to never quit and never just roll over."
-Kevin Harvick 

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"Talladega" Outpaces "Step," "WTC"
By Bridget Byrne

Ricky Bobby had enough gas in the tank for one more checkered flag.

Despite some competition from a bunch of rookies, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Will Ferrell's spoof of stock car racing, cruised to first place at the weekend box office with an estimated $23 million from Friday to Sunday.

Tops among the newcomers was the unexpectedly hot to trot Step Up, stepping in with $21 million in second place.

In third place was Oliver Stone's World Trade Center with a respectable $19 million Friday-Sunday, after opening Wednesday.

The weekend's other two newbies were left in the dust: Pulse flickered in weakly with $8.4 million in fifth place, while Zoom fizzled with just $4.6 million in seventh place.

Ferrell's Talladega dropped 51 percent from its high-octane opening week, averaging $6,042 at 3,807 sites--lower than both Step Up and World Trade Center. Still, the PG-13 Sony release has tallied $91.2 million and should speed by the $100 million mark in less than a week.

Kyle Busch raises the bar for 'free passes' under NASCAR rules; Hamlin a solid 10th
By DAVID POOLE and JIM UTTER

The five “free passes” Kyle Busch received on Sunday are the most any driver has been given in one race since the rule was first used for the September race at Dover in 2003.

Denny Hamlin wound up 10th and was the top rookie finisher on Sunday. At least one rookie has finished in the top 15 in every race this season. Hamlin is now eight in the standings, 110 points ahead of 11th. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon glad to get out of town with those results
By JIM UTTER

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. - Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. both experienced problems in Sunday’s AMD at the Glen, but neither lost much in the race to make the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

Gordon was running in the top-10 when he ran off the track entering Turn 1 on Lap 67. He dropped back to the rear of the field but was able to make his way back to 13th by the end.

Earnhardt Jr. stayed out of trouble most of the day, but spun on Lap 74. He had trouble restarting and also dropped to the rear.

He rallied to finish 18th.

Gordon dropped one position to ninth in points, while Earnhardt Jr. remained 10th for a second week.

“We were all just dicing it up there and I got underneath somebody and everybody drove in there real deep. And Mark (Martin) came over and apologized to me and said he just got in there too deep,” Gordon said.

Said Earnhardt Jr.: “I was just racing too hard and got the front brakes hot and then the rear brakes started wheel-hopping in the corner and I spun out.

“I'm very thankful that we finished where we did. I feel like we know we're not in a great position to be in 10th, but we've got a lot of guys who would be glad to be in our position.”
Robby Gordon criticizes his DEI engine at the Glen, but still comes away happy
By JIM UTTER

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. - Robby Gordon didn’t leave Watkins Glen International with any victories, but he came away with a weekend of strong performances.

He finished second in Saturday’s Busch race and fourth in Sunday’s Cup race, the AMD at the Glen.

“I’m pretty happy with it. We just didn't have any brakes there at the end,” Gordon said. “We made a couple of changes from where we were a year ago and we probably needed to go. We boiled the brake fluid and just had to ride around.”

Gordon also claimed Dale Earnhardt Inc., which provides his Cup teams with engines, was a “little conservative” with its engine this week.

“I know they went a little conservative with our motor, because they thought if they gave me something that ran all day, we could win the deal. It wasn’t the case. We just got yarded on the straightaways.”
Timing is all wrong for Kurt Busch
By JIM UTTER

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – This seems to be a season of bad timing for Kurt Busch.

His slim chance of making this season’s Chase for the Nextel Cup may have been wiped away by two precious seconds in Sunday’s AMD at the Glen at Watkins Glen International.

Caution lights came on two seconds before Busch’s No. 2 Dodge reached the entrance of pit road on Lap 54. When the caution is displayed, pit road is closed, which meant Busch was left with few options other than the choice of penalty he was going to receive.

Since he pitted when pit road was closed, he was going to be penalized and put on the tail end of the longest line. If he had veered left and crossed the commitment line, he also would have been penalized.

It was particularly frustrating as Busch, who had won the pole for both the Busch and Nextel Cup races over the weekend and won the Busch on Saturday. He had led 38 laps in Sunday’s race.

“That was our scheduled pit... It was really hard to swerve back out because we were scheduled to pit,” said Busch. “From what I knew (the pit road light) was still green.

“It definitely was (our race to win), but we didn’t win today.”

Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president of competition, said after reviewing the videotape there was no doubt the caution lights came on before Busch reached pit road.

“It was clearly, as we looked at the video tape and the time stamps on our video tape and our electronics, the red light came on two seconds before he crossed the pit entry line,” he said.

Asked if he thought Busch had time to avoid pit road in two seconds, Pemberton said, “I don’t know that. You’ll have to ask Kurt if he thought he could do it or not. We had to make a call and we have electronics, and that was the call we had to make.”

Pemberton said Busch may have been left with few options or little leeway, but there was no judgement call involved.

"They've asked us to get tougher on pit road with all of these penalties, with speeding penalties and take all the grey (area) coming into pit and take out the judgement calls," he said. "He had two seconds for them to make the call.

"It's unfortunate that it happens that way, but sometimes you'll have that. When pit road is closed, it's closed."

Busch and his Penske Racing South team managed to rebound and battle to 11th on the final lap.

Yet his wild day was still not over as Busch got caught up with Ryan Newman, Boris Said and Ron Fellows in the inner-loop. Busch was eventually credited with a 19th-place finish.

“We were really digging hard to make up good ground. We ran a pace early with Tony (Stewart) to show him what kind of car we had and he backed off pace just because we were running that good,” Busch said.

“To go from first to (19th), that’s a rough one, but we’ll be back next week because we’ve got strong hearts and we definitely drove through some adversity (Saturday) to win that one.”

Inside Dish: Mayfield free to find a new ride
Lee Spencer | Sporting News

After a bit of legal sparring with former owner Ray Evernham, Jeremy Mayfield is out of the No. 19 and free to pursue other rides. Don't expect Mayfield to be sidelined for long. Bill Davis Racing would love to have Mayfield testing Camrys now to get a head start on 2007. BDR G.M. Mike Brown says the organization is in a strong position to make the transition to Toyota, considering the relationship the two have established in the Craftsman Truck Series. BDR is familiar with changing makes and models; it switched to Dodge and from Intrepids to Chargers. The Mayfield plot thickened over the weekend when his name came up as a possible driver for Robert Yates Racing this season if rookie David Gilliland isn't approved by NASCAR to race at Talladega. Mayfield also is a candidate for the No. 88 Ford next year. . . .

David Gilliland is expected to make his debut in the No. 38 Robert Yates Racing Ford this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. Gilliland, who made his Cup debut at Sonoma and finished 32nd, intends to follow the path of Carl Edwards and race the remainder of the season, forgoing his eligibility for the Rookie of the Year title in 2007. Gilliland, 30, and Robert Yates say experience is more important at this stage of his career. Gilliland says he'd be comfortable making his debut at Michigan, a track similar to his home track, California Speedway. Gilliland replaces Elliott Sadler, who is expected to move into the No. 19 this week. . . .
 
It's hard to believe that in 25 career Busch starts, John Andretti hadn't posted a top five until Saturday. "It's harder to get a top five in the Busch Series these days than it is to get a win in Nextel Cup," said Andretti, who has Cup victories at Daytona and Martinsville. "We knew with a new racecar we'd have a shot at winning the races." Andretti credited Ford engineers for helping design a better-balanced car. Andretti is 11th in points--the highest rookie in the Busch series. . . .

Michael Waltrip will represent the Toyota teams at NASCAR's next Car of Tomorrow test, scheduled for August 21, the Monday after the race at Michigan. All three Toyota organizations--Michael Waltrip Racing, Bill Davis Racing and Team Red Bull--have worked together on the first COT Camry. It will be the first time other manufacturers will see the new car on the track. . . .

Don't expect NASCAR's Nextel Cup circuit to adopt the European-style qualifying (more than one car on the track at a time) that was used in Mexico and at The Glen. Although the procedure cuts qualifying time in half, Cup Series director John Darby says it isn't necessary.
NASCAR needs a real Ricky Bobby
TERRY MASSEY
SPORTS COLUMNIST

I saw the best NASCAR racing I've witnessed in many years on Sunday.

No, not the ADM at the Glen Nextel Cup race. It was "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."

The movie featured more twists and turns than the Watkins Glen road course, and more bang for the buck in terms of entertainment.

And if you look beneath the laughs, the movie offered a few lessons for NASCAR: It could use a real-life Ricky Bobby, the lead character played by actor Will Ferrell with more character than all of today's drivers combined.

Ricky Bobby is a redneck - there's no other way to say it. He lives for speed, with his childhood motto of "I wanna go fast" morphing into "If you ain't first, you're last" when he starts winning races as a pseudo-adult.

Two problems, and they would be big ones for a driver in the modern era. In fact, a real-life Ricky Bobby would never get behind the wheel for a NASCAR team today despite his true skill.

One, he either wins or he wrecks. There's no glory in finishing second, which is tantamount to blasphemy in modern NASCAR circles.

The points system used to crown a NASCAR champion is based on consistency, not a driver's desire and ability to win at all costs. Teams now encourage their drivers to settle into a safe, top-10 position rather than risking a did-not-finish to collect precious Nextel Cup points.

Sounds more like coupon shopping than racing. I don't know any fans who go to a race hoping to see their favorite driver finish sixth.

There was a time when winning was everything. The late Dale Earnhardt used to refer to the runner-up as the first loser, which he seldom was. Now it seems second is just dandy, rewarded with only five fewer points than the guy taking a champagne shower in victory lane.

And the second reason Ricky Bobby wouldn't cut it in today's NASCAR, he is a sponsor's worst nightmare. He speaks his dirty, little mind, a concept that is totally foreign to the all-American motorsport, and doesn't care who it hurts.

I kept an unofficial count of 135 points and $135,000 Ricky Bobby would have been docked and fined by NASCAR for his filthy mouth and middle finger, and that's assuming the penalties weren't increased to punish a repeat offender.

Modern drivers, most of them twenty-somethings who look, talk and act alike, are expected to drive like the devil and then climb out of the car like a choir boy. It goes against everything NASCAR used to be, and everything that it should be.

In the good ol' days of the good ol' boys, Ricky Bobby would have been a working-class hero in NASCAR. Today, he probably wouldn't be able to afford a ticket.

While the movie was more comedy than commentary, one idea was clear: NASCAR needs a real Ricky Bobby.

Harvick holds off Stewart for Watkins Glen victory
By DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer


WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – A fast race car, a determined driver, a good plan and a little bit of luck.

That was the winning recipe for Kevin Harvick on Sunday at Watkins Glen, where he got his first NASCAR Nextel Cup road-course victory in the AMD at the Glen.

Things turned in Harvick's favor – and to Kurt Busch's great detriment – with the timing of a pivotal yellow flag just past the midpoint of the race. But after that, Harvick still had to wrestle the lead back from Tony Stewart to win for the second time this year.

Stewart, who'd won here the past two years and three of the past four, seemed headed to victory lane once again when he powered past Harvick's Chevrolet down the backstretch on Lap 82 in the 90-lap event.

But Harvick dug in and pounced when Stewart got loose off the final turn on Lap 87, roaring to the inside of the No. 20 Chevrolet and pulling clear as they entered the braking zone going to Turn 1.

"He had passed me going into the inner loop," Harvick said, referring to a chicane requiring a quick right turn and then a left at the end of the backstretch. "I went to the inside to block him and he just flat out drove around me.

"Tony drove 200 feet further in there than I'd ever thought about. He was in the dirt smoking his tires and I said, ‘Obviously, I am going to have to pick it up here.'"

Stewart jumped on Harvick right after a restart with nine laps left in a race that featured a Glen-record 10 cautions. Harvick's brakes got mushy when cool, so he knew that after one more restart with five laps left he'd have only a few opportunities to take back the lead he'd lost after spending 24 straight laps in front.

The door opened with just more than three laps to go.

Stewart got loose sweeping through the right turn onto the frontstretch and Harvick took advantage, going on to win for the seventh time in his 200th career Cup start and moving up one spot to third in the Nextel Cup standings.

"I think I just overdrove the entries and exits to the corners," Stewart said of the late-race battle. "It's fun racing with guys you trust like that. Kevin did an awesome job."

All told, Stewart was relatively happy with second after holding off Jamie McMurray for that spot. Stewart moved up two spots to seventh in the Nextel Cup standings on a day when wrecks, spins and off-course excursions saw the Chase for the Nextel Cup hopes of several hopefuls rise and fall like the hilly terrain surrounding this 2.45-mile track.

Nobody took a bigger or more bitterly disappointing hit than Kurt Busch, who won Saturday's Busch race from the pole and was trying to do the same thing Sunday in a blisteringly fast No. 2 Dodge that led 38 of the first 53 laps.

On Lap 53, however, Harvick stuck to crew chief Todd Berrier's plan and brought his Chevrolet to pit road for the day's final scheduled stop.

About the time Harvick pulled back on the track, Joe Nemechek ran off into a tire barrier and brought out a yellow – an ideal road-course circumstance for Harvick and a few others who'd also been in on that lap.

Roy McCauley, Busch's crew chief, anticipated the caution and tried to get Busch onto pit road before it came out, too. But with Busch within a few feet of the commitment line, the light marking pit road's status flashed from green for open to red for closed.

NASCAR ordered Busch to the end of the longest line for the restart, but McCauley's protests and radio problems kept Busch from getting word and he lined up second for the green flag before slowing to let the field go by, dropping to 40th.

Busch, who'd finished 12th or better in seven of the past eight races to cling to hopes of making the Chase, had battled back to 11th by the start of the final lap. But he got caught up in the incidents on that final lap and was credited with a 19th-place finish, leaving him 12th in the standings and 172 points out of the top 10.

Other potential title ships took on water as well.

For a second straight week, Kasey Kahne lost valuable points due to a last-lap incident. After a hard crash last week at Indianapolis, he ran off the course into a rockpile Sunday and was crediting with 22nd, leaving him 54 points outside the top 10.

Greg Biffle suffered a major setback, too, damaging his car badly after being shoved into the guardrail on Lap 43 and finishing 15 laps down in 38th. Biffle was 10th in the standings after a third-place finish at New Hampshire three races ago, but he's now 13th and 180 points behind 10-place Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Kyle Busch, on the other hand, pulled a rabbit out of his hat. He fell five laps down because of track bar problem early on, but got every one of those back with free passes on the ensuing cautions and wound up ninth to remain fifth in the standings. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. each spun late in the day, but Gordon salvaged 13th and Earnhardt Jr. 18th as both stayed inside the top 10.

Ryan Newman and Ron Fellows were originally penalized 30 seconds each for avoiding the inner loop as cars piled up on the final lap. Instead of top 10s, that put them back to 31st and 32nd, respectively.

Later, NASCAR rescinded the penalty against Newman and reinstated him to an eighth-place finish. But NASCAR also added a penalty for Boris Said, knocking him from what was originally scored as a sixth-place finish to 31st.

Watkins Glen
A weekend on a road course leaves us with plenty of questions
By Mark Spoor, NASCAR.COM
 

... why isn't Boris Said's name being mentioned for one of the open seats in Nextel Cup?

Am I missing something here? The guy has a dedicated fan base, is a great interview and he can flat out drive a race car. And as Duane Cross pointed out to me, he proved at Daytona that if you put Said in good equipment, he can run up front -- road-course or not.
 
Is it because he's not 19 years old? When did that become a prerequisite to driving in NASCAR? Everyone is looking for the next Denny Hamlin or Kurt Busch and in the meantime we're forced to endure a dozen or so caution flags -- on a road course.

Sooner or later, one of these car owners has to be able to make a convincing argument to a potential sponsor that experience is something to be cherished, not scoffed at.

And sooner or later, one of these sponsors has to be willing to believe it.

... can someone please tell Kurt Busch to stop making those snow angels?

He's like that guy we all have in our circle that tells the same bad joke every time you see him. You know the guy -- you see him like once every couple months and every time he tells that awful story about when you got thrown out of a bar while you were in college -- 15 years ago.

It wasn't funny the first time and it's not funny this time, either.

As I watched Busch do his little move after winning the Busch race on Saturday, I couldn't help but remember a series of interviews our boy did earlier in the year where he proclaimed he was a man's man.

"I'm a working man's man," Busch told our Dave Rodman in June. "If I've got a broken toilet, I'm going to go to Lowe's or The Home Depot and buy the parts that I need and I'm going to fix it myself."

Yeah, I could certainly picture someone like Dale Earnhardt celebrating a win by doing a snow angel -- on asphalt.

And just so all the Kurt Busch fans don't think I'm picking on him ...

... what was Kurt Busch supposed to do to avoid that penalty Sunday?
 
This is something we can all relate to. You're zooming down the highway and the traffic light you're coming up on is yellow. You don't know if you're going to make it, so you give yourself the benefit of the doubt and go by it.

Most times, you pay no penalty. Busch can hardly say the same.

He was probably five feet from the commitment line when the red lights came on signaling that pit road is closed. There was no way that Busch could go back out on the track. What was he going to do, pull a uee?

The argument was made on NBC's coverage that Busch could have just gone through pit road and went back on the track, but that's nothing more than a self-induced penalty. The No. 2 team still loses track position on a course where it is difficult to pass, at best.

There should be a grace distance a few feet before the commitment line where you can stop without incident. When you receive a penalty, it should be because you had a chance to make things right and chose not to. A dominant car -- as Busch's was -- should not be taken out of contention because a guy in the tower threw a switch.

... aren't Jeremy Mayfield and Elliott Sadler the same driver?

It's no secret that Elliott Sadler is going to the No. 19 car -- despite all the cleverly worded interviews Ray Evernham gave where he called Sadler "the 2007 driver," like he's Mr. Wrestling II or something.

Sounds like a big deal, but is it really? Sadler and the man he's replacing, Jeremy Mayfield, are basically the same driver.

Not literally, of course. But statistically they are. Since 2000, Mayfield, with 10 fewer starts, has four wins to Sadler's three. Mayfield has 26 top-fives to Sadler's 16. Mayfield has 57 top-10s to Sadler's 50.

And the clincher: Mayfield's average finish is 21.062 while Sadler's is 21.455.

Both have, shall we say, a distinctive talking style and both enjoy poking fun at themselves.

The difference would be ...?

... why doesn't Delana Harvick go to road-course races?

During his Victory Lane interview Sunday, Kevin Harvick said hi to his wife Delana and said that she doesn't go to road-course races.

Is it that she doesn't like road-course racing? Does she not like Watkins Glen or Sonoma? Inquiring minds would like to know.

... could Mark Martin either retire or just tell us he's going to drive forever?

Mark Martin said Sunday on SPEED's NASCAR Raceday that next season he plans to drive the full Craftsman Truck Series schedule plus a dozen Nextel Cup Series races if he can get sponsorship.

I'm confused. When Martin first said he was going to retire, what, like 10 years ago, he said he was doing so because he didn't like the demanding schedule. But -- and I know my math can be suspect -- the Craftsman Truck Series runs 25 races a year. That, added to a dozen Cup races adds up to 37 events, one more than a Nextel Cup season minus the Bud Shootout and All-Star race, which by the way Martin would be eligible for.

Don't get me wrong. Martin shouldn't retire. He's still a competitive driver, to say the least. Plus, I think NASCAR needs his veteran presence now more than ever. Still, the whole, "I'm leaving, I'm not leaving, I'm kind of leaving" thing is getting tiresome -- quickly.

Just drop it. Refund all the money from those "Salute to You" t-shirts, give the rocking chair back to FOX, race as much as you want to and don't apologize for it.

You're a racer. Race.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.

Busch holds Gordon at bay to win Zippo 200
By John Kekis, The Associated Press
 

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Kurt Busch held off Robby Gordon in a stirring last-lap duel Saturday to win the Busch Series Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International.

It was Busch's second victory and fifth top-five in only his sixth career start in the series, all this year, and Gordon made it one he won't soon forget.
 
Busch, who won the pole earlier in the day and led the first 16 laps of the 82-lap race, led Gordon on a restart with two laps to go following the final caution of the race and pulled away by several car lengths.

Undeterred, Gordon, in only his second Busch race of the year, rallied entering the chicane at the top of the esses about midway through the 11-turn, 2.45-mile layout and hit the back bumper of Busch's No. 39 Penske Dodge. Busch held on and gained a two car-length lead entering the final lap.

Gordon wasn't finished yet. He again pulled up to Busch's back bumper in the chicane, and this time he drove through the grass in a last-ditch effort to make the pass, slamming the side of Busch's car and also sending it sliding through the grass.

"We knew we were better than him there," said Gordon, who also finished second here a year ago to Busch's Penske Racing teammate, Ryan Newman. "I just tried to move him. I had him sized up. I knew I was going to lay into him and that's what I did. I just didn't go far enough."

That allowed Busch to maintain control as Gordon's No. 7 Chevrolet briefly inched in front, and he then slammed Gordon back and regained the lead.

"When he pushed, I stood on it and drove straight through the grass," said Busch, who also will start Sunday's Nextel Cup race from the pole. "It was a flat-out battle. It seemed like it [the chicane] was my weak point and Robby knew it. That was a battle."

"We got by him for a short period of time, but he knocked me and got back by," Gordon said.

Jamie McMurray finished third despite overheating problems, Greg Biffle was fourth and John Andretti fifth, his best finish in the series.

Points leader Kevin Harvick, who led 19 laps, finished seventh, his 21st top-10 in 24 races, and gained a 443-point lead in the series on Carl Edwards, who slid into the gravel on Lap 66 and finished a lap down in 27th.

Newman ran second to Busch for 14 laps and led for one lap, but he lost the engine in his Penske Dodge and spun into the gravel on Lap 31, bringing out the first caution of the race.
  
Both McMurray and Biffle had a bird's-eye view of the final-lap battle between Gordon and Busch, and they were anticipating the worst.

"I hoped that they wrecked, and if they did they weren't in the racetrack," McMurray said, smiling. "I said, 'Damn, they made it."'

That wasn't the first run-in between Busch and Gordon. A bad pit stop by Busch at the end of Lap 47 gave Gordon a substantial lead, but a caution for debris wiped out that edge and set up a restart with 20 laps left.

When Busch tried to duck inside Gordon entering the 90-degree, right-hand first turn at the end of the front straightaway, Gordon threw a block inside. Busch quickly slid outside and pulled alongside Gordon, but Gordon drove right into the side of Busch as both cars raced together through the paved runoff area on the left side of the curve.

Gordon was able to maintain the lead, and McMurray slid into second ahead of Busch for the remainder of the lap. Busch slipped back ahead of McMurray with a clean pass entering the first turn and again began stalking Gordon.
  
Another restart with 14 laps to go was clean, with Gordon getting off strongly without a challenge from Busch. After Busch passed Gordon on the front straightaway the next time by, Gordon pulled back inside and gained the lead back for a split second, but his momentum carried him onto the edge of the runoff and Busch slid back by.

Gordon stayed within a second of Busch, slowly began to reel him in, and was on his back bumper entering Turn 11 with four laps left when the final caution waved.

"We battled," Busch said. "I was in front, he was in front. I was behind, he was behind. The last restart I thought he was sleeping. We got a little bit of a lead, but he would swallow it right up.

"Sometimes, I thought he went straight through there [the chicane]. I didn't expect that aggressive driving from Robby, maybe I should have. It tore up some cars, but I guess that's what you have to do to get to Victory Lane."

Remembering Tim Richmond
© 2006 Matt McLaughlin
   
 
 It’s been 17 years now since Tim Richmond last competed in a Winston Cup race. There’s little mention of him in NASCAR’s official literature, and if you’re a new race fan, sadly you may never even have heard his name. But for those of us privileged enough to have watched Tim Richmond drive a race car during that all too ephemeral time that marked the peak of his career, there is no forgetting the magic. The tragic circumstances of a young man’s passing, and the way NASCAR® officialdom dealt with it, is the subject for another article and my purpose here is not to mourn Tim’s passing, but to celebrate his life and talent. If there ever was a “natural” at driving a race car, it was Tim Richmond. Lap after lap, fans watched in wonder as he hit the same mark, time after time, but when it came time to get around another driver, it was like the laws of physics themselves stepped aside a few moments, content to be suspended and watch in wide-eyed wonder at what Tim could do in a race car, driving the line everyone else thought was impossible. And it was impossible…for everyone else.

Tim Richmond started driving race cars at a relatively advanced age by the standards of today. He was 21 years old when a friend who owned a sprint car invited him to take some laps in the car at the Lakeville Speedway in Ohio. Tim was so ill-prepared for his debut at the wheel of a race car, he showed up wearing cowboy boots and had to borrow a driver’s uniform and a helmet just to be able to run a few laps on what was supposed to be a lark. Instead, Tim hopped in the car, and within a very short period of time, was turning lap times better than the car’s regular driver who had been racing for years. Again, if there ever was a natural born race car driver, it was Tim Richmond. More importantly, that day Tim discovered his niche in life, the one thing that he enjoyed doing as much as his late night partying with friends. That evening, Tim decided he was going to be a race car driver, and with that goal set, he pursued it with the same tenacity and determination he did everything else he set his mind to.

In 1977, Tim Richmond started driving a Supermodified car he co-owned with his father at Sandusky Speedway, which bills itself as “the fastest half-mile oval in Ohio.” Success was almost immediate, and that year, Tim won not only “Rookie of the Year” honors, but the track championship in his class as well. Like most kids growing up in the Midwest at that point of time, Richmond’s goal was not stock car racing, but Indy car racing and towards that end, he competed in the Mini Indy car series in Phoenix, Arizona, and again, he won the title the first time out. From the Mini Indy car league, Tim moved to the USAC sprint car series, and in 1979, he won the coveted “Rookie of the Year” honors in that series as well. Many a driver spends years driving in the sprint car series waiting for a chance to drive in the Indy car series, but Tim’s goal lay beyond the sprints, and he made his own chance happen rather than waiting. Al Richmond was certainly wealthy enough to buy his son an Indy car, and there is a lingering misimpression among some people that was the case, but in fact, Tim aggressively courted sponsors on his own and got backing from a business in his hometown of Ashland, Ohio—Robert Schultz and Associates. With financing in place, Tim, with help from Roger Penske, was able to set up a deal to buy a car, and planned to make his Indy car debut at Michigan. The debut did not go well, the car developed mechanical problems, but Tim’s driving abilities raised some eyebrows. Mark Stainbrook, crew chief for a team owned by Pat Santello, asked if Richmond would be interested in driving for that team. When Tim expressed interest, an agreement was reached that if Tim could qualify the car at the next race, he would be given the ride. Fortunately, the test took place at the Willow Spring road course in California. Already an accomplished oval course racer, Tim had attended a Jim Russell driving school at that same track and set the lowest lap time by any student ever. Needless to say, he got the ride with Santello’s team. Once again, the ugly rumor that his dad had bought him the seat dogged Richmond, as a disgruntled friend of the team’s former driver printed a story in the Indianapolis Star to that effect. Though the story was later retracted, it left a taint.

During the 1980 season, a difficult year as CART took over control of the Indy car series from USAC, Richmond made five starts in Indy cars. A pattern was set where he would qualify and run well, only to be sidelined by mechanical problems with his outdated equipment.

1980 was Tim Richmond’s biggest year in the Indy car circuit, and his proudest moments were during those weeks in May leading up to the Indianapolis 500. Though a rookie, Tim set the fastest time in practice, and was considered a favorite for a front row starting spot. Unfortunately, a crash on Pole Day eliminated that possibility. Still, Richmond was able to make the field in a backup car and compete in the Indy 500. Throughout the event, Tim showed skill and speed that belied his inexperience, and he actually led the race before running out of gas in the waning laps. Race winner Johnny Rutherford was kind enough to let Tim hitch a ride to Victory Lane riding on the sidepod of the winning car. Legend has it, as Tim hopped off, Rutherford quietly told him one day Tim would be visiting that hallowed ground on his own. For his remarkable achievements that month, Richmond was awarded “Rookie of the Race” honors.

Among the quarter million spectators on hand that day for the Indy 500 was Dr. Joseph Mattioli, founder and president of Pocono International Speedway. He had been impressed by Tim’s style and asked if he might be interested in driving a NASCAR stock car race there that July. (Recall Pocono also hosted Indy car races at one time.) Tim was the sort who would drive anything with wheels and quickly agreed. Dr. Mattioli was able to line up a Chevy owned by DK Ulrich for Tim to drive. While he qualified a disappointing 23rd, Richmond was able to finish 12th in his very first Winston Cup race. Despite the venture starting out as a lark, Tim fell in love with racing stock cars. He would later describe the difference between Indy cars and stock cars as being that you “drove” an Indy car, but “raced” a stock car, and Tim Richmond had a racer’s heart. He would compete in four more Winston Cup races that year—Dover, Martinsville, Charlotte, and Atlanta. Mechanical problems relegated him to disappointing finishes at Dover and Atlanta, but Tim managed to finish 12th at both Charlotte and Martinsville (in his very first Winston Cup short track run.)

Richmond was never forced to decide between NASCAR and CART. A series of wrecks and financial problems with the team ended his open wheel driving days, and in 1981, Tim Richmond began driving the Winston Cup circuit full time. Tim’s arrival made quite a splash in the normally staid world of NASCAR. While most drivers of the era had “Opie Taylor” style haircuts, Tim wore his hair shoulder length and admitted to using a hair stylist rather then a barber. His Ohio accent sounded a bit different than the good old boys. And Tim arrived upon a Harley Davidson, not in a car, in an era long before Milwaukee’s Finest was near standard issue for every cup driver. Richmond had a sort of confidence some mistook for arrogance, and more than a few guys in the garage area weren’t very impressed with him. Of course, more than a few woman were.

That year was the first year of the “down-sized cars” and even a lot of the top teams were struggling to figure those cars out. It was as true then, as it is today, Winston Cup racing is the most competitive series on earth, and Tim struggled a bit driving the DK Ulrich Buick Regal the early part of that season, including a disappointing 30th at the Daytona 500. His first Winston Cup top 10 came at Bristol on March 29, 1981, when Tim finished 10th. The best finish Richmond had with DK Ulrich, and in fact that season, was 6th at Talladega in May. After a disappointing result at Riverside in June on a road course where Tim had been expected to run well (he crashed out on the 12th lap), Richmond and Ulrich parted ways. Tim signed on with Kennie Childers to drive his Oldsmobile after the separation. The best finishes Richmond earned while with Childers were 9th at Pocono and 8th at Bristol. Once again, things went downhill and in September, Tim moved over to Bob Rogers’ team, debuting with them at Dover and finishing 9th, his last top 10 of the season. In 29 starts, in 1981, Tim had six top 10 finishes and wound up 16th in the points.

Tim Richmond found himself without a Winston Cup ride for the 1982 season. He did not make his first start that year until Rockingham in March, driving the Fast Company Limited Ford to a dismal 31st place finish after losing an engine. But his fortunes were about to change—both for the better and the worse. Tim was finally able to land a well-funded ride after Rockingham, which was the good news, but the bad news, he would be driving for mercurial millionaire and con artist JD Stacy. Stacy’s financial house of cards was the object of considerable conjecture, but he did indeed pour a lot of money into his team when the mood and means suited him. Joe Ruttman had a falling out with Stacy and Tim was given the seat as primary driver for one of two teams Stacy owned. (He also sponsored five others.) Their very first race together, Tim managed to finish a career best 5th at the Rebel 500 at Darlington. After a couple races for the team to gel together, Richmond and the Stacy team began putting together a solid string of top 10 finishes. At Pocono that year, Tim Richmond showed the sort of driver he really was and engaged in a dog fight for top honors with Bobby Allison. Richmond might have won that race, as Bobby Allison had run out of fuel trying to stretch his gas mileage under a caution flag thrown for rain, fearing if he pitted, the race would end under caution. Dave Marcis was kind enough to push Allison back to the pits, and in fact, Allison did go on to win by 3.1 seconds over Tim. (As a side note, Marcis also carried sponsorship from JD Stacy and lost the sponsorship for helping Bobby out.) But even that 2nd place finish had put the other drivers on notice that Tim Richmond was a contender and would win a race soon. Very soon as it turned out.

The next event was the Budweiser 400 at Riverside—a road course. Terry Labonte had the dominant car that day after several other early favorites fell out with mechanical problems. Tim remained running with the front pack, and on lap 89 of the 95-lap event, he used his considerable road racing skills to out-brake Labonte and take the lead. From there it was smooth sailing to Richmond’s first Winston Cup win. The second half of that season had it share of highs and lows with Tim getting involved in several crashes not always of his making, mechanical problems, and continuing uncertainty about the status of Stacy’s finances. Richmond did manage a strong 2nd place finish at Richmond in the fall, again tailing Allison to the checkers, and 4th at Atlanta in the penultimate race of that season. The 1982 season ended at Riverside, the track where Tim had earned his first win. By that point, he had already decided to split with Stacy after the race, citing the team’s uncertain financial future. Richmond had landed a ride with Raymond Beadle’s new Blue Max team, which was buying out the equipment of MC Anderson, who had announced he was quitting racing all together, because his driver, Cale Yarborough, wanted to remain running a partial schedule rather than contend for the Winston Cup. Tim did leave the Stacy team in style, scoring the 2nd win of his career in a race he flat out dominated. In 26 starts that year, Tim had the two wins at Riverside, five more top 5s, and twelve top 10s overall. Those statistics were remarkably similar to a driver who had befriended Tim and taken him under his wing introducing him around—Dale Earnhardt. Dale had only one win, but like Tim, he had seven top 5s and twelve top 10s, but because he ran the entire schedule, Dale finished 12th in the points, while Tim had to settle for 26th.

Tim Richmond and Blue Max racing team, running the Old Milwaukee Beer colors, got off to an uneven start in 1983. The team endured more than its fair share of mechanical difficulties and poor finishes, but when the car was running at the end of the race, Richmond was usually in the top 10. Their first strong run of the year came at Martinsville, where Tim was in contention to win until a pit miscue by crew chief Tim Brewer had the soft compound left side tires put on the right side of the car. NASCAR officials noted the violation and assessed Richmond a five-lap penalty. A 4th place at Pocono in June and a 3rd at the next race in Michigan seemed to indicate the team was turning the corner. Tim’s breakthrough oval course win came at his favorite track, Pocono, in July. A combination of incredible driving and brilliant pit strategy allowed Tim to take the lead when then leader Dave Marcis had to pit for a splash and go with seven laps remaining. Richmond held off a last ditch charge by Darrell Waltrip by two seconds. The win was a confidence booster for the rookie team and began a long string of top 10 and even top 5 finishes whenever the car made it to the end of the race. At Rockingham in October, fans got a good look at the magic that was Tim Richmond’s style as he engaged in an epic side by duel with Terry Labonte in the waning laps of the race. Lap after lap, the two ran together with Tim trying moves on both the high and low side of the track, including several times when he gathered the car up as it got out of shape up in the marbles, where all others feared to tread. Terry Labonte won that race by .7 of a second, but it was one of the best races of that or any other season. Back at Riverside, a track that Tim had mastered, he led the race several times, before he and Darrell Waltrip made hard contact, and both cars wound up spinning off the track. Tim recovered well enough to bring the car home 5th. For the season, Richmond had the one win, ten top 5s, and fifteen top 10s, which earned him a 10th place finish in the points, and a new contract to drive for Blue Max again in 1984.

1984 did not start out well for Tim and the Blue Max team. Once again he finished well when the car was still running, but the team had a string of engine-related failures that relegated Richmond to disappointing finishes. A hard crash with Rusty Wallace only increased Tim’s frustrations. North Wilkesboro in the spring didn’t look like it was going to be Tim’s day either. In fact, the event looked like a benefit put on for Ricky Rudd for much of the race. Tim patiently paced himself knowing the team needed a good finish to boost morale, until in the closing laps of the event, Rudd started showing signs he was struggling. Once that opportunity presented himself, Tim threw caution to the wind, and in an awesome display of driving, ran down and passed Ricky. A great pit stop helped Tim maintain the lead and he went on to beat Harry Gant by a tick under four seconds. It was Richmond’s first short track win. After that, the mechanical gremlins began rearing their heads again and the season of frustration continued. Even in that disappointing season, there were some strong runs. At Dover, Richmond ran in the lead pack all day, and finished 2nd to the King of stock car racing, Richard Petty. It seemed appropriate as many people felt Tim had the talent to one day inherit the King’s throne. Richmond was also in serious contention for a win in the June race at Riverside, battling once again with Terry Labonte in the closing laps until the two cars made contact. Labonte was able to continue, but Tim was forced to the pits for repairs and wound up 6th in the final run down. A 2nd at the Southern 500, on a day where he had little chance of catching winner Harry Gant, was the only other highlight of the disappointing year as the series reached Riverside for the season finale. Though Richmond never led that race, he was in contention for most of the way and wound up 2nd that day to Geoff Bodine. For the year, Tim Richmond wound up with the single win, five other top 5s, and a total of eleven top 10s—good enough to earn him 12th in the points standings. For a lot of drivers, that might have been good enough, but Tim was thoroughly dispirited after what he felt was a lackluster season. Better times were coming, but they were still a ways down the road.

Tim Richmond was back with the Blue Max team for 1985, though there had been some friction within the team. A lot of people in the know were saying Tim was a better driver than the equipment he had allowed him to show, while others were beginning to question his commitment and asking if his hard-charging lifestyle off the track was detracting from his ability to drive the car. Still the 1985 season began with high hopes, though almost from the drop of the first green flag, those hopes were dashed. No one had anything for Bill Elliott that year at the Daytona 500, and Tim crashed out of the event early, winding up 35th. It was just that sort of year. The cars were usually not competitive and Tim either crashed or blew them up trying to wrestle his way to the front. He had only three lead lap finishes to his credit going into the 18th race of that season at Bristol. That race seemed to belong to Dale Earnhardt, but for once that year, the engine held together and Tim was able to keep out of the numerous wrecks that marred the event. A pit miscue on Earnhardt's team's part dropped Dale to 2nd and Tim Richmond was in the lead with 54 laps to go. Off the track, Dale and Tim were good friends and spent a lot of time together, but on the track, they were often fierce competitors. Dale looked for a way around Tim for awhile and when he couldn't find one, he used the simple approach…he just laid a bumper into the rear of Richmond's car and pushed him out of the way. Tim held on to finish 2nd and had no harsh words for his friend after the event. He simply shrugged and told reporters that was how short track racing got done and Earnhardt was the master of it. Ironically, the same pair of drivers were involved in the next race, Richmond had a shot at winning at Martinsville. That day, Tim turned the tables and had the dominant car all day. Dale finally managed to reel Tim in, and once again, the two put on a fierce battle racing fender to fender, and occasionally fender into fender, as they worked their way around the traffic-packed bullring. The crowd was loving it, but while Dale Earnhardt may love close quarter racing, he likes winning better, and once again, he finally resorted to using a front bumper to shove Tim out of the way. Tim showed Earnhardt he didn't like being pushed around, and as Dale tried to pass him, Tim cut the wheel hard left and gave him a solid shot. The pair seemed ready to bang and crash their way right to the finish or the garage area, whichever came first, but a spin ahead of the paint-swapping duo forced Tim to get out of the gas and allowed Earnhardt to scoot off into the sunset. To add insult to injury, a stripped wheel stud on the final stop dropped Tim back to 7th place. After the race, he was not quite as philosophical or diplomatic as he was after Bristol, telling reporters, "As far as I'm concerned, we ain't even. I still owe him one." That was moments after he got out of the car. Later that evening, Tim and Dale were spotted chatting and laughing, their friendship intact. As the year had begun with frustration, it ended with more of the same. At Riverside, a track Tim Richmond was always considered a favorite at, Tim crashed out on the 46th lap and wound up 37th. For the year, he had no wins, only three top 5s, and thirteen top 10s, earning Richmond 11th place in the Winston Cup rundown. But despite all the disappointments, Tim had caught the eye of a team owner who has proven, over and over again since, that he had an eye for diamonds in the rough. Rick Hendrick saw Tim's abundant talent, and guessed correctly given competitive cars that were around at the end of a race—not on the trailer—and a little coaching, Tim Richmond could be a superstar.

Tim Richmond was assigned driving duties for the 25 car out of Hendrick's stables carrying Proctor and Gamble’s Folger's coffee sponsorship. (Supposedly he overslept the day of the big announcement, showed up looking spent from partying all night, and turned the disaster into a public relations coup by telling the assembled press that if a couple cups of Folgers could get him going at that hour in the morning, it could do the same for anyone.) His crew chief would be a NASCAR legend, the late Harry Hyde, who had an incredible talent himself, for bringing out the best in new drivers trying to work their way to the top tier of the sport. It seemed (at least on paper) NASCAR's version of the Odd Couple. Hyde was a grizzled veteran born of the old school of stock car racing and its Southeastern roots. Tim was the brash newcomer, the future of the sport, and from a wealthy family out of Ohio. But the two men shared one trait in common—a deep and abiding respect for the other's doubtless talent. There were no overnight miracles. It took awhile for the patience and strategy Hyde was preaching to reach Tim, whose style was more to charge to the front at the drop of the flag and battle with all comers. Through the first 10 events of the year, Tim managed only one top 5 finish at Darlington, where he came home 5th after leading the race briefly. The pundits were beginning to question Hendrick's wisdom, not only in hiring Tim, but in running a two-car team, which most people saw as a distinct disadvantage in those days. The fact Richmond's teammate, Geoff Bodine, was having a good season, including winning the Daytona 500 and the spring Dover race, seemed evidence the two-car concept could indeed work, but it called into doubt Tim's abilities as he was driving the same equipment to lackluster finishes. Throughout the disappointment the early season travails, Tim and Harry both went on record as having 100% confidence in the other’s ability. As it turns out, the duo was about to silence their critics in dramatic fashion.

It started at that year’s World 600. Late in the event, it seemed Bill Elliott had taken control of the race, but brilliant pit strategy on Hyde's part kept Tim out on the track when Elliott had to dive into the pits for a splash and go. Dale Earnhardt's crew had made a similar call, and Tim's old Lake Norman neighbor took the victory, while Tim had to settle for 2nd, two seconds off the pace. At the next race at Riverside, Tim and Harry were out to prove the 2nd place in Charlotte had been no fluke and did so in convincing fashion. Tim led much of that event and was poised to take his first win of the year when Terry Labonte crashed heavily with two laps to go. Both Richmond and second place Darrell Waltrip knew it was a race back to the line as the event would end under caution. They put on one of the best duels in the history of NASCAR® road racing, running side by side, rubbing fenders like they were at Martinsville. During the race to the caution, Tim got caught behind slower traffic allowing Waltrip to open an advantage, but Richmond came charging back, giving it his all, but fell inches short at the start-finish line as the yellow and white flags flew simultaneously. Though he wound up 2nd again, Richmond had put everyone on notice he and Hyde were finally hitting on all eight cylinders and he meant to be a contender. The Winston Cup circuit’s next stop was at Pocono—a track Richmond always said was his favorite because it was so tough to drive. The day was dark and stormy and the red flag had to be thrown for a severe thunderstorm at the midpoint of the race. When the racing resumed, Tim stormed his way to the front, thundering his way around the damp track at lightning speed. Making the event that much more memorable for him was the chance to duel with his buddy and Winston Cup points leader Dale Earnhardt for the win. A heavy wreck with four laps to go brought out another race to the yellow flag, but that weekend Tim managed to hang on for the victory. Notice had been served. What was to follow was one of the most incredible streaks in the history of Winston Cup racing.

The Richmond Express got a little off track at Michigan with Tim coming home a disappointing 15th after having started on the pole. But the engine was back on track at the Firecracker 400. Buddy Baker was leading late in the race, but Tim had put himself in position to win and was charging right along in Baker’s wake. A lapped car ahead spun and Baker hit the wall trying to avoid it, while Tim, in a nifty piece of driving, managed to dive low and avoid the wreck without lifting. He held off the determined charge of Sterling Marlin at the end to take his second win in three events. The smile on Richmond's face in the hallowed ground of Daytona's Victory Lane probably had something to do with the fact the next stop was an encore at Pocono. The weather was a bit more cooperative the second time around at Long Pond, but Tim was still driving up a storm. Rick Hendrick had to be putting his hands over his eyes as his two drivers, Richmond and Bodine, fought tooth and nail for the victory and made heavy contact more than once. Bodine had the advantage with one to go, but Tim muscled by him down Pocono's long backstretch. His cause was greatly aided when Bodine got involved in a battle over 2nd with a hard-charging Ricky Rudd. Rudd was able to bypass Bodine, and was alongside Tim when the checkers flew, but was .05 seconds to the wrong of grabbing the trophy.

Tim Richmond led at the next race at Talladega, but that in itself was no great accomplishment. 26 drivers in the field of 40 took a turn at the front that day. The difference was, in the waning laps, Tim was still right up there battling for the win, while many of the others had fallen by the wayside. A multi-car last lap accident scrambled up the running order, but the final rundown had Tim finishing 2nd, a couple car lengths behind the surprise winner, Bobby Hillin Jr. The Winston Cup circuit made their first return to Watkins Glen since 1965 the next weekend and road race impresario Tim Richmond was among the heavy favorites for the return trip. He took pole position that weekend, while many other drivers seemed to be struggling to find their way around the torturous course. As it had been at Riverside, Tim and Darrell were the front runners and put on another epic battle for the fans. With 12 laps to go, Tim used a whole lot of guts and very little brakes going into a tight corner to muscle his way past Waltrip. DW tried gamely to repass Tim, but Richmond was running like he was on rails and streaked on to victory. Just as the road courses favored Tim, Michigan seemed a private playground constructed for Bill Elliott who had won three consecutive times at the track going into that event. It seemed Tim's hot summer streak was doomed when he was caught in the pits when a caution flag flew and wound up a lap down as the rest of the field pitted under the yellow. Hyde calmly coached his driver to keep digging, but drive smart, and a caution with 16 laps to go allowed Tim to make up his lap, but he was still 14th in the running order. Hyde must have told Tim it was time to go, because he began passing the rest of the field liked they'd stopped to admire his driving prowess. The effort came up one position short as Elliott edged out Richmond for his 4th win in a row at Michigan. All streaks have to end and Tim's return to earth came at Bristol. He did manage to win the pole, and led early, but an ill-handling car running hot dropped him to 6th at the conclusion of the race, two laps off the pace. It was only the second time in ten events that Tim had not won or been runner up. And he wasn't quite done with his miraculous charge up the points standings either.

The Southern 500 is arguably the toughest race in the circuit, and there could be no argument that Tim was definitely the hottest driver at that point of the season. Tim claimed a white jacket on pole day setting the pace for the field. The Labor Day classic was marred by rainy weather that caused a long red flag delay, and there was a lot of question as to whether darkness would cause NASCAR to have to flag the event early. During the rain delay, Tim fell asleep in the garage area. Late in the race, Bill Elliott seemed to have the advantage, but Tim was making his trademark charge to keep Bill honest. With six laps to go, Elliott's Thunderbird got away from him on the rain-slick track and he sideswiped the wall. The miscue allowed Richmond to take the lead and he held off Bobby Allison by two seconds at the checkers. Years later, Harry Hyde would recall that Southern 500 weekend was the first time he noticed his young protégé looked a little under the weather. It was thought the pressure of keeping the streak alive, sponsor commitments, and Tim's late-night partying, combined with a summer cold, had taxed him to the limit, and Harry suggested Tim might want to try to take it easy a while. Tim certainly didn't take his mentor's advice at Richmond. Perhaps it's fitting Richmond finally won at the track that shared his name (and launched the media scribes into an unforgivable series of bad puns I will not repeat), but once again, he did it the hard way, going a lap down early in the going and aided by Hyde's seasoned coaching on the radio, scrapping his way back to the front. Sometimes you're lucky to be good, and sometimes it's good to be lucky, and Tim relied on the latter that day. On a restart after a caution flag for an oil down, the two dominant cars of the latter parts of the event, Ricky Rudd and Rusty Wallace, got swept up in a wreck when they hit a slick portion of the track. Their travails allowed Tim to assume the lead and he held on to beat a hard-charging Dale Earnhardt by a couple car lengths. The victory left Tim, who had once been hopelessly down in the points battle, in 2nd position, within striking distance of Earnhardt.

September brings the fall, and that year, it marked the fall of Tim Richmond from title contention and the end of his unbelievable streak of that summer. Whether it was his failing health, the team turning the wick up a little too high trying to make a run at Dale and the 3 bunch, or the inevitable bad luck that must play a part of every driver's season, the fall race at Dover began a streak of five consecutive races marred by mechanical problems for Tim and the team, that saw him post only one top 10 and a disastrous 27th at Charlotte when he lost an engine. Thus ended Tim's hopes for that year's title. At Atlanta in the fall, he regained some of his form, leading the event twice before slipping to 4th in the final rundown, on a day when his buddy Earnhardt clinched the title with an impressive win. The final race of the year was at one of Tim's favorite stomping grounds, Riverside, and he ended the year on a high note. After taking the pole, Tim led early and stayed in contention all day, before reassuming the lead with 12 to go and holding off the best efforts of teammate, Geoff Bodine, and Dale Earnhardt. Tim finished the year with seven wins (more than any other driver that season), thirteen total top 5s, and seventeen top 10s in 29 events. While his trouble getting things rolling in the early stages of the season had buried him in the points hunt, he had managed to finish out the year in 3rd place—a mere six points behind Darrell Waltrip, who finished 2nd to Dale. Based on the late season charge, it would have been hard to find anyone who would bet against the Tim Richmond/Harry Hyde duo to take the championship in 1987. The loud, creaking sound in California that day was people jumping on the Tim Richmond bandwagon. But, as there had been on the stormy days of so many of his wins, there were dark clouds on the horizon for Tim at the end of the season. Though he put on an impressive run at Riverside, it was obvious Tim was not well. He had been scheduled to meet with a group of Hollywood types (legend has it, as a part of the upcoming production of “Days of Thunder,” a movie loosely based on his life, and perhaps even to take a screen test that might have seen him win the starring role later given to Tom Cruise), but Tim canceled the meetings and flew home to try to rest his bones and recuperate. Shortly after the Awards banquet in New York, Tim Richmond was admitted to the hospital with what was diagnosed as pneumonia. His health problems were severe enough that Richmond had to contact Rick Hendrick to let him know he would be unable to drive the early part of the 1987 season—a decision that must have crushed Tim. According to friends, Tim was clearly shaken he wasn't getting better, and somewhere during that long layoff, he learned the terrible truth. Tim had contracted HIV and was a dying man, though, no one could say how much time he had.

Tim's first return to the seat of a race car came at the Winston in Charlotte in May of 1987. Since it was a shorter event than the points-paying race, it gave him a chance to see if he was strong enough to return to racing. He managed to go the distance and finish 3rd, helping to clear his way to a return to racing on the Cup tour.

Tim's return to racing came at Pocono that June, and the outcome read like a Hollywood script, a far better one than “Days Of Thunder” at that. While clearly not well, once he was strapped into that race car and the engine was fired, the old Tim Richmond was back. After remaining in contention all day, during an event many supposed would have him call for a relief driver, Tim asserted himself for the last quarter in the race, streaking into the lead and holding off Bill Elliott by a second to take the checkers. Tim admitted to reporters he never even saw the checkers with all the tears in his eyes. In Victory Lane, the normally verbose Richmond was reduced to speechlessness for one of the few times on his life, as he celebrated the emotional victory with Hyde and the crew. But even with the tears falling, he stood there a bit longer than most drivers, waving to the crowd and acknowledging their enthusiastic cheering. Little did any of us in the stands know what Tim knew. He was a dying man.

Every great Hollywood script deserves a sequel and Tim authored another emotional chapter in his comeback at the next race at Riverside. Once again, Harry Hyde coached Tim to be patient, and then set him loose late in the race. With 10 to go, Tim took the lead for good and fought off Ricky Rudd's challenge to take the checkers. Tim dedicated the Father's Day victory to his dad, Al Richmond, and once again the crowd celebrated the highly emotional win with a fan favorite. Sadly, it was to be Tim Richmond's last trip to Victory Lane. But for those of whose watched that race, it is not what has happened since, but the way he drove—that is why we remember.

Aftermath: Tim's health deteriorated from that point onward, and eventually, he was forced to once again retire. A rising superstar, who had thrived in the limelight, withered away in the shade of obscurity, before passing away August 13, 1989. There was the ugly incident when Tim tried to stage yet another comeback at the Busch Clash in 1988 driving a Marvin Ragan-owned Ford. Fingers can be pointed, accusations made, and excuses offered as to the botched drug test and why Tim Richmond's memory has been largely ignored since his tragic passing. I don't suppose it really matters because it cannot change the fact Tim is no longer with us. If there has ever been a case of a candle burning at both ends, it is the life story of Tim Richmond, and the light was gone far too soon. But for those of us privileged enough to have reveled in, and wondered at it, the memory is an eternal flame. After NASCAR banned him from competing at the Clash, Tim was ready to hire an airplane to drag a banner with a pointed and succinctly worded banner aimed at NASCAR officialdom over the Daytona Speedway during the 500. Long-time friend Linda Vaughn talked him out of it, and instead Tim selected a banner that read, "Fans, I Miss You, Tim Richmond." Tim, we miss you too.