Dick Trickle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dick Trickle
Trickle (right, facing away) in 1998
Born	Richard Leroy Trickle (1941-10-27)October 27, 1941 Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	May 16, 2013(2013-05-16) (aged 71) Boger City, North Carolina, U.S.
Achievements	1984 and 1985 American Speed Association Champion 7 ARTGO championships between 1979 and 1987 Considered "America's Winningest Driver" with an estimated 1,200 career wins
Awards	1968 USAC Stock Car Rookie of the Year 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Cup Series career
303 races run over 24 years
Best finish	15th (1989)
First race	1970 Daytona 500 Qualifier #2 (Daytona)
Last race	2002 MBNA Platinum 400 (Dover)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 36 1
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
158 races run over 11 years
Best finish	11th (1999)
First race	1984 Red Carpet 200 (Milwaukee)
Last race	2001 Outback Steakhouse 300 (Kentucky)
First win	1997 Galaxy Foods 300 (Hickory)
Last win	1998 Dura-Lube 200 Presented by BI-LO (Darlington)
Wins Top tens Poles 2 42 7

Richard Leroy Trickle (born October 27, 1941 – died May 16, 2013) was a famous American race car driver. He raced for many years on small tracks in Wisconsin, winning lots of championships. Dick Trickle competed in many different racing series, including NASCAR.

He raced in over 2,200 races and won more than 1,200 of them! People called him the "winningest" short track driver ever. Some of his biggest achievements include winning 67 races in 1972, seven ARTGO championships, and two ASA championships. He was also the Rookie of the Year in USAC Stock Car racing in 1968 and in NASCAR's Winston Cup Series in 1989. He was known as the "White Knight" because of his white SuperAmerica sponsored car in Wisconsin.

Early Life and First Race

When Dick Trickle was eight years old, he had a bad fall and broke his hip. Doctors thought he might not walk normally again. But he slowly got better, even though he had a slight limp for the rest of his life.

When he was nine, a friend took him to his first car race. Dick was amazed! He knew right then that he wanted to be a race car driver when he turned 16.

Dick married Darlene in 1961. His nephew, Chris Trickle, also became a race car driver.

Starting His Racing Career

Dick Trickle's family didn't have much money for racing. He worked for farmers in the summer and at his uncle's blacksmith shop. He learned to weld and saved old machine parts.

He said he bought his first car, a 1950 Ford, for $100 when he was 16. He planned to use it as a regular car, but he wanted to race too much. So, he turned it into a stock car.

His first race was at a short track in Stratford, Wisconsin. He was the slowest car among 100 racers. He kept racing and learning. After high school, he worked for a telephone company, but he really wanted to race full-time. He talked to his wife, and they decided he should focus on racing.

Winning on Wisconsin Tracks

For over 15 years, Dick Trickle raced in more than 100 events every year. He was known for always being close to winning. A man named Francis Kelly noticed that Dick often lost because his car's engine wasn't as good as others. Kelly offered to help him get a new engine.

A big moment in his career was at the National Short Track Championship in 1966. He won the race and earned $1,645. This showed him that traveling to bigger races could be worth it. In 1967, he won 25 races.

In 1971, he raced on the Central Wisconsin Racing Association (CWRA) circuit. He raced almost every night of the week. He set track records at six different tracks. By the end of the year, he had won 58 races.

In 1972, Dick Trickle became the winningest short track driver. He won 67 races that year! In 1973, he won 57 races, including some outside Wisconsin.

Around 1974, new rules about car weight and engine size made it hard for him to race his Ford cars. He decided to switch to a General Motors car and engine. He bought a new car and won so many races that year that he paid for it by July.

In 1982, he won championships at State Park Speedway and La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway. He also won his first Miller 200 race at the Milwaukee Mile. In 1983, he won the World Crown 300 in Georgia, which was his biggest payday at the time ($50,000).

Racing in NASCAR

Dick Trickle's 2000 NASCAR Busch Grand National car

His 1989 rookie of the year car

Heilig Meyers' car

In 1989, Dick Trickle started racing full-time in NASCAR's Winston Cup Series. He was 48 years old and a grandfather, making him the oldest driver to become Rookie of the Year. When he received the award, he joked, "I guess I’d just like to thank everyone who gave a young guy like me a chance."

He raced in 303 Winston Cup races. He finished in the top five 15 times and in the top ten 36 times. His best finish was third place, which he achieved five times.

In 1990, he won the Winston Open, a special race for drivers who hadn't won a main event the year before. He also won his only "pole position" (starting first) in a Cup race at Dover International Speedway.

Dick Trickle also raced in the Busch Series, where he won two races. He had 158 starts in that series, with 24 top-five finishes and 42 top-ten finishes. He continued to race in Wisconsin events even in the 2000s.

His Legacy

Trickle (right) at the 2009 Dick Trickle 99 race

Dick Trickle as Grand Marshal at the 2012 Slinger Nationals race

The La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway created a special race called the Dick Trickle 99. Wisconsin International Raceway named a building after him. Dick Trickle was also the honorary leader, or "grand marshal," for the Slinger Nationals race until he passed away.

A turn on the bobsled track at Lake Placid was named the "Trickle Turn" because of his crashes there during a charity event.

The main character in the 1990 NASCAR movie Days of Thunder, played by Tom Cruise, is named Cole Trickle as a tribute to Dick Trickle.

Death and Memorials

Dick Trickle passed away on May 16, 2013. His family later shared that he had been suffering from severe ongoing pain.

Brian France, the chairman of NASCAR, said that Dick Trickle was a "legend" and a "true fan favorite." Many people in racing observed a moment of silence to honor him.

Friends and fellow racers in Wisconsin started a fund to build a memorial statue for Dick Trickle. Many short tracks in the Midwest now hold "Trickle Memorial" races, often 99 laps long, because 99 was his car number.

Wins in Major Series

Even though he didn't win a main NASCAR championship race, Dick Trickle had many other important wins:

• 1 non-championship qualifying race (All-Star Showdown, 1990)
• 2 NASCAR Second-tier championship series race wins
• 32 American Speed Association wins
• 70 wins in NASCAR's "Elite" Division (68 Midwest, known as ARTGO, and 2 Southwest)
• 2 USAC wins

Images for kids

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  Trickle's 1968 Ford Torino, raced on Wisconsin tracks

• 

  Trickle's family and Rich Bickle giving tribute at the 2013 Slinger Nationals

• 

  Trickle's ASA car on display at Golden Sands Speedway's 2018 Dick Trickle Memorial race

Motorsports Career Results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Grand National Series

Winston Cup Series

Daytona 500

Busch Series

See also

In Spanish: Dick Trickle para niños