Dick Trickle NASCAR Star Dead

You probably giggled when you said his name didn't you? In the world of names Dick Trickle drew the short straw. In the world of racing Dick Trickle was a big man. To me Dick Trickle wasn't a smirk from Dan Patrick and Keith Olberman on Sportscenter, he was actually my favorite NASCAR driver.

I have in my closet Dick Trickle jackets, die cast cars, hats and t-shirts. Dick Trickle was just more than a unique name in sports, he was a winner. In the American Speed Association there weren't many that were as good or ever will be as good as Trickle. He was a master of the "bullrings" , a nickname given to the short track speedways of the upper Midwest. Although there are no official records it is believed that Trickle won over 1,000 races on these kinds of tracks. He was racing, real racing.

Dick Trickle was an old school hard nosed race car driver. He would race you hard but he would race you clean. He was very seldom seen without a hot cup of coffee and cigarette. I remember seeing one in-car shot of Dick during a race actually lighting and smoking a cigarette in his race car while the event was going on.

What I admired most about Dick Trickle was this, he was always the little guy. The teams he raced for in Winston Cup were not the best funded but they always ran a little better because of Dick being behind the wheel. He never gave up on a car, a team or a race and was always a grateful competitor.

Authorities in North Carolina believe Dick Trickle died from a self inflicted gunshot wound. He was 71 years old.