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Richard Leroy Trickle (October 27, 1941 – May 16, 2013) was an American
race car driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including n ...
. He raced for decades around the short tracks of
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
, winning many championships along the way. Trickle competed in the
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, ARTGO, ARCA, All Pro, IMCA,
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
, and USAC. In more than an estimated 2,200 races, Trickle logged one million laps and is believed to have won over 1,200 feature races. He was billed as the winningest short track driver in history. Trickle's career highlights include racing to 67 wins in 1972, winning seven ARTGO Championships in nine years between 1979 and 1987, winning back to back ASA AC-Delco Challenge championships in 1984 and 1985, the 1968
USAC Stock Car The USAC Stock Car division was the stock car racing class sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC). The division raced nationally; drivers from USAC's open wheel classes like American Championship car racing, Indy cars, Silver Crown, spri ...
rookie of the year, and winning the 1989
NASCAR Rookie of the Year The NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award is presented to the first-year driver that has the best season in a NASCAR season. Each of NASCAR's national and regional touring series selects a RotY winner each year. History of the Award The Rookie of the Y ...
award in the
Winston Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and fro ...
. Trickle was nicknamed the "White Knight" as referenced by his sponsored SuperAmerica paint scheme, when he raced in Wisconsin.Grubba; page 177


Early life

Eight-year-old Dick Trickle was playing tag with his cousin Verlon on the rafters in a house under construction when he fell two floors to the basement and broke his hip.Grubba, page 20 He was transferred from a local hospital to the University of Wisconsin Hospital and continued his slow recovery. His recovery was so slow that the doctors gave up and sent him home, presuming that he would be an invalid for the rest of his life. Trickle later began to walk, although he walked with a slight limp for the rest of his life.Grubba, pages 211–222 He spent three years in a cast from his waist to his foot. While he was recovering as a nine-year-old, a friend took him to his first races at Crown Speedway in his hometown of
Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin Wisconsin Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Wisconsin River. The population was 18,877 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a principal city of the Marshfield, Wisconsin, M ...
. "When I got there I was flabbergasted," Trickle said. "I thought it was the neatest thing. Free shows were nothing compared to it. That race never left my mind until I was 16. I knew I was going to drive a race car when I was 16." Trickle married Darlene in 1961. They originally lived at his grandmother's house for a while before they bought a trailer on someone else's property. His nephew, Chris Trickle, was a race car driver before dying in a drive-by shooting.


Racing career


Wisconsin short track career

Trickle's family lived on welfare, so there was no money available for racing. Trickle spent his summers working for area farmers, starting as a 13-year-old.Grubba, page 21 He also spent a lot of time at the Rudolph Blacksmith shop that his father was a partner in. While his father was ill, his uncle Leonard ran the shop.
"I worked part time at the shop to earn a nickel or dime," Trickle said. "At that age, it was mostly sweeping the shop, but I started to play with the welder and soon I could make an arc and then weld. I started junking machinery. I save some things getting a head start for when I would go racing at 16. I didn't have any money, but I had this pile of stuff to build a race car with. It was a hope chest."
"When I turned 16, I let the farmer I was working for keep most the money I earned until fall. That fall I collected my money and went down Main Street wheeling and dealing. I finally bought a 1950 Ford in good condition for $100. It was going to be my street car, but the urge to race got too strong and I cut up and made a stock car out of it."
"I did run the car a little bit before I cut it up and I ended up drag racing a classmate, Melvin Hunsinger, who had a 1949 Ford. He beat me. It seems kind of dumb when I already knew there was a car that could beat me. Eventually, I bought Hunsinger's 1949 Ford for $32.50 and put the motor in my car".
Trickle started out as the slowest car in a 100-car field at a Stratford, Wisconsin short track race. He raced that car at the end of the 1958 season and throughout the 1959 season, after which time he built a 1956 Ford into a race car using all of the knowledge that he had acquired. In his first time out with the new car, he finished second in the feature event at Griffith Park at Wisconsin Rapids. His competitors checked the rules and found out that Trickle was too young to race, even though he had already raced there for two years. He had to race at other tracks for a year until he was old enough to race at his hometown track. He raced for several years before deciding to race full-time. After working at several jobs after high school, he had worked for two years for a local telephone company. He had been uncomfortable climbing telephone poles as he was afraid of heights. He transferred to a different part of the company. Two or three years later he discussed racing full-time with his wife for he felt that he could be profitable, and they decided to make the change. Trickle raced at over 100 events each year for over 15 years. He was racing at the Tomah-
Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...
Speedway when Francis Kelly noticed that Trickle was always in contention for winning the races, but he lost a lot of them because he had an inferior motor. One day Kelly approached Trickle and asked him what it would cost for Trickle to win. Trickle told him a new motor; Kelly asked Trickle to compile a list of parts that he needed. When Kelly asked who would assemble the motor, Trickle responded that he could but he was a junkyard mechanic. Trickle suggested that
Alan Kulwicki Alan Dennis Kulwicki (December 14, 1954 – April 1, 1993), nicknamed "Special K" and "the Polish Prince", was an American auto racing driver and team owner. He started racing at local Short track motor racing, short tracks in Wisconsin bef ...
's father Jerry Kulwicki, who was building motors for Norm Nelson's USAC stock cars, should build the engine. A turning point in Trickle's career happened at the National Short Track Championship race at
Rockford Speedway Rockford Speedway was a 1/4 mile Short track motor racing, short track high banked asphalt oval located in Loves Park, Illinois on Illinois Route 173. Up until its demolition in 2023, Rockford Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, and World Wide Technol ...
in 1966. Trickle said, "The cars in that area were fancier and looked like they were ahead of us. They didn't treat us bad, but they sort of giggled at us kids with the rat cars. After two days, they look differently at those rat cars. I won and pocketed $1,645. Before, I questioned spending the money to travel that far. But if you could win, that was a different story." Trickle started the 1967 season by winning at State Park Speedway and ended the season with 25 feature victories including wins at Wisconsin Dells Speedway (now Dells Raceway Park) and Golden Sands Speedway (near Wisconsin Rapids). He toured on the Central Wisconsin Racing Association (CWRA) tracks in 1971. The circuit consisted of larger asphalt track racing on most nights of the week.Grubba, page 70 The CWRA regular drivers were able to run over 100 events in a year, and most did the tour with one car and one engine.Grubba, page 7 Drivers would drive on Wednesday nights at
La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway The La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway is a semi-banked asphalt oval racetrack in West Salem, Wisconsin. The outer track is 5/8 mile and the inner track is a 1/4 mile. The speedway has progressive banking in the corners, from 5 degrees on the bottom t ...
, Thursday nights at State Park Speedway near Wausau, Friday nights at Capitol Speedway (now
Madison International Speedway The Madison International Speedway (MIS) is a half-mile paved oval racetrack in the Town of Rutland near Oregon, Wisconsin, United States. With 18-degree banked turns, the track is billed as "The Track of Champions" and "Wisconsin's Fastest H ...
) near Madison, La Crosse, or Adams-
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, Saturday nights at Wisconsin Dells Speedway, and Sunday nights at Griffith Park. Tuesday nights were available for special events. On Thursday nights at the quarter mile State Park Speedway, he won seven features and lowered his July 1 14.27 second track record to 14.09 seconds on the following week. On Friday nights he raced primarily at Capitol Speedway, winning most nights that it did not rain and his car did not break. Trickle went to Adams-Friendship on July 23 and won the feature after setting the track record.Grubba, page 73 He held the track record at six tracks: Adams-Friendship, Capitol, Wausau, Wisconsin Dells, and La Crosse. He raced at the newly opened third mile Wisconsin Dells Speedway on Saturday nights. By the end of the year, Trickle had won 58 feature events. Trickle started his 1972 season by winning at Golden Sands Speedway near Wisconsin Rapids. Wisconsin's short track racing season starts in April. By May 13, he had twelve wins in thirteen events. He got this fifteenth win in twenty starts on May 27. Trickle became the winningest short track driver that year when he won his 67th race. Trickle won numerous special events outside of Wisconsin in 1973, including a 200-lap feature at
Rolla, Missouri Rolla () is a city in and the county seat of Phelps County, Missouri, United States. Its population in the 2020 United States Census was 19,943. It is approximately midway between St. Louis and Springfield along I-44. Its micropolitan sta ...
in April, followed by winning a 50-lap feature the following day at I-70 Speedway near
Odessa, Missouri Odessa is the largest city in Lafayette County, Missouri, and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the Midwestern United States. The population was 5,593 at the 2020 census. Located along Interstate 70 Odessa's historic downtown is ...
.Grubba, pages 101–102 In May he won a 50-lapper at
Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...
and two more features at I-70 Speedway. Trickle used his purple 1970
Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American Car, automobiles manufactured by Ford Motor Company, Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its Ford Mustang (seventh ...
to win at the Minnesota Fair and at
Rockford Speedway Rockford Speedway was a 1/4 mile Short track motor racing, short track high banked asphalt oval located in Loves Park, Illinois on Illinois Route 173. Up until its demolition in 2023, Rockford Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, and World Wide Technol ...
in September. He had a total of 57 wins in 1973. Sanctioning bodies put in a weight-per-cubic-inch rule, and Trickle's career had problems in 1974 and 1975. "Fords almost broke me. I couldn't get any pieces for racing at my level. It took two years of hard labor and depleting my funds to realize I couldn't do this anymore. I told myself either I had to change my program or get out of racing." Therefore, Trickle decided to use a
General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
car and engine. He bought a car for $13,000 on his word that he would pay for it by September. He won 35 or 40 races that year and paid for the car by July. In 1982, Trickle won track championship at State Park Speedway in Wausau where he started out the season by winning the first two features and seven total. He also won the track championship at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway after winning three events in August. That season he won his first Miller 200 special event at the
Milwaukee Mile The Milwaukee Mile is a oval race track in the central United States, located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb west of Milwaukee. Its grandstand and bleachers seats approximately 37,000 spectat ...
. Trickle started racing out of state a lot more in 1983.Grubba, page 183 Of all of Trickle's victories, his best memory was winning the 1983 World Crown 300 in
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
. "It took three weeks of preparation and a lot of determination," he said. "It was the biggest payday of my career up to that point ($50,000)." He beat Jim Sauter by two car-lengths at the season opener, and won three straight races in May. After winning on June 1, LaCrosse business raised a $700 bounty for anyone who could beat him.Grubba, page 184 Trickle skipped the following week, and returned the week after to lose to Steve Burgess. For the 1983 ARTGO Dixieland Challenge at Kaukauna, he was required to start last in the feature, but still won handily. He did not win as much at State Park, but he did win the track championship. Trickle won ASA races at
Coeburn, Virginia Coeburn is a coal town in Wise County, Virginia, United States, along the Guest River. The population was 2,139 at the 2010 census. History The Town of Coeburn was originally named Guest Station after explorer and surveyor Christopher Gist. G ...
and
Cayuga, Ontario Cayuga ( ) is an unincorporated community and county seat of Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada located at the intersection of Highway 3 and Munsee Street and along the Grand River. Cayuga is about a 20-minute drive from Lake Erie and 30 minutes ...
in 1984, as well as the Red, White, and Blue state championship series at WIR and the Slinger Nationals at Slinger.


Regional and national touring career

Trickle raced in
United States Automobile Club The United States Auto Club (USAC) is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapol ...
(USAC) stock cars in 1968, and he won the series' rookie of the year award.


NASCAR career

Through the 1970s and 1980s, Trickle made sporadic appearances in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, including three Daytona 500 starts. Invited by
Bill France Sr. William Henry Getty France (September 26, 1909 – June 7, 1992) was an American businessman and racing driver. He was also known as Bill France Sr. or Big Bill. He is best known for founding and managing NASCAR, a sanctioning body of US-based s ...
himself to join the series in the middle of his prospering short-track career, he quipped that he "didn't want to take the pay cut." In 1989, Trickle made his full schedule debut driving the No. 84
Miller High Life The Miller Brewing Company is an American brewery and beer company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller. Molson Coors acquired the full global brand portfolio of Miller Brewing Company in 2016, and operates the ...
Buick for
Stavola Brothers Racing Stavola Brothers Racing was a NASCAR racing team, owned by Bill and Mickey Stavola, and operating NASCAR Winston Cup team from 1984 through 1998. The team won the 1988 Daytona 500 with Bobby Allison behind the wheel of the No. 12 Miller High Lif ...
replacing the injured Mike Alexander. He was rookie of the year in NASCAR's
Winston Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and fro ...
at age 48 (and a grandfather), becoming the oldest driver in Winston Cup history to do so. After being given the rookie of the year trophy at the NASCAR awards banquet, he quipped "I guess I'd just like to thank everyone who gave a young guy like me a chance". His best career Winston Cup finish was third (five times). He started 303 races, with 15 top five and 36 top ten finishes. In
1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
, he won the ''Winston Open'' (the qualifying race to fill out the field of ''The Winston'', which is now the
Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race All-star game, All-Star events are annually held in the NASCAR Cup Series at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Beginning in 2008, NASCAR began the practice of using Roman numerals to identify each race, but ended one ...
) in the No. 66 TropArtic
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. The Open was a non-points event for drivers who did not win in the previous year. He beat
Rob Moroso Robert James Moroso (September 26, 1968 September 30, 1990) was an American NASCAR racing driver who was champion of the NASCAR Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) in 1989, and was posthumously awarded the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup (now NASCAR Cup Se ...
by 8 inches, the smallest margin of victory at the event. He also won his only career Cup pole, at Dover Downs International Speedway. In the middle of the 1991 season, he went to drive the No. 24 Team III Racing
Pontiac Pontiac most often refers to: * Pontiac (Odawa leader) ( – 1769), Native American war chief *Pontiac (automobile), a former General Motors brand Pontiac may also refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apo ...
. His best finish was sixth at
Dover International Speedway Dover Motor Speedway (formerly known as the Dover International Speedway from 2002 to 2021 and as the Dover Downs International Speedway from 1969 to 2001) is a oval track in Dover, Delaware. The venue has hosted major events since its inaugu ...
. In 1992, he teamed up once again with the Stavola Brothers, driving the No. 8
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Ford. In 1993, he drove the No. 75 Carolina Pottery Ford for
Butch Mock Motorsports Rahmoc Enterprises is a former NASCAR Winston Cup team that operated from 1978 to 1993. The team was owned by long-time engine builder Bob Rahilly (racing), Bob Rahilly and Butch Mock. Rahilly and Mock split in 1992, with the race team becoming ...
and then the No. 41 Manheim Auctions
Chevy Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...
for
Larry Hedrick Motorsports Larry Hedrick Motorsports (LHM) was a NASCAR team. It was owned by businessman Larry Hedrick and always fielded the No. 41 Chevrolet in both the Winston Cup and the Busch Series. The team ran from 1990 until its closure in 2001. Beginnings ...
. Part of his popularity stemmed from his unusual, double-entendre name.
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's Dan Patrick and
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often made it a point to mention where he finished whenever NASCAR highlights were featured on ''
SportsCenter ''SportsCenter'' (SC) is an American television sports news broadcasting show broadcast by ESPN. Originally anchored by Chris Berman, George Grande,  Greg Gumbel, Lee Leonard, Bob Ley, Sal Marchiano and Lou Palmer, it premiered on Septem ...
''. He was also widely noted for having drilled a hole in his safety helmet so that he could smoke while racing, and for installing cigarette lighters in his race cars. Trickle was allowed by NASCAR to smoke in the race car during yellow flag periods, and in the 1990 Winston 500 (now the Aaron's 499), Trickle was seen on live television by the in-car camera lighting up and smoking a cigarette. Trickle even made fun of his lack of success in NASCAR's top-level series in a 1997 TV commercial for
NAPA Auto Parts The National Automotive Parts Association (NAPA, also known as NAPA Auto Parts), is an American retailers' cooperative distributing automotive replacement parts, accessories, and service items throughout North America. Established in 1925, NAPA i ...
. In it, Trickle announces a contest where fans can win $100,000 if they pick the winner of that year's NAPA 500 race. "A little tip...it's gonna be me," he says, as an on-screen graphic points out "Dick is 0 for 243 in Cup races". "I think we get champagne (after winning)," says Trickle. Dick also raced in the
Busch Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
, where he won two races. He had 158 career starts, with 24 top five and 42 top ten finishes. He made his Busch Series debut in 1984. Through the 2000s, Trickle continued to race in occasional events in Wisconsin, including the 2001 and 2007, Slinger Nationals at
Slinger Super Speedway The Slinger Super Speedway (also known as Slinger Speedway) is a quarter-mile paved oval automobile race track with 33-degree banked corners located in Slinger, Wisconsin. The track is billed as the "World's Fastest Quarter Mile Oval." The curr ...
and in the ASA Midwest Tour.


Legacy

The
La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway The La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway is a semi-banked asphalt oval racetrack in West Salem, Wisconsin. The outer track is 5/8 mile and the inner track is a 1/4 mile. The speedway has progressive banking in the corners, from 5 degrees on the bottom t ...
created the Dick Trickle 99 race, a 99 lap
super late model Late Model stock car racing, also known as late model racing and late models, refers to a type of auto racing that involves purpose-built cars simultaneously racing against each other primarily on oval tracks. This type of racing was early-on ...
event held during its annual Oktoberfest race weekend.
Wisconsin International Raceway The Wisconsin International Raceway (abbreviated WIR) is an asphalt stock car racing oval and dragstrip in the Town of Buchanan, in Outagamie County, just outside Kaukauna, Wisconsin, USA. History Wisconsin International Raceway originally ...
has named a building in turn two the "Dick Trickle Pavilion". Trickle served as the de facto grand marshal of the Slinger Nationals after he retired until his death. His crashes at the
Lake Placid bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track The Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Bobsled Run is a venue for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton (sport), skeleton in the United States, located at the Lake Placid Olympic Sports Complex in Lake Placid, New York. This venue was used for the 1932 Winter Olym ...
at the
Geoff Bodine Geoffrey Eli Bodine (born April 18, 1949) is an American former motorsport driver and bobsled builder. He raced at the NASCAR Cup Series from 1979 to 2011, earning 18 wins and a best season finish of third in 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, 1990. ...
Bobsled Challenge (in which NASCAR and NHRA drivers raised funds for the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project, owned by Bodine, to build sleds for the United States Olympic bobsled team) resulted in that turn (17, 18, 19, the "heart curve") being named the "Trickle Turn." The main character of the 1990 NASCAR feature film ''
Days of Thunder ''Days of Thunder'' is a 1990 American sports action drama film produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Tony Scott. The film stars Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes, Caroline Williams, a ...
'' played by
Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...
is named Cole Trickle as a homage to Dick.


Death

Trickle died May 16, 2013, from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The incident occurred at 12:02 pm at Forest Lawn Cemetery in
Boger City, North Carolina Boger City is a neighborhood of the city of Lincolnton in Lincoln County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 554 at the 2000 census, at which time it was erroneously listed as a census-designated place. Boger City was an indepen ...
. The Lincoln County Communications Center received a call, apparently from Trickle, saying that "there's going to be a dead body. Suicide." When the 911 operator asked who was about to commit suicide, Trickle responded: "I'm the one." Police attempted to call his phone back, but there was no response. Trickle was found dead beside his pickup truck. His granddaughter, who died in a 2001 car accident, is buried in the same cemetery. Trickle's family later released a statement which in part said: "He had been suffering for some time with severe chronic pain, had seen many doctors, none of which could find the source of his pain. His family as well as all those who knew him find his death very hard to accept, and though we will hurt from losing him for some time, he's no longer suffering and we take comfort knowing he's with his very special angel." NASCAR chairman
Brian France Brian Zachary France (born August 2, 1962) is an American businessman and the former Chief executive officer, CEO and Chair (official), chairman of NASCAR. He served in the post from 2003 to 2018, following his grandfather (and NASCAR co-founder) ...
released a statement saying "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." Former competitor
Rusty Wallace Russell "Rusty" William Wallace Jr. (born August 14, 1956) is an American former NASCAR racing driver. He won the 1984 NASCAR Cup series NASCAR Rookie of the Year, Rookie of the Year and the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup ...
battled Trickle for championships at several levels. "I'm in 100 percent shock. Dick Trickle was my mentor," Wallace said. "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. I'd not seen Dick as much as I'd like to of late. He was a legend. A man that'd won over a thousand short track races, was one of the most winning short trackers in America, was a role model to many short track racers coming up. Could just do magic with the race car and he taught me so much about racing. My success in the ASA and what Trickle taught me is what got me into NASCAR. That's what got me hired by Cliff Stewart back in '84. Between Larry Phillips and Dick Trickle, they taught me everything." A moment of silence was observed for Trickle during the start of the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at
Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It has hosted various major races since it ...
on May 17. A tribute was held for Trickle at the July 2013 Slinger Nationals race with his family telling stories about his career.


Legacy and memorial

Trickle's Wisconsin friends and competitors, including Tom Reffner and Marv Marzofka, began organizing a Dick Trickle memorial fund to build a memorial statue at Rudolph Community Park. The group is collecting money including securing the title sponsorship of a super late model race at Golden Sands Speedway. Various Midwestern short tracks have Trickle Memorial races, with most being 99 laps for his car number. The most famous of the Dick Trickle Classic races is at LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway in Wisconsin, which was started in 2007. The Trickle Classic there consists of three 33-lap races, with scoring similar to Vermont's Milk Bowl. Winners have included Skyler Holzhausen and Johnny Sauter, both of whose fathers raced against Trickle in his career.


Wins in major series

Although he won no premiership championship races, he was very successful elsewhere: *1 Non-championship qualifying race (All-Star Showdown, 1990) *2 NASCAR Second-tier championship series race wins *32
American Speed Association The American Speed Association (ASA) is a sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States formed in 1968. The Association was based in Pendleton, Indiana, Pendleton, Indiana, and later in Daytona Beach, Florida. The ASA sanctioned asphalt a ...
wins *70 wins in NASCAR's now-defunct "Elite" Division (68 Midwest, when known as ARTGO and 2 Southwest) *2 USAC wins


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


Bibliography

;Notes ;References *


External links

*
Dick Trickle elegy at SB Nation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trickle, Dick 1941 births 2013 suicides 2013 deaths People from Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin Racing drivers from Wisconsin NASCAR drivers American Speed Association drivers Suicides by firearm in North Carolina People from Rudolph, Wisconsin Evernham Motorsports drivers ARCA Midwest Tour drivers USAC Stock Car drivers A. J. Foyt Enterprises drivers Snowmobile racers