Kim Lahaie Richards is an American drag racer and crew chief.

Biography

Richards was raised in

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, Michigan, Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County, Michigan, Eaton County and nort ...

. She is the daughter of Dick LaHaie, who started drag racing in the 1950s. Dick influenced his daughter by teaching her about the mechanical side of vehicles. While in high school, she played basketball and softball. Shortly after graduating from high school, Richards went to California and later moved back to the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

. She had begun racing in cross-country motorbike races at the age of 14. Richards joined her brother, Jeff, in working with her father's drag team. Prior to this, she worked for a construction gang as a water truck driver. The crew won the 1987 NHRA Top-Fuel Championship. Richards was named the 1987 Top-Fuel Crew Chief of the Year. By working as her father's crew chief, Richards helped to secure top-five finishes in the Top Fuel championship between 1986 and 1990. Richards began racing in 1992. Her best result of the year occurred at a drag strip in

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...

where she qualified in 14th position, and was quicker than

Don Prudhomme Don Prudhomme (born April 6, 1941, in San Fernando, California), nicknamed "the Snake", is an American drag racer. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1991. Racing career Prudhomme crewed for "TV Tommy" Ivo on Ivo's ...

and

Scott Kalitta Scott D. Kalitta (February 18, 1962 – June 21, 2008) was an American drag racer who competed in the Funny Car and Top Fuel classes in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. He had 17 career Top Fuel ...

in the first and second rounds, before losing to race winner

Eddie Hill Eddie Hill (born March 6, 1936) is an American retired drag racer who won numerous drag racing championships on land and water. Hill had the first run in the four second range (4.990 seconds), which earned him the nickname "Four Fath ...

in the event's semi-final. Richards was hired as a crew member for Chuck Etchells' team in 1993. She was responsible for his car's complicated multistage four-disc clutch unit when Etchells became the first person to record a lap time under five seconds in the Funny Car category. She married crew chief Tim Richards in 1996. Richards was inducted into the

Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame The Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame is a non-profit hall of fame for Michigan auto racers. It was founded in 1982 by Dick Lee and was incorporated April 19, 1982, as a non-profit 501(c) (3) non-stock Michigan corporation. The Michigan Motor Sp ...

in 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Kim Lahaie Living people Sportspeople from Lansing, Michigan American female racing drivers Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women