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1 Tough SumBitch- Dick Trickle- RIP

17 05 13 - 00:37

Lincoln County Sheriffs Office News Release
Self-Inflicted Gun Shot Takes Life of Racing Legend
May 16, 2013

Lincolnton, NC - Retired race car driver Richard "Dick" Trickle, 71, died today from an apparent self inflicted gun shot wound.

The incident occurred at 12:02 p.m. at Forest Lawn Cemetery on Highway 150 East in Boger City.

The Lincoln County Communications Center received a call apparently from the victim that "there would be a dead body and it would be his". Communications Center workers tried to place a return call to the number but did not get an answer.

The first emergency units arriving on the scene located the body lying near the victim's pickup truck.

Dick Trickle was a 5'-nuthin, tough as nails, chain smoking, beer swilling, old time hero of the short tracks. He was almost unbeatable on the northern tracks in the mid 60's & 70's. Despite having to race on a shoestring budget, he was one of the "winningest racers" of his day. Rusty Wallace called him every Monday morning for advice on track setups.

Trickle started Cup racing late in his career, at age 48 (and a grandfather) he become the oldest driver in Winston Cup history to win Rookie of The Year! Despite over 300 starts, Trickle never won a Cup race, but he never gave up either. NASCAR had their hands full with this old boy.

Legend has it that he always had a Cigarette Lighter installed in his race cars. That probably came from the fact that the in car cameras on occasion, caught him enjoying a cigarette during the caution laps. He typically had his smokes taped to the crossbar of the roll cage & drilled a hole in his helmet to let him smoke while racing. (lol).

GodSpeed Dick, you lived & died on your own terms.