Imagine a man running on nothing but caffeine, cigarettes, and conversation. That’s Dick Trickle, for you. The one-of-a-kind motorsports icon served as a true legend of NASCAR’s true character and spirit. There are numerous stories from the racing world that can give you goosebumps. But Trickle’s is like none other’s. Born in Wisconsin in 1941, he made his debut in the Winston Cup Series at the age of 48. It wasn’t that he couldn’t get himself a seat in the top tier of racing before then. He chose not to.

Regarded by many as being tougher than Dale Earnhardt and a better driver than Richard Petty, Dick Trickle passed away in 2013 at the age of 71. But this wasn’t before he etched smoke-stained memories in the hearts of millions of racing fans.

A reflection of Dick Trickle’s love for cigarettes and racing

Stories of old narrate that the iconic racer Alan Kulwicki used to carry a briefcase filled with charts and notes to every track he went to. The contents were to help him figure out racing strategies. Similarly, Dick Trickle too had his own case. Except that it was filled with a single racing schedule, ball caps, sunglasses, and a carton of cigarettes. Trickle always stood out from the rest of the grid not just in age, but also in attitude. With the younger drivers panting in exhaustion at the gas pumps after a race, Trickle would stand with a hand on his Pontiac, smoking away at his Marlboro ready to go another 100 laps if required.

This video of him puffing away at his beloved smoke as he shifts gears to make those lightning-quick passes that he was known for truly strikes the heart in memories of a bygone era in NASCAR. After all, what could possibly go more hand in hand than a hot cigarette and a high-speed machine on the track of Talladega?

Such was his affinity for his Marlboros that he drilled a hole in his racing helmet through which he could smoke. Along with the image that Trickle had garnered as an old-school driver who loved coffee and cigarettes, he also faced a fair share of battles.

Throughout the 1990s, his name was subject to regular mockery by ESPN SportsCenter anchors Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann. Little could Trickle’s parents have known that the consequence of them naming their son Richard given their last name would result in an identity crisis. But fortunately, the man was well above all that. As fate struck hard, Dick Trickle became more than just a funny name by the time it vanished from the grid table.

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Several labels are stamped on the man who never cares enough to remove them. Dick Trickle was one of those rare kind of men. To those who only look at the top of the charts, it might seem as though Trickle never won a thing in his Cup career. But look a little deeper and you see that he had already achieved a lot when he cared enough to step into NASCAR at 48.

With his pinnacle behind him in the short tracks that he so loved, he still punched above his weight whilst he raced in the Cup. A short example of his caliber is his win in the 1990 Winston Open, a precursor to The Winston, which was the previous era’s version of an All-Star race.

Twenty minutes after finding the victory lane in the Open, he got back into his car to finish P6 in The Winston. As reported by SB Nation’s Jeremy Markovich, the only words that he spoke in between the two races were, “I’ll be ready. Just get the car ready.”

Though Trickle’s talent earned him millions, he was as simple as a working man could get. According to Markovich, when one of his closest friends Kenny Wallace questioned him about his choice to not buy the fancy cars and planes that drivers of their era were so much into, Trickle said, “My boy. I don’t need none of that stuff.” Despite his disregard for materialistic things, it was money that kept him put in the short tracks of Wisconsin until 1989. He did not need to be a NASCAR driver though he had the skill to be one, for the short tracks carried more bucks and racing satisfaction for him than the bigger leagues did back then.

1200 wins in the short tracks of Wisconsin, the admiration of millions in the Cup Series, and a name that echoes the spirit of the past, all came to a rest on May 16, 2013. The legend decided to call it quits with a self-inflicted gunshot after suffering severe chest pain due to unknown causes. Though he is no more with us, his accomplishments ought to be remembered and voiced out in remembrance of the untamed motorsports era.

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