[Bob Tanner]

It is a bit off topic but yes the Tim Richmond story was/is a sad moment for NASCAR history. I remember Tim Richmond and I get angry when I think about the bias that NASCAR exhibited in his case.

I have total dis taint for Rick Hendrick but, I will give the man his due. He was the ONLY NASCAR-connected person, besides Richard Petty, who stood up for Tim when Tim became too ill to drive.
As I remember it, Bill France Jr, NASCAR as an entity, and a majority of the drivers turned their backs on Tim when he refused to make his medical records public.

I concur; a really sad day in NASCAR history.

[stephanie]

mmm interesting i never heard of him but i googled him (i google everything) LOL anyways he died from Aids is what i read. Was he a good driver? The reason i dont know of him is because he died like August 13, 1989 and I was born July 10, 1989

[Smoke842]

I didn't ever see Richmond in any races, I wasn't into Nascar then. I'm curious too Stephanie! Bob, help us! I know his name but I don't know how good he was.

[TN_Gal]

Here is an article I found detailing his racing career..not only did he drive NASCAR, he ran the Indy 500.

http://tim-richmond.brainsip.com/

In 1986, the year bedore he stpped driving he had a great year. Heck he would have been in the final chase with those finishes....(if they had used that scoring point sysyem back then)

Here are his stats

http://www.nascar.com/drivers/dps/trichmon00/cup/

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by stephanie

mmm interesting i never heard of him but i googled him (i google everything) LOL anyways he died from Aids is what i read. Was he a good driver? The reason i dont know of him is because he died like August 13, 1989 and I was born July 10, 1989

Stephanie Tim was a very good driver who had the potential of becoming great! Besides being an excellent driver he had a good personality. I guess females thought he was handsome and many women became quite smitten with him (smitten. How's that for use of an archaic word?)

Tim had a penchant for tweaking NASCAR's nose. In 1985 (?) there was a serious draught in the Midwest. Tim personally organized a convoy of several haulers on an off weekend and used them to haul hay to needy farmers. This was done without NASCAR's seal of approval (read: they got no press because of Tim's efforts) and he and Rick Hendrick were chastised mightily.

To my knowledge there was NEVER any serious accusations that Tim contracted AID's because he was gay. I guess the delicate way to put it would be: Tim was a bachelor and he really liked female companionship...lots of it! A dangerous way to live and unfortunately, Tim paid for it with his life.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by TN_Gal

Here is an article I found detailing his racing career..not only did he drive NASCAR, he ran the Indy 500.
http://tim-richmond.brainsip.com/
/

I just read your link and it pretty well sums it up except:

Quote from article: In 1988, Richmond again tried to make another run in NASCAR, but NASCAR was concerned not only about Richmond's health, but also about how he contracted AIDS in the first place.

As I remember it NASCAR didn't know Tim had contracted AIDS at this time. Again, my memory might be fuzzy but I seem to recall that the medications Tim was taking were screwing up his speech and actions and NASCAR immediately suspected illegal drugs. He was drug tested and the "banned substances" thing came out. When it was shown that the substances were OTC cold remedies, Richard Petty was quoted as saying something to the effect of, "I take Goody's all the time. If they tested me I'd probably be positive too."
I could be wrong but I don't remember the subject of HIV (at the time it was called HTLV) ever came up until after Tim had officially retired.

[LSC9901]

Bob you are correct. In the beginning, at least, NASCAR did not know what the problem was other than illegal substances and speech problems. Another very sad part to the story is many, many people put AIDS and being gay together. It is obvious today that one need not be gay to contract Aids. How he contracted the Aids virus has always been a point of speculation by many and his being gay was never proven. Who really cares if he was or was not. From my perspective he was a race car driver and that is the reason why I was interested in him. What he did and with who always was and always will be none of my business. Nothing he did made any far reaching impact on my life other than giving me yet another driver to either cheer for or boo !!! Back then he got my cheers and today I often wonder how far he could have gone.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Bob you are correct. In the beginning, at least, NASCAR did not know what the problem was other than illegal substances and speech problems. Another very sad part to the story is many, many people put AIDS and being gay together. It is obvious today that one need not be gay to contract Aids. How he contracted the Aids virus has always been a point of speculation by many and his being gay was never proven. Who really cares if he was or was not. From my perspective he was a race car driver and that is the reason why I was interested in him. What he did and with who always was and always will be none of my business. Nothing he did made any far reaching impact on my life other than giving me yet another driver to either cheer for or boo !!! Back then he got my cheers and today I often wonder how far he could have gone.

Tim was obviously a favourite of mine, he was about the ONLY driver at the time who Earnhardt couldn't intimidate. (Robby Moroso could have been another but, alas, that's another sad story)
Tim lived a dangerous, carefree life, both on and off the track. He was a batchelor, lived on a mansion-like houseboat on Biscayne Bay, and Miami certainly has more than its share of lovlies. He proved the old maxim: "If you play, you pay."

[hotshot7796]

isn't that the truth.......................july 10th thats my b-day as well, a very good day indeed

[stephanie]

Originally Posted by hotshot7796

isn't that the truth.......................july 10th thats my b-day as well, a very good day indeed

LOL sweet How old are ya? or what year is ur Birthday? (and dont say every year, I know that much)

[hotshot7796]

28,...............1977..............next month

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Robby Moroso could have been another but, alas, that's another sad story

That was a sad story of what could have been.

[TN_Gal]

This is weird...we are talking about Tim Richmond....and now Nascar.com does a story on him.......

any way, seems he beat Sr at Pocono in 1987....check it out

http://www.nascar.com/2006/news/head...ono/index.html

[Smoke842]

TN Gal, missed you, been busy, or vacation?

[TN_Gal]

Originally Posted by Smoke842

TN Gal, missed you, been busy, or vacation?

I've been here...just couldn't get into all that monkey business...ya' know what I'm taking about?

I read the posts most everyday but have been sick with brochitis/upper repsiratory infection since last Fiday .....I'm keeping my eye on ya'