The Last Comeback: Tim Richmond's 1988 Daytona Journey
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 6 фев 2018
- This original documentary is the story of Tim Richmond's attempt to run in the 1988 Daytona 500. While his final race was in August 1987, the following year, he made one last attempt to race. This is the dramatic end of Tim Richmond's racing career.
Like and subscribe, and follow me on twitter @nascarman_rr
***Bonus features****
After viewing the scene about Tim's meeting with NASCAR (11:10), Bob Varsha and Godwin Kelly gave the inside story on twitter:
Godwin Kelly: "I drove him to airport... I took him to airport and he had a steamer trunk and gave the curbside baggage handler a $50 tip. He was very confident of his standing with @NASCAR after that meeting."
Bob Varsha: "Found him at a phone booth (remember those?) at the airport after a company PR rep (now incarcerated) tried to keep me occupied with small talk while TR had his meeting with management and left town. Good times!"
*****
All rights reserved. No copyright infringement intended. This video is non-monetized and used as fair-use for historical purposes.
Footage Owned By:
NASCAR
ESPN- Speedweek, Motorweek Illustrated
TNN- Inside Winston Cup Racing
TBS
CBS
ABC
KGM Video
MRN
Photo Credits:
ISC Images and Archives via GettyImages
Robert Alexander via GettyImages
Racing Photo Archives
RacingOne
Bill Frakes/The Life Images Collection
George Tiedemann/Sports Illustrated
Winston Cup Scene (thanks to Rick Houston)
Dick Barr/Daytona Beach News-Journal
Commentators Appearing in Archival Footage:
Jim Lampley Dave Despain
Bob Jenkins Bob Varsha
Jack Arute Ken Squier
Mike Joy Steve Byrnes
Chris Economaki Ned Jarrett
Larry Nuber Benny Phillips
Steve Waid Karie Ross
Rick Benjamin Harmon Wages
Barney Hall
Music:
Earthy Crust - Jingle Punks
Extinction Level Event - Jingle Punks
Action Hero - Jingle Punks
Promise Land - Jingle Punks
On the Tip- Jingle Punks
Warrior Strife - Jingle Punks
Garage - Topher Mohr and Alex Elena
Get Back Up - Silent Partner
The 90's were already a great era in NASCAR but imagine if Tim Richmond, Davey Allison and Alan Kulwicki had all lived to race through the decade. All three were very different personalities and very different driving styles. The one thing they had in common was massive talent.
That would have been sooo awesome!!!!!!! Because they were the best talent and They wouldn't have been always putting the others on a high horse and only having a few great racers!!!? They would have the best racers out of every single type of racing 🏁 🏎 🙄!!!!!? Nascar finally died around the early 2000's sad to say 😢!!!!!? Whenever they started making every single car identical with each other!!! Couldn't tell a Chevrolet from a Toyota!!!!? And a ford from a Pontiac!!!!!?? And then they once again started playing up certain racers like Bush"!? And Johnson " AND then a few other names that had a little fan base!!!? But nowadays it is just awful to Watch!!!!!!? It's just about tires and gas mileage!!!!? Just two of the factors that made racing fun for the fans 😀!!!!?? Because they aren't really any talent anymore!!!!!?? Just if you have money backing you or not!!!? Just Saying Y'ALL!!? God bless you all today Shalom 🙏
Jeff Gordon who?....
@@RVAMotorsports Jeff was just as talented as those drivers
Great comment😉
They sure did those were the days
That shot with Richmond, Earnhardt and Davey Allison racing is priceless.
Be cool to have a still of that for my den...
11:40 out of everything said by everybody, i should have known that it would be Dale Earnhardt Sr. that spoke the most sense on this issue. Ive listened to Senior talk before about Tim Richmond, his character and his ability in a race car. Even tho Dale wanted to win every time he strapped in a race car and would do everything he could to make that happen, he tried to convince NASCAR to let Tim race again - even saying that Tim is "one of the few guys that can run on my door" lap in lap out, one of the few that he would "run with any time". For a [far too] short time, Tim Richmond in a HMS car was one of Dales biggest threats. (Without Tim Richmond at the start of the '87 season Dale won 5 or 6 out of the first 8 races) so for Senior to be the first guy to try and get Tim re-instated, to me shows how great a man Sr. was and how much he cared about the sport. I think that because of the intense focus and desire to win and the 'Intimidator' persona, people forget that (at least in my opinion) Senior cared massively about other drivers *all* the other drivers, not just the other big names, he obviously cared about the fans and he was always trying to do things to benefit the sport as a whole. If you could ask Bill(y) Jr. about the drivers he dealt with and the suggestions they made, most times drivers lobbied for things to gain themselves an advantage, Senior was always looking to beat everyone but he also would try to bring the sport forward and that makes him even greater in my view. RIP.
*apologies for the essay, if uve read down to here then you must have insomnia like me :)*
P. Mid I agree with everything you’ve said. My Dad was a huge Dale Sr. fan so naturally I was too growing up. I remember Dad saying basically the same thing you did about Dale’s thoughts on Tim and how he respected his driving ability. Dale Sr was a class act and truly cared about NASCAR. It’s never been the same since he was killed and in my opinion a huge part of it died when he did. It would’ve been great to see the two of them racing through the years, I’m sure we’d have seen great racing.
P. Mid dale sr was a unfriendly sob
Totally agree with you! Dale was a hell of a competitor and he loved a good challenge and I always thought it spoke a lot to his character that he went to bat for Richmond, a shame that he passed away. Him and Dale could have had some amazing battles in the years going forward, I'm sure of it.
Yup, Earnhardt and Richmond has a strong rivalry going there for a little while. And I liked Ken Schrader's comment too that wouldn't have had an issue racing with him then and now. So some of the drivers stood up for Tim, which is a great thing. But perhaps maybe some should have taken it farther once it became clear they were simply out to screw Richmond. I'd have pulled out of races myself if I had been a big enough star to have made an impact. Cause that's the only way you can get dictatorial organizations to listen, hit them in the wallet and hard.
Dale would have put him in the wall....its all Dale new how to do!
Dude had tons of personality. This is exactly what Nascar is missing today and why it's on the skids
The guy was a hell of race car driver too.
I agree, wish he was around a lot longer, he would’ve been right up there with Richard and Dale without question.
NASCAR has a heck of a lot more serious problems than "driver personality". The MAIN problem with NASCAR today, started when they allowed the big money sponsors to take far too much control of not only the written rules in NASCAR, but HOW they were going to race as well, from every aspect. Those greedy, rich, power/control freak bastards wanted to attract every candy ass who NEVER watched, or even liked stock car racing to begin with, as they literally shit on all of their long-time, hard-core racing fans. This in turn brought on the liberal controlled "political correctness" and playing "the race card" ( "racism" and "race baiting" ) which they forced down the throats of the fans as much as the race teams. NASCAR and stock car racing in general has ALWAYS been a sport for CONSERVATIVES. Also, they literally tried to transform NASCAR into "the NFL or NBA on wheels" ( to attract liberal viewers & try to make "racing fans" out of them ) They absolutely made a total circus out of it. And through all of that, came the candy ass drivers who have no personality, nowhere near as much driving skill ( most of them anyway ) and these new boring drivers took it a step further by feeling they are "privileged". ALL of the above disgusted the true long-time NASCAR fans so much, they turned their backs on NASCAR racing altogether. ( A few long-time fans are still holding on, but not many. ) Grossly over-priced track tickets and stripping the live races from basic TV and airing the races ONLY on "premium cable channels" that NOBODY wants to pay for, caused racing attendance both on and off the track ( TV viewers ) to plummet through the floor. They also made the stupid decision to do away with HISTORIC tracks such as Martinsville which produced exciting door handle to door handle racing, and replaced them with BORING cookie cutter 1.5 mile tracks in areas of the nation never known to have "race fans", and those tracks ya can't even race side by side, it's all "follow the leader". Attendance at ALL of the tracks have become so poor, they literally tore out huge sections of bleachers to squash the much smaller, dwindling crowds together in a smaller number of bleachers/grand stands in order to make the remaining crowds only "look bigger" for "the TV camera's". The whole thing is not only disgusting.......it is despicable. They took the most popular & exciting motor sport in history that had nothing wrong with it, and totally wrecked it all to hell.
TR was awesome, and he was the Yin to Earnhardt's Yang. Would have been epic over the years between those two had he lived.
@@howabouthetruth2157 I agree. And the france family themselves ruined the sport.
The life of Tim Richmond would definitely be worthy of a biopic.
they already raped it, calling it Days Of Thunder. So it would be hard to make a movie of it and stupid people understand this was the truth and that was fictionalized.... A similar american hero's story was also raped by hollywood, "Sniper" was loosely based on Carlos Hathcock's exploits.
@@Nitromessiah It's been 30 years since Days, so I'm sure people will distinguish Richmond from Cole Trickle.
@@Nitromessiah To be honest... Not really he does deserve a biography...
@@Nitromessiah Dude, what are you talking about? You're so lost in your delusion, it's just word salad at this point. Days of Thunder was simply a movie that used Richmond, Earnhardt, and other people to help inform the fictional characters. Yes, there was a lot based on Tim, but it wasn't some wink-and-nod "this is the real story". It was a movie about racing, so they used people in racing to help sell tickets. It's really that simple. Not your grandiose r@ping nonsense.
@@gigigiseleworld ESPN 30 for 30 is well done.
I've been a Nascar fan for 40 years now. Tim loved racing and that's how I'll always remember him. R.I.P.
Earnhardt sounded like he had alot of respect for Tim Richmond on and off the track.
And notice the typical brown nosers running their mouth about him. Darrell being one of them.
DEAR NASCARMAN HISTORY, I want to say THANK YOU for putting together a beyond extraordinary video and documentary about Mr. Tim Richmond. YOUR TALENT is better then most of these Hollywood yo-yo's in my opinion and you did your homework and research and produced a true masterpiece in this documentary. You kept it informative, factual, and brilliantly highlighted all of times ups and downs with RESPECT and admiration for Tim and his sadly short life. I hope that you continue to produce more documentaries in the same way you approached this one. YOU are TRULY BLESSED with the ability and skill to do this type of craft that is brilliantly put together by you and your blood, sweat and tears effort that people take for granted as they have NO IDEA WHAT IT TAKES to do something of this magnitude and to do it the way you did throughout the entire presentation was something that I have to give YOU the UTMOST applause and tip of the hat for your work. THANK YOU AND PLEASE KEEP UP THIS TYPE OF WORK.
I always cry when I watch the Tim Richmond 30 for 30. He was a great driver.
Have you ever read the book about him? It's really good! I highly recommend it to any fan of Tim Richmond.
@@jamiedoughty6703 I just bought it
I cried when Dale Earnhardt died
@@chrisg77 Right on. It's a good read.
@@chrisg77 not gonna lie, so did I.
Ken Schrader is the man.
H O L L A D A Y absolutely
Kenny can drive the wheels off of anything. I always cheered and liked Kenny. Nasa Hendrick Horsepower.
Doesn’t matter what that guy is driving he’s gonna drive the balls off it. Esp if it’s in dirt!
Thats brother n law on opening scene.he painted timmys car.Timmy was a character, realy professional in the car, and cool guy outside the car.
He was never The Same after Looking into Dale's car
Richmond was a great driver as it also was nice to see his name in Nascar hall of fame
Tim had everything, he lived the dream thanks to his Mom and Dad who were good people, but they let him get too loose and it cost him, and them. I loved working for them, just being around them made life a little more exciting, he did the same for NASCAR, how boring it became after Tim, may you RIP, and your memory be eternal.
These are so underrated. You deserve at least 500k views for the amount of work you put in, and for the quality of these documentaries
I say that all the time as well with his videos. Someone should hire the guy to nascar documentaries
I personally think Tim got screwed. Despite Earnhardt having his back, Out of everybody, Dale was one of the few. Tim already wasn’t liked by upper management & I don’t mean Hendrick Motorsports management. LOL.
Kenny Schrader had his back too
The part of them talking about Richmond possibly being on drugs when in reality he had AIDS was very sad, but given the climate in that time had he revealed it he would've been treated even worse.
well, he was on drugs too. He led a party life. IMO Cocaine was his downfall. Cocaine really makes people do sexually stupid stuff they otherwise wouldnt do. Most likely no AIDS with no cocaine use. AIDS and Cocaine went hand in hand
If he was on drugs why they pass the drug test then
@Elite Soulfly did u watch the video the only reason why they did not pass the test is because they wanted his medical records and he would not give them to nascar
@@kozippio7854 [citation needed]
@Elite Soulfly Do you have some evidence for your claim? Sure, he was known for having a good time and having multiple sex partners, same as 90% of everyone else in the NASCAR garage. Where is the evidence of illicit drug use?
I've been binge watching your videos all morning today, subscribed. Thank you for this timeless content!
Great compilation of old footage. I learned so much. Awesome job.
I just want to say, with some commentary, you could sell this to a main documentary network, sports network, or whatnot. This is just that good. Great job. Would love to see more documentaries like this from you
Probably not with all the videos he uses that he doesn't own but I get what your saying. RUclipsrs are now consistently out producing major networks and it's not even close. If plane crashes or aviation in general interest you, Mentour Pilot is the gold standard. 100× better than anything I've seen on TV covering the matter. Even though he gets into highly technical breakdowns, he makes it to where a half drunk idiot such as myself can understand. If your into short, sweet, knowledgeable and funny this Irish cunt has a channel called Qxir. He covers the weird obscure side note stories throughout history such as 10 cent beer night at a Cleveland Indians home game and a guy who setup a very integral and perfect bank heist only to be ratted out by a bum who lived on a adjacent sidewalk and wrote down his license plate number in his days leading up to the heist after he suspected him to be casing the place. It wasn't all bad news for the guy he did get away with over 400k which he went to Vegas and promptly blew in what I'm sure was a failed attempt to wash the money. He did catch a Britney spears show though and only had like 6kish when police caught up to him so I'm sure he had a hell of a time. There's literally an unlimited amount of channels that are all much better than what's on tv.
If Tim had not died he would have likely been a 4-5 time champion and likely won 75+ races
dale tried to talk to bill france jr to let him get back but they knew something was up just sad
I think thats pretty far fetched. He had a great year, lets not get too carried away
davidallenroth Richmond got better every year he raced. It is possible to think that Richmond would of had a great career if he hadn’t got sick.
This is the same revisionist nonsense from people that day Davey Allison would have won 7 Winston Cup titles had he not died. These guys were really great, but lets be real.
Dan L I never said he’d be the greatest of all time, he sure wouldn’t of been a backmarker.
Came here from the 1988 Speedweeks video! I had never even heard of Tim Richmond before. Your videos have helped spread his legacy. Thank you!
Watching this has almost brought me to tears. The feels are really hitting me. @nascarman History you did a wonderful job on this.
Great job compiling all of the info. I learned a few more things about this story and it's nice to have a broader view from both sides. That being said, Tim clearly got a raw deal and his last race was taken away from him. Regardless, he's still remembered as a hell of a wheel-man and a great example of a "What could have been" type of story.
Today people tend to forget how AIDS was not understood by the medical profession or the public in the 80's. No known treatment and very little understanding of it's transmission. It was basically a death sentence at that time. A sad time for many.
only a strict vegan diet, exercise, fresh air and water and short fastings can cure AIDS or any disease!
Fantastic work, as expected. Thank you
Thank you so much for making this video, I really enjoyed it and found it so fascinating and interesting!
Thank you for putting this together. It's the best compilation I've seen on him. I guess we'll never know the truth as far falsified tests etc, but I hope people remember him as an amazing personality and racer
This was so well done, thank you! Such a sad story. I think he knew he couldn’t handle a full race and the Clash was going to be his last shot, boy what I wouldn’t give for him to have had that last shot and have a story book ending to what was a sad story. His story needs to be told.
Thank you for making/sharing this. Answered many questions I had.
"There are no performance enhanceing drugs in motorsport"
~Dr, Sid Watkins (former F1 chief medical officer)
It's not a matter of performance enhancements.... it's just common sense that you don't allow someone behind the wheel of a car while using narcotics, let alone a racecar at 180+ mph .....
It is a matter of performance impairing and at 175-200 mph you don’t need anybody impaired out there…there are lives at risk
What a wheel man and had the personality of a superstar damn what a loss to nascar.miss them days
I seen the 30 for 30 about him on ESPN and it was so sad. Had he not fallen to aids, gotten wronged by NASCAR, and could have recovered, he easily could have won 3 titles at least. He was truly the best competitor to Earnhardt in that time. He had so much talent, personality, and character. It truly is sad he went before his time. Easily could have had at least 75 wins in his career if not 80.
Josh Drumheller I feel like you Josh outstanding talent Earnhardt loved the competition Richmond didn’t need drugs lady’s everywhere he was a winner! Rip
He didn't need drugs he was a natural but I do know just for myself Sudafed or cold medicine made me overly aggressive but he never drove like a fool
Casualty of our substance manufacturing companies before we realized what they were actually trying to do to us all during C19
@@talkintennis8124no the dude got AIDS.
The man looked like a movie star lived like a rockstar and his profession was something all the above could only dream of
Thanks so much for putting this together.
Great video, I think this is just as good as the ESPN documentary from a few years back. Tim was just the coolest guy, and one hell of a wheel man.
This was well put together. Great job man!
Everything About This Is Outstanding,Very Well Done!
still such a sad story, very well done documentary. Tim had all the talent in the world which makes this even more hard to see. but nicely done
This video is amazing. Thank you for sharing.
Man, this is incredible - I follow you on Twitter, and now I'm subbed to your channel. Thanks for this!
Also, just to lighten the mood a little bit (this whole Tim Richmond saga is sad on so many levels), at 7:19... is Dave Despain belching??? I had to play it back a few times, but I'm fairly sure he is. Different times, man. haha
Thanks for the subtitles. English isn't my first language and I really apreciate them.
Rewatched this again a few years after watching it for the first time. I think truly Tim just wanted to race the Busch Clash. I think Tim knew how sick he was & the clash was the only race his body could’ve made it through.
I think it was 84 or 85 at Talladega
Tim came by the where we were camping on the 3 turn outside the track. He was on a mini bike he stopped and said hi to us and was on his way. He was in his race uniform. Just one of the many great memories of Talladega and some great times and races
Never knew about him flying the banner over the speedway. That broke my heart for him.
Just as I was reading your comment, that came across the screen 😢
I honestly believe that NASCAR knew what Tim had..... And it scared the living crap out of them...
After all we're talking about the '80s and not a lot of stuff was known about AIDS....
Everyone was scared to death just of the mere mention of that word!!!....
Tim was a talent that very few people could match....
After his death I remember his mother saying that Tim had died of AIDS but he did not acquire it via IV drug use or homosexual activity....Which scared a lot of people again...
This is one of the biggest "what-if" stories ever!
I kno right! I would agree with you. NASCAR had caught wind of the situation & that’s why I think they were being persistent about Tim releasing his medical records. It truly is a big what if?
Personally , I think Tim would’ve been a 2 time champion at least a 2 time champ. I’m factoring in the Davey Allison & AK in the what if as well. Dale Earnhardt would’ve had maybe 4 championships & Jeff Gordon may not have seen as much early success as he did as I truly believe Davey & Tim woulda had the completion by the ballz.
Great video man, ESPN or somebody should hire you to do these types of documentaries!
I almost cried when I saw the banner flown from the airplane 😭
What a story, thank you.
Darrell Waltrip and Kyle Petty seemed like snakes in the grass with their interviews. IMO....
I mean, everyone kinda was. lol
It was the 80s. Drugs weren't cool in the 80s.
@@NewWorldCT Only to kids. Cocaine was out of control in the 80's.
@kragseven right like kyle petty wasnt tooting his snoot
Wayne Phillips Darrell was a whiny Bitch cause Tim was getting some of the spot light & Kyle couldn't win a race if he was sitting in his Daddy's lap
Of course they were. Darrell was a little more diplomatic while Kyle was being a bitch! At that particular moment of course the has been and the never will be with a legendary last name were going to be the first to call for NASCAR to give Tim the boot to the ass. Earnhardt was 100% right about the whole thing!
Great video! Crying shame what happened to Tim. He would’ve been one of the greats had he had a full career.
He did it to himself. Hard to feel sorry for him. Hes actually a bastard and pos for what he did.
How is it a shame? It was self inflicted.
@@068dirtboy wow big man running his mouth about a dead man! He must have injected himself with the aids virus I guess! Your an idiot!
He knew he was sick and still went around having unprotected sex. There's articles about it.its not fake news
You can't say he didn't bear much responsibility for his fate, the fate of women he infected which have landed AIDS sufferer's in prison. I think the bigger tragedy is people like Arthur Ashe. Who received a tainted blood transfusion from a hospital. Excelling at a sport just makes you great at that sport. It doesn't award you great character or make you a good person. Tim wanted to race without NASCAR knowing his health status. There by possibly putting others at risk.
Tim was a dam good driver, sad how it ended for him. 👍
The more I think about this the madder I get cause it dredges up old memories of the era. I respect the Allison family and what they contributed to the sport, but Bobby should have a Roger Maris sized asterisk next to his 1988 win denoting the fact that the best driver in the sport was not on the track that day. Had Richmond taken to the track I have no doubt he would have willed that car into victory lane and nobody could have stopped him. Another thing, I'd like to know why nobody within Nascar ever went to prison over this crime. Falsifying drug tests, even back then, was a serious felony. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
money thats why.
To say Bobby Allison needs an asterisk beside his 88 Daytona win is absolutely idiotic.Even if Richmond had been in the race he wouldn't have been competitive driving for Ken Ragan,he would've been caught up in one of the big wrecks that happened in that years race(in all likelihood).
If Tim had not come down with that awful disease , he would have changed Nascar history as it is today.
And the same goes for Davey Allison
yep Sr wouldn't have 7 that is a fact
Davey Allison didn't "come down with that awful disease",as your comment implies.....
@davidh6818 he did come down however
Great video, very well produced. One tiny correction for the credits, MotorWeek was a TBS program, not ESPN. Thanks for putting this together, I thoroughly enjoyed watching.
Thank you, I love you channel. Actually, MotorWeek was on both channels! Around 1987, TBS dumped them and ESPN picked them up at the start of 1988. Same crew, just different channels. Tim appeared on the third show aired on ESPN. ESPN had the show scheduled around midnight on Wednesdays and they went until 1990.
I stand corrected, and learn something new every day! Looking forward to your next production. I'm a huge Tim Richmond fan, and this was the most detailed recollection I've seen on his 1988 comeback attempt.
Very good video, thank you.
great. Thanks for the video. :D
I am in total disagreement how NASCAR handled Tim Richmond. He did not fit the “good ole boy” style and therefore NASCAR chose to find a way to get rid of Tim. All because he did not provide his PERSONAL records for them to make an example. He was literally chased out of racing. You never hear about his “dangerous” driving but he came back to WIN races! Props to Hendrick Motorsports for giving an exceptional driver the best years of his life. #TimRichmondliveson
Great driver that led a promiscuous lifestyle.
To bad he lived during a time when AIDS/HIV was such a taboo disease.
Still does
How to prevent it?
I have a ton of new respect for Earnhardt. He wanted to be the best by beating the best. Some of those drivers couldn’t beat Richmond and didn’t mind what Nascar was doing to him.
Nothing captures the (possibly unwinnable) challenge NASCAR faces like Tim Richmond. In any other sport/business, his story would be celebrated and put forth constantly. This charismatic figure who returned while dying and won a race. And the charisma would be put forth as the model for drivers.
But the France family/Car owners would be the villains in that story and the hardcore fan rejects not just celebrating a victim of AIDS but to see broad, mainstream charisma as villainous....so a driver like Richmond, his story, is precisely what would grow the sport, create new fans but it's the existing powers that be and fans who reject it.
Tim Richmond was a beast on the track. Just a few more years after Tim died we found drugs to permanently put HIV in dormancy, therefore dramatically reducing the possibility of anyone getting full blown AIDS.
Alot of drivers knew Tim was a special talent on the track.
He was a good guy, however he should have become celebat after learning he was HIV positive. Prayers to anyone who contracted HIV from Tim.
Prayers to their families. Prayers to Tim's family.
Prayers to Tim😢
well done nascarman, Woody Hatten, he the late former writer/editor for Lopez Publications (Super Stock, Open Wheel, Stock Car Racing, Pulling Power) told me once that Richmond not only wanted to drive Funny Cars, he was also interested in strapping into a supercharged, 6-engine, Pulling Tractor, too.
Wow, I never knew it got that ugly.
That's extremely surprising.
Crazy to watch the first shot and know I was sitting at the start/finish line, about 20 rows up with my mom and dad as a ten year old. Where does time go?
vanillacoker1
Your asking me? I’m still coping with the fact my entire childhood has now retired. I grew up the 90’s. Swervin Irvin, Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd, JG, DJ, Bill Elliot, Good Ol’Sterling Marlin. Mr Excitement.. I could go on & on.. Sooo many races, Sooooo many memories.
I was born in September 88 so I was fortunate to witness nascar in the 90s, my opinion one of the best decades in cup history but I really wish I could of watched Richmond on the track. He and Davey Allison
Very good piece! I would love to hear more about the connection with Ken Ragan though! What was Ford's thoughts on having him in their stable? Did they help try to get him? How fast was Ragan's car all of Speed weeks? An interview with Ken Ragan or someone from his organization or Ford would be great! Thank you for your work in this!
Good question! I've never really heard Ragan ever speak about that deal. His car was pretty slow though. While Schrader replaced Richmond and qualified the Folgers car on the pole at 193mph, Ragan's car only qualified at 184mph. An article published when Richmond's license was reinstated on Monday that part of his deal with Ragan would've required him to pay Ken $50,000 if he wrecked the car. I think with all the drug rumors, no one was really helping him. I read somewhere that Tim Brewer asked Junior Johnson to enter a second car for Richmond but Junior replied that Tim was "too hot to touch."
damm good car with Robert Yates engines and ex-RYR car. Jr. Johnson had enough trouble with NASCAR going through his own cars with officals nit-pitting around without adding Tims problem to it. That why Jr. got out of racing over fussing with Nascar all the blame time.
I feel it was a real good car. At least a top 20 car if not a lot better. Had RYR engine and ex-RYR car. Yes they was better cars but it still was a very good car. Just trying be honest. Driver can make a good car great. Team working together can make or break a car. Huge question no body will know now what Tim would done with that car.
wv171 Ken Ragan, while not the greatest, was certainly no slouch behind the wheel on restrictor plate tracks. It was the first race with the big plates so I respectfully disagree to a point with the statement about drivers making a dramatic difference...at least at Daytona and Talladega during qualifying. What hurt Ragan was getting involved in the mail end of one of those wrecks in the Twin 125s.
Also...just *nitpicking* here but Robert Yates Racing didn't exist in 1988 so actually it was an ex-Harry Ranier/J.T. Lundy car with a Robert Yates engine in it. ;) And I believe it was the same car Ken drove in 1987 so it was at least 2 years old by Speedweeks 1988.
@@MatthewLewisAtlanta Ragan's car qualified at 184 mph(if I recall correctly)so you're spot on with your comment.A driver isn't going to make any difference in a car that's 9 mph slower than the polesitter at a restrictor plate track,even one as talented as Richmond was.
You'll note that the ESPN 30 for 30 episode about Richmond has been taken down from RUclips...
That's bullshit
he should be in the HOF
Why?
@kragseven lol
13 wins in how many seasons....5?...i m guessing dont know for sure....id hardly say thats a hall of fame career............
some dude that never won a cup race getting in before Tim - what a joke
@@AlonsoRules Larry Phillips is in the running, for this years Inductees and he never won a Cup race. He smoked lotsa Winston Smokes, though, chockful o' harmless, non-addictive, satisfying Nicotine. He died, from Lung Cancer, somehow. All the Exhaust funk, probably.
I was there for his first win- the Budweiser 400 at God's track, Riverside International Raceway in 1982. He was one of the best in the field for the next 5 years...
damn, this was great!!
This was fantastic
One of the best ever gone way to soon no telling how good he could been
I don’t care what people thought of Tim. Tim would have stayed healthy and not have contacted the AIDS virus he was just as good as dale earnhardt Tim wasn’t afraid to go door to door with anyone crazy yes a body full of talent. We missed a lot of great racing when Tim died he will never get put in the hall of fame but he’s just as good if not better than some that’s in there already. Thank you Tim for all the great shows you put on racing earnhardt harder than anyone
He was great. He needs to be in the hall of fame
It won't ever happen Richmond knowingly passed aids to several female partners/victims
hall of fame for one good year of racing...…..why
he actually grew the beard to hide the karposi sarcoma on his jaw line like freddie mercury
robert beck really?
Im going to call bullshit on that one... Tim always had facial hair, and the beard was off and on. Plus his beard was thin, it wouldn't have hid much of anything.
The bottom line to this is that Richmond did not want the world to know he had AIDS.... that's why he didn't want to release the medical records. Ironically, by trying to keep the lid on the story we are left to wonder how he got the disease. Sharing a needle, from a woman with whom he had sex or .. otherwise.
@@rahulsaha1072 my cousin used to race sprint cars against him. He was known to get with lots of ladies. He was always surrounded by pit whores
@@tunapraterade9843 When he raced sprint cars?
Really wish the text parts were spoken so I could listen to the story while turning wrenches.
We need someone like this in the cup series nowadays. I'll even venture to say (my opinion, and hot take) that if this guy stayed alive and kept racing, he'd have won a few championships and Earnhardt would probably have only won 3-4, instead of 7. This guy was as good, if not better, behind the wheel than the driver #3.
People can say all they like against Tim , but He really loved and lived life as each day was his last before he became sick. The 80's & the 90's Fans made Nascar what once was great !!!!
Great video. My only wish is that you would have read the portions where it shows text on the screen. I have to drive a lot for work and I love watching history vids, but I can't read the screen!
I know this is serious, but I just had to laugh at that graphic at 11:28 "Tim Richmond NASCAR Driver?"
Man it's a shame I was born in Sept 88 I would of loved to see TR run.
Tim stopped taking AZT weeks before the Clash because he did not want it to show up in the drug test.
I have went back and forth on Richmond for over a year. My final two cents is that He kept himself out of nascar because he didn't want to be the first athlete before magic Johnson admitted to having aids. So instead of admitting to it like Magic and being forgiven he decided to cover it up and protect his image of being a fan favorite. Also he infected other people with Aids which is wrong. Chip Williams is half right on the deal.
@Smith Hart that's like saying Magic Johnson did not infect others with his HIV ofc he did once he stuck it in some other chick she was immediately infected.
@@alexthesniper1952 Thats not really how it works... I think it's something like a 1/1000 chance to catch HIV through unprotected vaginal intercourse. Needles are much higher odds.
@@KyleP133 okay go stick it in someone who has HIV and see how long it takes for you to get it. Once the Virus is inside of you're done. Plus it's inside your all of you're bodily fluids.
Tim was on the kevel with Dale Earnhardt. He gave Dale competition, and I think Dale loved it. Dale didn't despise a good driver, he thrived on it. It brought out the fight in him.
Lots of similarities between Tim Richmond and Jeremy Mayfield's Nascar drug testing . Us fans will never know the truth. A sad story.
I think Mayfield tried to use Richmond's example to bail himself out. Through the lens of time, Mayfield seemingly is guilty just by the piles of evidence against him. Richmond was just in a bad place at a bad time with a seemingly doomed outcome
Mayfields case ended up being proven in NASCARs favor a couple years later after they found meth related stuff, plus other stolen construction equipment and race car parts
And his gutted electrical wire house...
I think the cases were fairly similar at first, mostly in the sense because NASCAR first said Mayfield tested positive for amphetamines, and later said he was positive or methamphetamine. The pile of legal issues that came shortly after I think made it pretty clear to a lot of people what was going on. Some people still think he was a scapegoat for somebody else in a bigger case, but I've found in life that people generally don't associate with people of that nature if they don't have at least some sort of involvement with it. Either way that anyone wants to look at it, he could have handled it better and he definitely did plenty of dirt outside of NASCAR. It seems he's doing a lot better now and he's back racing again, but he still hasn't owned it. He still claims NASCAR falsified it and dragged his name through the mud because he knew Ray Evernham was cheating on his wife with Erin Crocker. It's all a ridiculous situation to this day haha.
Also, I can think of a handful of other drivers who have been suspended or indefinitely banned for drug use, never mind all of the other suspensions for things ranging from cheating to attempting to start a driver's union. Tyler Walker, Shane Hmiel, A.J. Allmendinger, Aaron Fike, Kevin Grubb. There are probably a handful more at the higher levels. I've been involved in a regional NASCAR division on and off for the better part of fifteen years and I've seen a handful of suspensions for drug test failures in everything from modifieds and super late models right down to pure stocks and street stocks.
Actually not. Tim had aids and was covering it up. Mayfield flunked a drug test more than likely because he took something. Nobody in their right mind would keep their meds a secret from NASCAR if they were actually taking a banned substance that they could get a waiver on because of a doctor's prescription.
Imagine if he hadn't passed away..... How many titles would he have had?..... Would Earnhardt have won 7?.....
k rl no. In fact Earnhardt didn’t win a race in 1987 that Richmond was in as well.
Tim would have ran away with the 87 title.
69Charger tf are you talking about Earnhardt had if I’m not mistaken 11 wins and a average finish of 5.3 or 5.4 it would have been hard for Richmond
mason everidge
Yeah and that’s because Tim wasn’t there for most of the season to challenge Earnhardt. Richmond routinely out drove Earnhardt in 86 and even during his appearances in 87 he was the man to beat so the evidence suggests that Earnhardt wouldn’t have dominated 87 the way he did.
Dale wasn't really "Dale" until after Richmond came on the scene and challenged him. Tim was a naturally more talented driver, but Dale had the fire in his belly. They were great friends, and loved racing each other. Tim showed Dale how to drive in ways he did not before Tim came along.
All this video, tho well produced, did was create more questions than answers.
Nonsense.
Tim knew since DEC 1986 that he had full-blown AIDS, not just HIV pos. This whole thing was about a very talented, selfish driver and very small man living in denial AND, AND infecting women AFTER his diagnosis. How much more selfish and irresponsible can you get than that?How anybody could defend this guy escapes me.
I guess NASCAR shouldn't have access to a clearly ill driver's medical records? Hell, he won 2 races in 1987 with AIDS! His lifestyle was responsible for his demise not NASCAR.
Quite frankly, though they would never state it publicly at the time, most drivers knew he had AIDS and wanted nothing to do with him.
One of the very best
The Cale Yarborough Interview at 4:10 is credit to WPDE-TV15 Florence, SC.
NASCAR screwed Tim Richmond and Jeremy Mayfield.
Mayfield screwed himself. Richmond's situation was just unique. It's very similar to Magic in the NBA.
Jeremy METHFIELD
Richmond put NASCAR in a bad position. He refused to tell them he had AIDS. Had he had an accident with bleeding at the time, he could have exposed emergency workers to AIDS. They had a responsibility to know the truth about his illness.
@@joelmarksbury4376 but admitting you had HIV or AIDS in those days was way different. Magic Johnson retired from the Lakers then came back and heard the talk from fellow NBA players and retired again.
@@DucatiPaso750 He didn't have to admit anything to NASCAR. He just had to not race.
Days of Thunder !
Right on.I was going to say the same thing.
Most of the inspiration
If Tim Richmond, Davey Allison, and Alan Kulwicki didn't die Dale Earnhardt wouldn't have had 7 championships!
Yeah and if Dale didn't die?
erich loafman if my sister had nuts she'd be my brother
Yamaha Venture Sr was back in form in 2000 after very successful back surgery in late 1999, he was driving great again
@@Sean-if7rp Father time catches up with everyone. Ask Richard Petty.
The most Earnhardt would've done was one more championship. I know people love Earnhardt but the OP is right. Heck, I think if just Davey Allison survived then Earnhardt doesn't get to seven. Davey had such raw talent that he never reached his prime and he was just beginning to put it all together when he died.
@@JSchaffer214 Yes! Very correct
I was with Tim right on the top step of the podium in the Winner's Circle at Daytona immediately after he won the Firecracker 400 in '86. He grabbed my right hand and held it high as a sea of photographers snapped away. If anyone has any links to photos of that moment, I'd appreciate a link...thx.
This guy could drive the wheels off a race car, pity we never got to see him race more than we did. In the end NASCAR didn’t want him racing.
I like the way Darrell said, "I'm not aware of a problem." Notice he didn't say he wasn't aware of USE......just a "Problem" LOL.
Classic "politician's" answer by DW
Can we get a biopic of this guy, with Tim played by Nick Offerman?
He definitely should have a biopic. He was a big personality and despite nascar basically ignoring his accomplishments, he has a cult following. I'd love to see a movie about him.
Not sure if you still do videos if so do one of Jeremy mayfield I wanna know more
Nascar owes Tim's family an apology
1:45 Anyone else notice Tim Richmond's eyebrows shoot up when Ken Squier mentioned the rumors of AIDS?
Tim Richmond’s 30 for 30 is one of my favorites.
Too bad this video wasn’t around during the Mayfield saga