Notable people · Athlete · Auto Racing
Tim Richmond
Born in Ashland, Richmond was Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year in 1980 and one of the first full-time drivers to move from open-wheel cars to NASCAR. He won seven races in 1986 and finished third in points before illness ended his career.
At a glance
- Born
- 1955-06-07
- Died
- 1989-08-13
- Known as
- Athlete, Auto Racing
- Organizations
- NASCAR
Life story
Tim Richmond was born in Ashland in 1955 into a well-off family; his father had invented a pipe-boring machine. He raced open-wheel cars, won Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year in 1980 and then moved to NASCAR.
In 1986 he won seven races, more than any other driver, and finished third in the season points. He fell ill after the 1986 season banquet and raced eight times in 1987, winning twice.
A 1988 drug-test suspension, which NASCAR later acknowledged could have been flawed, effectively ended his career when he would not release his medical records. He died of AIDS complications in 1989 at 34 and is buried in Ashland. He is in NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers list and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Timeline
- 1955-06-07: Born (Ashland, OH) source
- 1980: Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year (Indianapolis, IN) source
- 1986: Wins seven races; third in points source
- 1987: Misses season opener, returns for eight races and two wins source
- 1988: Suspended after a drug test source
- 1989-08-13: Dies source
- 1998: Named to NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers source
- 2002: International Motorsports Hall of Fame source
What Tim is known for
- 1980 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year
- 13 NASCAR wins
- International Motorsports Hall of Fame, 2002
- ESPN documentary Tim Richmond: To The Limit (2010)
Honors and things named for them
- NASCAR 50 Greatest Drivers, 1998
- International Motorsports Hall of Fame, 2002
Ohio places
Where Tim Richmond was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Born: Ashland, Ashland County ZIP 44805 · Ashland · Ashland County
- Buried: Ashland, Ashland County ZIP 44805 · Ashland · Ashland County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Wikipedia: Tim Richmond dates, career, illness, honors, burial