Have you heard of Tim Richmond? Most likely you have not. I you were alive when he was great in the 1980s. His sudden disappearance from the sport left people wondering, what happened to Tim Richmond? Tim Richmond was an open wheel driver who joined NASCAR in an era where people like him weren’t accepted.

Richmond was born into a wealthy family and was spoiled as a kid. He was a great athlete that played football and got his number retired at his high school. In high school he showed good competition in sports. Tim raced sprint cars when he started racing. After driving sprint cars he got an offer to drive an Indy car. Tim raced real well in the Indy 500 scoring a top ten, but after a series of wrecks his family wasn’t happy with the danger of it. Richmond had offers for NASCAR so he took it. Tim made his debut in the Coca-Cola 500 at Pocono for D.K. Ulrich. Although he finished 41st in points that season Tim was just getting warmed up as the 82 season came to a close. Richmond for the next season raced for the teams Bob Rodgers and Kennie Childers. After racing for these teams Richmond fielded to 20s and to 10s. Entering the 1982 season he was disappointed with his start at Rockingham with engine problems. Frustrated, he signed with J.D. Stacy. Tim raced to get two top 5s at Bristol and Darlington. Tim was talented at the road courses and got his first win at North Wilksboro and Riverside. The year after in 1983 Tim Richmond signed with Raymond Beadle and won one race that year at Pocono. In 1984 Richmond won one race, again at North Wilksboro where he was very successful. In 1986 Rick Hendrick got Richmond to sign with his team. With Tim now racing for Rick, Tim raced the #25 Folgers car. This would be Tim’s most successful season. His first win of the season came at Pocono. Defeating greats like Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough, Tim raced to 7 wins that season while scoring 13 top 5s, 17 top 10s. With this being his most successful season it would be his last full season in NASCAR. Coming into the 1987 season Tim fell ill and missed the first race of the year. Tim claimed it was double pneumonia but there were whispers that he had acquired immune deficiency disorder. Richmond was a fighter so he got back into the drivers seat for the race at Pocono. He won the race which was really special to him, Tim was really enjoying the wins he got. Tim won his second and final victory that year. Richmond resigned from Hendrick Motorsports at the end of the 1987 season. Richmond now fighting his sickness was wanting to get back to driving for the 1988 season. NASCAR Had a drug test that he failed and was prevented from racing that year. Tim was not happy and sued NASCAR. He got to take a second test and passed it. The problem was that nobody would sign him. In 1989 with Richmond getting sicker, they moved him down to Florida to be hospitalized. In the July of 1989 at Pocono, NASCAR was racing. Tim in his hospital bed and watched as ESPN played a tribute to him by showing his 1986 Pocono win. The doctors in the room watched and saw that this sick man was no ordinary man, he was one a great NASCAR driver who had great potential. Tim died months later as a result of his AIDS. He won’t be forgotten in the NASCAR world as he could have been a legendary driver in his career.