Did you guys know NASCAR cars used to have cigarette lighters?

[Marcingak]

Badass

That first camera was carried by NASCAR legend Cale Yarborough's car, who also became the first driver to win a race with an in-car camera. The camera caught also several other, not-so-appropriate moments: Veteran driver Dick Trickle was famously caught using his car's functional cigarette lighter to light up during a caution lap in the late 1980s. In the decades since, fans have become used to hearing the driver speak with his or her crew during the race and watching him shift through the gears as he or she enters and exits turns.

From:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-racing/nascar/nascar-basics/nascar-in-car-camera.htm

 

[Johali]

Yep. All of us old timers knew that Dick Trickle and others smoked during the cautions. They were real stock cars, lighters and all, back then.

 

[DanicaFreak]

Yep. All of us old timers knew that Dick Trickle and others smoked during the cautions. They were real stock cars, lighters and all, back then.

Cigars wasn't it?

 

[ztevans]

Yep. All of us old timers knew that Dick Trickle and others smoked during the cautions. They were real stock cars, lighters and all, back then.

David Pearson, IIRC, was one of the guys known for lighting up in the car.

I'm sure this video of Dick Trickle had been shared on this board 1,000 times before I ever joined, but I have no shame in making it 1,001.

 

[KevinWI]

Yep. All of us old timers knew that Dick Trickle and others smoked during the cautions. They were real stock cars, lighters and all, back then.

One time Dick Trickle was asked how many times he smoked during races and he said "I don't know, how many cautions were there?"

 

[ztevans]

One time Dick Trickle was asked how many times he smoked during races and he said "I don't know, how many cautions were there?"

And to think we were talking about the absurdity of Carl Edwards eating M&M's last week.

 

[Johali]

Cigars wasn't it?

I don't remember any cigars being smoked during a race.

 

[hidesert cowboy]

notice the location of the lighter, on the floor or close to it. keep that thing as low as possible to the floor of the car

 

[PushRodV8]

Smoking cigarettes inside a race car with 130 degree heat, exhaust fumes and poor ventilation.

I can't stand cigarettes or the smell of cigarettes but those guys were badass

 

[ted@economy]

Met Dick Trickle once and asked him about it . He said " only during cautions and on the hook" . I guess he meant being towed back to the pits . One of the best , but wouldn't stand a chance in todays Nascar .

 

[Marcingak]

David Pearson, IIRC, was one of the guys known for lighting up in the car.

I'm sure this video of Dick Trickle had been shared on this board 1,000 times before I ever joined, but I have no shame in making it 1,001.

Thanks for the video. Pretty awesome. Too bad I missed out on all this.

 

[pudge]

an old junkyard owner i knew, no longer living, said he raced against Ralph Earnhardt, that Ralph would pass cars and have a cigarette in his mouth, and when mad would flick the cigarette at other drivers

 

[Clutch]

Met Dick Trickle once and asked him about it . He said " only during cautions and on the hook" . I guess he meant being towed back to the pits . One of the best , but wouldn't stand a chance in todays Nascar .

the dude was THE MAN have so much respect for DT.
Similar IMO to Kenny Shrader

 

[KevinWI]

One of the best , but wouldn't stand a chance in todays Nascar .

In a HMS/SHR/RFR/JGR car he would.

I saw Dick Trickle once by the trailers at Slinger in like '01 or '02. I was too shy to say anything. Now that he's no longer with us, I wish I had shaken his hand and said something but ah well. By my time he was done with NASCAR and only occasionally raced here on short tracks but heard that no matter where showed up he was always swamped with young racers asking questions and always ended up holding court in the garage.