If Tim Richmond lives...

M

Mattski

Guest
Let's just say on a fateful night in 1985, Tim Richmond is watching a Southern Cal football game and the mascot on their helmet reminds him to put on some protective clothing. Better yet, his car breaks down on the way and he has to call Harry Hyde because he can't fix it. Let's say that Tim Richmond lives. What happens? How is the sport's history altered?

Personally I believe Richmond was the type of athlete that would have imploded or exploded. He either implodes within the pressure to conform to the image of a driver at that time or goes off the rails in the attempt at being different, or he explodes and continues to embrace the rockstar persona while systematically beating the ever living sweet potatoes out of the good ole boys until he has no room left in his trophy case. There would be no in-between or a Bobby Labonte-esque career with a title and gradual decline. This guy is Petty/Earnhardt/Johnson or he's Jeremy Mayfield.

But we'll never know...

What do you all think?


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I was Bon in 86 so I have basically no opinion on him. But I do remember Alan and Davey and I can't imagine what the 90's would of looked like if they had lived.
 
Tim Richmond was ahead of his time and NASCAR wasn't ready for that. If he was anything other than the wild and flamboyant character he wouldn't have been Tim Richmond. Super talented and he was finally starting to get results when he joined up with Hendrick. It looked the sky was the limit for him and that's where he ended up. Miss seeing him race.
 
Man , that was over 30 yrs ago . I remember stuff from then but not really understanding that Tim was that great . I remember he and Dale Sr being great pals , and that was a sign of the respect that Dale had for him . After he got diagnosed , other drivers pretty much stayed away . Like a lot of sports stars , we only really get them after they are gone .
 
I think Tim Richmond had a type of personality that made him want to live on the edge. From the stories I've read it probably wasn't just one night that he pushed his personal life to the limit. But I think that type of living on the edge was what made him be such a great driver. Guess he was kinda the James Dean of Nascar during his era. I do often think of what drivers like him and Davey Allison could have accomplished if they hadn't been taken from the sport at such an early age.
 
Tim was NASCAR's first Rock Star Personality. Even when he was in full blown AIDS he still won races. Personally if he had lived I really believe he would have rewritten a history book or two. Same with Davey, not so much Kulwicki but he played a whole different role. Another one I think would have made an impact was Adam Petty, He had The Kings smile and I really believe he would have returned Petty Enterprises back to greatness.
 
As much as I love Dale Earnhardt and think he is the GOAT, if Richmond had lived, Dale wouldn't have had seven titles in my opinion. Tim would have had at least a couple.
 
There are things Tim did that was almost unbelievable, unless you saw it yourself. I was a huge fan. Given Tim's personality I really wonder how successful and how long of a NASCAR career he would have had. He was driving during a time when serious and fatal injuries would happen and I think that is what might have ended his career if he had been a better Southern Cal fan.
 
I think of Tim as a latter day Curtis Turner...... I only read about Curtis.. I watched Tim race ..... he was great just like Curtis...... a Natural..... a partier.... a good-timer...... nothing wrong with any of that...... enjoying life...


I just wish we could have had him much longer.... he was a Champion in the making for sure....
 
Fordracing7 said:
I was Bon in 86 so I have basically no opinion on him. But I do remember Alan and Davey and I can't imagine what the 90's would of looked like if they had lived.
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There's a 30 For 30 ESPN short about him called "To the Limit". It's on Netflix. Watch it and you will gain an appreciation. I was born in '92 but I have a poster in my room of Tim Richmond standing on the frontstretch of Charlotte while wearing an Armani suit with a giant hay bale fueled fire raging behind him. He was the man.
 
The Nature Boy said:
I also wonder what the teammate dynamic between Jeff Gordon and Tim Richmond would have been like.
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Does Gordon even makes it to NASCAR if that was the case?

Gordon was primed for Open Wheel racing and only signed into NASCAR because he had a top ride offer. I doubt that Rick would have given him a serious look having already gotten his superstar in Tim.
 
Reck said:
Does Gordon even makes it to NASCAR if that was the case?

Gordon was primed for Open Wheel racing and only signed into NASCAR because he had a top ride offer. I doubt that Rick would have given him a serious look having already gotten his superstar in Tim.
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He was in the Busch Series with Ford and Bill Davis before Hendrick gave him a look.

Good point about Hendrick though, I still see him giving Gordon a look because he had learned with Richmond that he could take a young open wheel guy and make him a NASCAR star. I could see Hendrick wanting to catch lightning in a bottle twice.
 
Mattski said:
Personally I believe Richmond was the type of athlete that would have imploded or exploded. He either implodes within the pressure to conform to the image of a driver at that time or goes off the rails in the attempt at being different, or he explodes and continues to embrace the rockstar persona while systematically beating the ever living sweet potatoes out of the good ole boys until he has no room left in his trophy case. There would be no in-between or a Bobby Labonte-esque career with a title and gradual decline. This guy is Petty/Earnhardt/Johnson or he's Jeremy Mayfield.
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Jeremy Mayfield was never anywhere close to as good as Tim Richmond was in 1986. But I know what you mean. It's difficult for me to envision Richmond having longevity and a stable NASCAR career even if you erase HIV / AIDS. He was extremely talented, but restless and volatile.

It is often pointed out that NASCAR wasn't ready for him then. Would it be any more so today? Not recently. Maybe with the new Monster era, this would have finally been the time for a rockstar driver.
 
be9ak7ts16 said:
Tim was NASCAR's first Rock Star Personality. Even when he was in full blown AIDS he still won races. Personally if he had lived I really believe he would have rewritten a history book or two. Same with Davey, not so much Kulwicki but he played a whole different role. Another one I think would have made an impact was Adam Petty, He had The Kings smile and I really believe he would have returned Petty Enterprises back to greatness.
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Just playing devils advocate , but I would list Marty Robbins as maybe Nascar's first Rock Star Personality . Maybe others have someone else in mind . Thoughts?
 
The Nature Boy said:
Losing Davey Allison and Tim Richmond robbed us of some good racing. I would've loved to have seen Allison and Richmond tearing it up with Jeff Gordon in the mid 90s.

I also wonder what the teammate dynamic between Jeff Gordon and Tim Richmond would have been like.
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DAYS. OF. THUNDER.
 
Richmond lives stays with hendrick until roughly early 2000s...maybe having an affect on Gordon landing at Hendrick....without Folgers sponsorship Roush may have never became anything at all...possibly no Terry Labonte at Hendrick.

Davey lives possibly have an affect on Jarrett going to RYR. Almost positivity causing no Irvan at RYR. Possibly Davey in the accident at michigan having a affect on his longevity regardless.

Alan lives most likely to thrive for a few years but possibly creating a multi team stronghold as an owner equalvilent to Penske standard possibly with big Ford money especially if Richmond lives and Roush never becomes anything.
 
Tim lives he is a champion. HMS becomes a powerhouse before 1995.
Davey lives he is a champion.
Dale Sr lives he is not a seven-time champ but a five or six, losing the 1993 title to Davey and the 1994 title to an uninjured Irvan.
Adam lives he is a race winner and probably a champion as Dodge was due to pump a ton of money into PE that went to Evernham after the accident. Very few know this, but the Dodge Dealers sponsorship that was spilt on the 19 and 9 was supposed to be on the 45.
 
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