by PattyKay Lilley

Every fact within this piece has been searched and researched, checked and rechecked. Every word is accurate, and it pulls no punches. If you didn't like Tim, you probably don't want to read what follows. ~PKL)

Tim Richmond was a NOVA: a star that burns for a short time with an intense light. When extinguished it leaves the world darker for it having been there.

Unlike most Winston Cup drivers, who get rich by driving a car and winning races, Tim was born into the lap of luxury, never wanting for anything and pretty much having everything his own way. Prep school, fast cars, fast bikes and fast women were his lifestyle. Movie stars and musicians were his friends.

This astonishingly good-looking young man never saw the seat of an actual racecar until he was 21 years old, and then it was not a stock car, but an open wheel Sprint car, belonging to a friend. It was love at first drive, as it were, and Tim had found his avocation.