It just doesn't seem possible that 34 years could have passed since future NASCAR star, Tim Richmond was named "Rookie of the Race" following his 9th place finish in the May 25, 1980 Indianapolis 500 over nine other rookies who made the race.
Johnny Rutherford, who'd just driven Jim Hall's yellow Chaparral to his 3rd career Indy 500 victory, was so impressed with the run made by the impish Richmond that he had Richmond jump aboard his winning car and go with him to the victory lane celebration.
Richmond would become the one NASCAR driver who my Wrangler sponsored driver, Dale Earnhardt most liked to race. Like Dale, Timmy could take it as good as he gave and leave the car smiling after close quarters racing with Dale, unlike most competitors.
Getty Images photos
When we arrived in the Starlight Room of New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in December 1981 for the first-ever New York NASCAR Winston Cup Awards Banquet (it would move to the Grand Ballroom in 1982 and become black tie) Richmond showed up uninvited and with no table to sit at. Dale had already been impressed by Tim and asked if he could sit at our Wrangler table with our new car owner, Bud Moore and several Wrangler (Blue Bell, Inc.) executives.
In my old photo archives, I used to have a Dozier Mobley photograph of our group all seated in the Waldorf wearing beige western cut jackets, brown neckties and brown double knit jeans! All, I should say, except Tim Richmond. He was seated next to Dale wearing a very stylish tux, with a ruffled white shirt and a red cumberbun and red bow tie, already displaying the flair for which he'd become known.
Dale always asked if we could accommodate Tim's mother, Evelyn in our Wrangler V.I.P. suites at tracks that had one. Dale never asked me to accommodate Darrell Waltrip's, Geoff Bodine's or Bill Elliott's mom! Trust me, Dale never did that for any other mom except his own, Martha.
Tim even used to wear a Wrangler patch on his uniform for me while driving for Old Milwaukee / Raymond Beadle and always wore Wrangler jeans and shirts to the track for us.
photo by BNorton
I'd later try to put Tim in Bud Moore's Thunderbird for 1984 (Ricky Rudd wound up in the car) to replace Dale when he went back to the Childress ride, but it didn't work out. Even after I moved to Dallas to manage the 7-Eleven motorsports programs I didn't get away from Tim's magnetism. After the final 1984 Cup race at Riverside, Tim drove - as a favor at no charge - a second Derrike Cope / George Jefferson Thunderbird for me at Phoenix to help promote a Winston West race I was sponsoring with 7-Eleven
We all know the story of how things eventually unfolded, but if Tim liked you he'd go out of his way for you. And it was at Indy on May 25, 1980, that Tim rocketed to recognition across the racing world.
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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
