From August 1, 1969 NASCAR NEWSLETTER
Richard Brickhouse Striving For A Spot
In Chicago the name Brickhouse is associated with the Cubs, Wrigley Field, all that chewing gum and the outfield ivy that's murder on hay fever sufferers.
In the south or wherever you see a Grand National Plymouth bearing No. 03 on its side, Brickhouse is a young man trying hard to do something. He very well may.
The first Brickhouse is Jack - for 20 odd years the voice of the Cubs. The second is Richard - for one year a name among others on a race report. The two are not related.
A year ago in June Richard joined NASCAR just to see what he could do against the big boys. He had run for six years on independent tracks near his home in eastern North Carolina.
The race was the Carolina 500 at Rockingham, N.C. and when the race week began the red '67 Plymouth was one more rookie car taking up room in the garage area.
It turned out the 500 was to be a scorcher. The hot machinery became too hot and young Mr. Brickhouse came in fourth behind two Allisons and one Hylton.
"That was quite a baptism," said Brickhouse. " I had hoped to do well but not that well."
Sitting in the pits most of the day was Richard Petty, who went out early. The week prior to the race he had sold Brickhouse the car. It was reported that Petty spent most of the afternoon mumbling to himself about selling the wrong car.
For Brickhouse the rest of the season was a learning process. "I wanted to try the big tracks, see what they were like and just in general find out what was going on." Brickhouse said.
While he was finding out in six more evnets, he earned $7,190 and posted another finish in the top 10.
Over the winter he worked on his 350-acre farm outside his home town, Rocky Point, ran his trucking business and fiddled with his light airplane. Brick and his mechanic, Ken Mercer, also prepared the car for the upcoming season.
"This is the year." said Brickhouse in February, "that I want to do something."
Through the first half of this year, he has done quite well. In 16 events, big and small, he's posted five finishes in the top 10 including a seventh in the Firecracker 400, and to date he's won more tham $13,000.
It's a long way from the first time he stepped into a stock car.
"Around home racing isn't organized very well, and we used to run anywhere there was a circle," he said smiling. "My first time out - I guess it was '62 or '63 - I was driving the worst looking 1939 Ford you ever saw.
"The track was back in the woods - actually carved out. I lasted a few laps and then a tire blew when it hit a tree stump."
For a few years, he campaigned a Chevelle at independent tracks and then "the urge just hit me to try Grand National. I don't know what it was. I guess anybody who races stock cars wants to do it one time or other.
"I had the money saved and we knew that Petty had a car for sale. You can"t do better than the best, so we went to Randleman and bought it."
This year Brickhouse has achieved the reputation as one of the good young independent drivers in the GN division. Also, he is a person who sets a goal and goes after it.
"I'm not here just for the fun of it," he said. "When I started in this league I made a commitment to myself, and I'm working on it all the time.
"I enjoy racing and I want to do my best. It's a little like any other sport. You be good at it and it'll be good to you."
The Cubs aren't doing too badly this year, either.
The rest is as they say "History". Richard would drive the #99 Dodge Daytona to victory in the inaugural Tallagega 500 earning him that spot in history.
updated by @dennis-andrews: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
