Tim Richmond: The Fast Life And Remarkable Times Of Nascar's Top Gun

by David Poole

Tim Richmond was, fellow NASCAR driver Kyle Petty said, "a stranger in time." In one regard, the flashy, flamboyant driver from Ashland, Ohio, was years ahead of the trends in a sport that would soon enjoy explosive growth in popularity. Women who were NASCAR fans loved him - and so did their husbands and boyfriends. Richmond believed he could use his stardom in racing as a springboard to a second career as an actor, and he had the Hollywood good looks to make that a realistic dream. At the same time, Richmond was also a throwback. He pushed his race cars hard, too hard at times, driving every lap like he was hauling moonshine through the mountains of the Carolinas with a revenuer on his rear bumper. Those who saw him drive still compare him to veterans like Curtis Turner and Joe Weatherly, who ran as hard off the track as they did off of it. In the early 1980s, however, Richmond stood out. He was not from the South; he had not grown up slinging a stock car through the dirt on red-clay ovals. He had, in fact, never raced at all until he was 21. And just 10 years later, after making a splash in the Indianapolis 500 as a rookie, he was emerging as one of the brightest stars and greatest talents in NASCAR's Winston Cup Series. Richmond's star was bright, but its light went out too soon. As he neared stock car racing's zenith, Richmond's life took a tragic turn. A man who thrived on the affection he felt from those who enjoyed watching him compete spent his final months almost completely shut off from that world. Tim The Fast Life and Remarkable Times of NASCAR's Top Gun tells the memorable story of a born racer and how he raced headlong through life with the throttle wide open and his wheels burning rubber at almost every turn.

Genres: Audiobook, Racing, Nonfiction

191 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Kellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me want to read more books about Nascar. I am still puzzled as to why I have never heard about this guy and the controversy. In the 80’s I was in college, not really interested in NASCAR. I did like the Indy cars though. Tim was a great race car driver and left a deep impression on the sport. Unfortunately, because of the way he lived his life, he contracted AIDS. Through heterosexual sex. This was not truly revealed until after his death. Unfortunately, because of the secrecy, there was a lot of speculation as to what was going on with Tim in the last years of his life. This book left a definite impression on me.

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review to come - glad I listened to the audio version.

[Mitchell Northam · Rating 3 out of 5]

It feels like there’s still more to uncover with the fascinating and tragically short life of Tim Richmond. While this book relies on several good sources in the racing world to bring his career on the track to life, the only person we really hear from in his personal life is his half-sister. Setting aside that one mild criticism, this is a must-read for anyone wanting to learn more about NASCAR in the 1980s, which Kyle Petty aptly describes as the sport’s “college years.”

[Susan Keiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short, fascinating life of Tim Richmond is not well known, even after an early ESPN 30 For 30 documentary told his story. Written in the mid-2000's, this bio evokes the period when NASCAR was building towards its most popular era, and a driver who like Davey Allison and Alan Kulwicki, died tragically before the Jeff Gordons and Jimmie Johnsons of the world took over the sport.

[Monica O'Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting story about the career of Tim Richmond. I don’t know why I’m ever surprised at the way NASCAR (the organization) plays things to be their way. It wasn’t the first time they interfered with someone’s career.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a bad car fan and actually know very little about it. I saw the ESPN 30 for 30 about Tim Richmond and so I bought this book. Very well researched and informative. Recommend

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the Audible Editor Reviewer who praised my narration of David's Poole bio/memoir of the late Tim Richmond. I thoroughly enjoyed narrating this fascinating and intriguing story about Mr. Richmond, and the family, friends, fans and colleagues whose lives he touched.

http://www.audible.com/pd/Bios-Memoir...

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted so much more information on the man but with as private as his family is i think this book is the best I can ever get