Former NASCAR racer Dick Trickle, 71, died from a reported self-inflicted gunshot wound shortly after noon on Thursday, May 16, in Boger, N.C. The long-time Lincoln County resident was found next to his pick-up truck near a cemetery. Authorities said Trickle called the Lincoln County Communications Center before noon and said, “There will be a dead body [at the location] and it will be [his].”

Trickle, from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., was among a handful of successful drivers who left the Midwest in the 1980s to head south and try their hand at NASCAR. The late Alan Kulwicki was among them, along with Johnny Benson and Matt Kenseth, and more recently Brad Keselowski, Travis Kvapil and Paul Menard.

Trickle ran a few one-off Cup races annually throughout the 1970s and 1980s before going full-time racing with Stavola Brothers Racing in 1989. He was Rookie of the Year that season based on six top-five finishes and nine top-10 finishes. He ran almost the entire Cup Series schedule for the next 10 years, stepping down to a limited schedule in 1999. He ran a handful of races in 2000, 2001 and 2002 before finally retiring at age 60.

In addition to the Stavola brothers, he raced full-time for Junie Donlavey, Cale Yarborough, Rahmoc Racing, Dean Myers and Mark Smith. His career-best finish was second at Pocono in 1990 for Yarborough, and his only pole came with Yarborough at Dover, also in 1990.

His Cup career stat line: 303 starts, one pole, zero wins, 15 top-five finishes and 36 top-10 finishes. He was better in Nationwide Series competition, where he won seven poles, two races, had 24 top-10 finishes and 43 top-10 finishes.

“I’m in 100 percent shock," said former rival Rusty Wallace. "Dick Trickle was my mentor. When I was short track racing, I would call him every Monday morning and he would always help me with race setups and stuff. He and I had such a good time telling little stories, but he was the guy that taught me almost everything in the American Speed Association. And he was the guy that I battled right to the end for my 1983 ASA championship.

"I barely beat the guy that taught me everything. I’d not seen Dick as much as I’d like to of late. He was a legend. A man that’d won over a thousand short track races, was one of the most winning short trackers in America, was a role model to many short track racers coming up. Could just do magic with the race car and he taught me so much about racing. My success in the ASA and what Trickle taught me is what got me into NASCAR. That’s what got me hired by Cliff Stewart back in ’84. Between Larry Phillips and Dick Trickle, they taught me everything.”

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