American Racing Legend

Impossible. There's no way that this could have happened. That is exactly what everyone was saying when the awful news spread like a heavy fog over a valley.  Not only was Dick Trickle no longer with us, but he had taken his own life.  

It's hard to wrap your mind around why a childhood hero would do that to himself.  But none of us really knew Dick now, did we? Sure, we all liked to hang around him, whenever he was in town.  We all enjoyed tipping a few "barley pops" with him, as he held court, telling tales of  his racing exploits.  Good times.  That's what Dick Trickle was all about.  He WAS the party.

Obviously though, on the morning of May 16th, something brought an overwhelming oppressive darkness onto Trickle.  It's hard to imagine just what could have had that kind of effect on a guy who was the MacGyver of racing.  Ask anyone, Dick was a handler.  Something's broken on the race car? He'd find a way to make it work with something else.  The set up is not perfect? He'd still drive the crap out of the car--AND save his tires.  But something seemed impossibly unsurmountable to him on this day. 

I have no idea what could have been so heavy in his heart that he would make the decision to end his own life.  My mind is tortured by the thoughts that this is how our hero left this world.  Although, in retrospect, I don't know exactly how I thought Trickle's life should have ended.  It's nothing that I ever considered.  I suppose in my mind, he was just going to live forever.  And thanks to all of the great memories he created for all of us, ultimately, he will do just that--live on forever.

There was and never will be another like him.