Why NASCAR allowed Dick Trickle to smoke while racing? All you need to know
NASCAR used to impose less stringent rules during races that allowed teams and drivers to do more than what they can these days. Dick Trickle had a memorable moment when he lit a cigarette in the middle of a race at Talladega Superspeedway in 1990, a scene no one would likely see ever again.
Trickle was an American professional racing driver who competed in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series. Rusty Wallace called him one of the greatest drivers of all time along with the likes of Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr., having won over 1,200 short track races across various US-based racing series.
However, the driver only won two races in NASCAR, particularly in the Busch Series, known today as the Xfinity Series. Still, he left a mark in motorsports with his success on short tracks and infamous in-race smoking. Why did the stock car racing league allow him to do so while racing? Let’s find out.
Dick Trickle drilled a hole in his helmet to smoke while racing
NASCAR reportedly gave Dick Trickle the green light to smoke a cigarette in the race under caution or a yellow flag. This means he could only smoke when the safety car was out, which slowed down the field while safety marshals cleared wrecked cars and debris on the track.
Trickle had drilled a hole in his safety helmet so that he could puff on a cigarette while driving his racecar. It was made possible by installing cigarette lighters inside the cockpit.
The former NASCAR driver was seen smoking during a broadcast of the 1990 Winston 500 from Talladega Superspeedway. He was seen lighting a cigarette using a lighter pulled out from the center console area.
One of the reasons why the incident won’t likely happen again is due to the banning of cigarette sponsorships starting in the early 2000s. The ban is being implemented across various sporting events to avoid encouraging viewers to smoke.
The stricter safety regulations in racing series also won’t let drivers pack cigarettes and lighters inside their racecars.
Kenny Wallace applauded Dick Trickle’s character that ‘saved’ his life
Aside from Rusty Wallace, his younger brother, Kenny, also had high praises for Dick Trickle. In a video posted on Kenny Wallace's YouTube channel, the former NASCAR driver shared Trickle saved his life by defending him against criticisms.
Speaking with Charlie Marlow, Wallace said:
"It was Dick Trickle that said let Kenny be Kenny because you know there's all these people trying to change me.” [0:50]
He added:
“When you start trying to change him here, let Kenny be miserable, he'll run better, that never worked. So that's basically my Dick Trickle story. He saved my life and to this day I'm just heartbroken over Dick committing suicide." [1:21]
Trickle passed away at the age of 71. He was honored during the NASCAR All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2013.