Dick
Brooks
Born:
April 14, 1942 Died: February 1, 2006
Home: Porterville, CA
Dick Brooks was an
American NASCAR driver born in Porterville, California. He
was the 1969 NASCAR Rookie of the Year,
and went on to win the 1973 Talladega 500. After he retired,
he served as a NASCAR sportscaster for a brief period of
time.
His Grand National
Statistics include the win at Talladega Superspeedway, 57
top fives, 150 top tens, 4 top ten point finishes (1975
through 1978), and 358 career races.
Although Brooks only
won one NASCAR race, he was a popular figure in that
particular league of motorsports. Driving for the
underfunded
Junie Donlavey team, Brooks finished 10th in points in
1975 & 1976. A sixth place point finish in 1977 was the
highest Brooks would finish. After finishing 8th in the
points in 1978, Brooks left the Donlavey team and drove for
others in 1979 & 1980.
Brooks only drove five
races each season in 1981 and 1982 before reuniting with
Donlavey for 1983. After finishing fifth in the Daytona 500,
he had several other solid runs.
After four
races, Dick Brooks led the point standings for the only time
in his NASCAR career. The rest of the season was not as good
though and Brooks faded to 14th at season end. 1984
was more of the same as the Donlavey team struggled to keep
up with the higher financed teams and Brooks finished 15th.
After driving three races for the Petty Enterprises team in
1985, Brooks left the ride. His final NASCAR race was behind
the wheel of a Rick Hendrick owned car in the 1985 World 600
where he finished in tenth place.
After complications
from a plane crash in late 2004, Dick Brooks died of
pneumonia on February 1, 2006.
Plymouth's Last Win In
Nascar
by
William Corley
October 4, 2009
Everyone knows that Richard Petty won more
races for Plymouth in the famous car #43
painted Petty blue than any other driver.
What most Nascar fan's don't know is that
Petty did NOT get Plymouth's last Nascar
win.
Surprisingly,
in what some say is the biggest upset in
Nascar history, the win came on August 12,
1973 at the then named "Alabama
International Motor Speedway".
Dick
Brooks arrived at Talladega and the ride he
was supposed to have evaporated. Luckily the
Crawford Bros. race team owned by Jimmy and
Peter Crawford out of College Park, GA.
needed a driver and Brooks won the
race driving for them.
Nascar didn't
think that Jimmy had enough experience to
handle the 200 plus miles per hour speeds
being run at Alabama International Motor
Speedway, so Jimmy hired Brooks to drive the
Yunick like Black and Gold #22 in the 1973
Winston 500.
The Winston 500
had an UNHEARD of starting field of FIFTY
cars in a race that included what is now
known as "THE BIG ONE", that eliminated over
20 cars in a wreck on the backstretch (see
STATS below).
Weird
things began happening even before the
Talladega 500 held at the "SPOOKY" track in
Alabama race started as Dick could not get
the #22 Plymouth engine started. It was
eventually fired up and Brooks regained his
starting spot in the field.
On "lucky" lap
number 13,
Larry Smith, who was the reining Nascar
Rookie of The Year, spun and crashed into
the guard rail. In a crash similar to the
late Great Dale Earnhardt, Smith's crew was
running back to the garage area to repair
the car when word came that Smith had died
in the wreck. Word is that Smith had removed
some of the padding in his helmet to
accommodate his long hair. Smith's death was
the first ever at Alabama International
Motor Speedway.
Dick Brooks went
on to win this "Wild and Crazy" 1973
Talladega 500 which turned out to be his
only Nascar win and sadly, Jimmy Crawford
passed away in 2007 of heart failure.
(Edited with
corrections)
Dick Brooks dies at 63
Lone
career win brought tears of joy for former
racer, announcer
By Dave Rodman,
NASCAR.COM February 3,
2006
Californian Dick
Brooks, who created a legacy as a popular
Winston Cup driver who went on to parlay
that notoriety into a successful career as a
radio broadcaster, businessman and
humanitarian, died Wednesday at his home
near Spartanburg, S.C.
Inside the Numbers
Dick Brooks' career
Starts
358
Wins
1
Top-5s
57
Top-10s
150
Poles
0
Laps Led
665
Avg. Start
15.0
Avg. Finish
17.3
Earnings
$1,250,299
Brooks, 63, of
Porterville, Calif., scored his only Cup
victory in the 1973 Talladega 500, the
second race of the season at the track now
known as Talladega Superspeedway.
Talladega
Superspeedway president Grant Lynch,
formerly an executive with R. J. Reynolds
Tobacco Company's public relations and
marketing division, Sports Marketing
Enterprises, offered condolences on behalf
of the track to Brooks' family and his fans.
"Not only was
Dick Brooks a great race car driver, but he
was a close personal friend of many of us
who worked at R.J. Reynolds," Lynch said.
"My fondest memories of Dick are the times
we used to fly to and from races with him
and [MRN Radio anchor] Barney Hall.
"We had a lot of
fun times in those days, and without a doubt
he will be missed by all who knew him."
Brooks' NASCAR
career began in 1969 at Daytona
International Speedway, and he competed
later that season in the first
NASCAR-sanctioned event at the former
Alabama International Motor Speedway,
finishing fifth.
During a career
that spanned 17 years and 358 starts, Brooks
posted 150 top-10 and 57 top-five finishes.
His Talladega victory on Aug. 12, 1973,
marked his only visit to Victory Lane in
NASCAR's top series.
According to the
book 25 Years of Talladega Superspeedway
by Clyde Bolton, former motorsports writer
for the Birmingham News newspaper in
Alabama, Brooks was so moved by the win that
he literally cried tears of joy.
"All of a sudden
I started snubbing," Brooks recalled to
Bolton. "I was crying, and I couldn't even
see the turn. That's the reason I went
around an extra lap when it was over.
"I didn't want
to come to Victory Lane and have everybody
see me like that. I've wanted it so long."
According to the
history book, Brooks arrived at the track
that week only to find that the car he was
supposed to drive was not ready. However it
turned out on Friday that Georgia natives
Pete and Jimmy Crawford needed a driver.
Although that
particular car had never finished better
than 16th and Brooks had not had a regular
ride in two years, he surprised everyone
that race weekend when everything went his
way.
At the time,
Brooks was in the process of financing his
own team as he had done few years prior. The
winnings from the Talladega victory gave him
the extra push he needed, and in the last
six races he ran that year, the last two
were as a driver/owner.
In addition, he
went on to run 16 races for his own team in
1974 before rejoining forces with veteran
owner W.C. "Junie" Donlavey in 1975.
Brooks worked
for a number of years in the 1990s as an
announcer on MRN Radio broadcasts, where he
often wore a pair of signature blue jean
overalls.
In recent years,
Brooks survived a couple accidents,
including a motorcycle crash and an incident
in a small aircraft while he taxied on a
runway landing strip on his South Carolina
property
when a wheel caught in the grass and turned
the plane over.
DICK BROOKS
HONDA
-
14100
E Wade
Hampton
Blvd, Greer,
SC 29651
Dick Brooks
was born in
Porterville,
California,
in 1942, and
always
wanted to
race. He
began with
go-carts and
motorcycles,
but quickly
moved to
dirt track.
However,
California
at that time
was no place
to be if you
wanted a
serious
career in
racing, so
in 1969 –
the very
first time
he had ever
been present
at a NASCAR
event – he
came to
Daytona
International
Speedway and
competed in
the
Speedweek”s
activities.
He did well
enough to
earn a ride.
He started
33rd and
finished
32nd in the
500, which
featured a
50 car
field.
Dick, his
wife, and
two year old
daughter
then moved
to the hub
of racing at
that time,
Spartanburg,
SC - home of
championship
team owners
Bud Moore
and Cotton
Owens, and
NASCAR
driver David
Pearson.
Mr. Brooks
quickly
established
himself as a
plenty
capable
driver,
scoring
three
top-five and
12 top-10
finishes in
28 races en
route to the
1969 rookie
title. In
addition to
his winning
the 1973
Talladega
500, Mr.
Brooks had
57 top
fives, 150
top tens, 4
top ten
point
finishes,
and 358
career
races. His
final race
was the 1985
Coca-Cola
600 at
Charlotte
Motor
Speedway,
where he
finished
10th. After
retiring
from racing,
he served as
a NASCAR
sportscaster
on MRN radio
for a period
of time,
always
wearing his
signature
blue jean
overalls.
In addition
to racing
and helping
broadcast
races, Mr.
Brooks
became a
successful
businessman.
He bought
his first
Honda
dealership
in
Albemarle,
NC, in 1978,
and quickly
found an
affinity for
business.
Over the
next two
decades, Mr.
Brooks
acquired 11
dealerships
and 15
franchises,
several
hotels,
convenience
stores, and
other
ventures.
Dick Brooks
Honda of
Greer, which
he built in
1985, would
be the only
dealership
he decided
to hold onto
while
downsizing
in the last
few years of
his life.
Mr. Brooks
was more
than a local
racing
celebrity
and
businessman;
he was also
lauded for
his charity
work with
such groups
as The
Shriner’s
Children’s
Hospital,
The Red
Cross, and
The American
Cancer
Society.
After
complications
from a plane
crash in
late 2004,
Dick Brooks
passed away
of pneumonia
on February
1, 2006. He
left behind
Stacey
and Bill,
a daughter
and
son-in-law
who have
continued
running the
dealership
he held so
close to his
heart, his
granddaughters
Alex, Addie
Grace and
grandson
Cooper, and
many loyal
employees
who work
tirelessly
to carry on
his vision
of what a
great Honda
dealership
is supposed
to be.
Former NASCAR driver
and owner Dick Brooks was piloting a plane on
his private airstrip in Woodruff, SC. The plane
never left the ground, but went off the runway
and overturned. Brooks is in the intensive care
unit at Spartanburg Regional. The NTSB will be
investigating.
Greenville News:
Brooks, the 1969 NASCAR rookie of the year, was
cleaning out a hangar for a New Year's Eve party
when he decided to run one of his antique
planes, according to Flash Millwood, a member of
Brooks' pit crew and a friend for 35 years.
Brooks wasn't planning on flying and didn't have
his seat belt on, Millwood said. He was being
treated at Spartanburg Regional Hospital, a
spokeswoman said. Brooks, who owns several
automobile dealerships in the Carolinas and
Florida, started racing NASCAR in 1969, driving
in the first race he ever saw: a road-course
event at Riverside, Calif. He won his only
Winston Cup race at Talladega, Ala., in 1973.
Brooks hung up his racing gear in 1985 then
worked as a pit reporter for Motor Racing
Network. It's not the first time his passion for
fast cars, motorcycles and airplanes has put
Brooks in the hospital. He suffered severe
injuries in July 1999 after he wrecked his
motorcycle in a field near his home. Brooks has
been involved in the fund-raising for the
Motorsports Museum of the South, which is
scheduled to be finished in Spartanburg next
year.(12-30-2003)
UPDATE: Former
NASCAR Rookie of the Year Dick Brooks recovers
in a local hospital from injuries after being
hurt in a plane crash near his farm, authorities
say. Brooks, 61, was taxiing his favorite plane
down his personal runway on his Woodruff
property Sunday afternoon. As he made his way
back toward the hangar going about 10 mph along
an asphalt runway, the plane wheel got caught in
the grass and turned the plane over, longtime
friend Joe Whisenant said, throwing Brooks
out of the pilot's seat. He was taken to the
intensive care unit of the Spartanburg Regional
Medical Center after the crash, but his daughter
Stacy Jackson said doctors expect him to
recover. "They are wanting to keep him here a
couple of days for observation," Jackson said.
(ThatsRacin.com/AP)(12-31-2003)
1984 Talladega 500 - Dick Brooks Crash
Dick
Brooks Flips @ Talladega 1975
Dick Brooks 1979
For 1979, Brooks
joined the Nelson
Malloch 05 team but
good finishes were
sparse. The team
came back with a new
sponsor and number
for 1980, but the
continued lack of
success found Brooks
leaving the team
after 19 races.
Dick Brooks in
Cotton Owens #6
Simoniz car in 1974
Donlavey Truxmore
car at Michigan Intl
Spdwy
1983
1985
Outstanding Model
Car
Dick Brooks Grand
National & Winston Cup DRIVER Statistics
Year
Age
Races
Win
T5
T10
Pole
Laps
Led
Earnings
Rank
AvSt
AvFn
1969
27
28 of 54
0
3
12
0
6041
2
28,187
21
14.0
17.6
1970
28
34 of 48
0
15
18
0
6821
194
53,754
13
9.1
15.4
1971
29
20 of 48
0
9
12
0
4495
16
32,936
36
12.9
12.7
1972
30
14 of 31
0
0
1
0
1156
3
14,146
49
19.6
32.5
1973
31
14 of 28
1
3
9
0
3448
25
55,369
27
21.2
13.2
1974
32
16 of 30
0
0
3
0
2951
1
22,760
27
17.8
21.8
1975
33
25 of 30
0
6
15
0
7344
60
93,001
10
9.2
13.5
1976
34
28 of 30
0
3
18
0
7542
16
111,880
10
11.8
14.5
1977
35
29 of 30
0
7
20
0
8191
8
151,374
6
13.7
12.7
1978
36
30 of 30
0
5
17
0
8689
24
137,590
8
12.4
13.4
1979
37
27 of 31
0
1
8
0
6307
16
61,985
22
19.0
19.6
1980
38
19 of 31
0
2
5
0
3978
6
60,700
27
19.1
21.4
1981
39
5 of 31
0
0
0
0
1397
1
14,845
61
22.0
20.2
1982
40
5 of 30
0
0
0
0
517
0
9,470
48
14.4
31.2
1983
41
30 of 30
0
2
6
0
7866
108
180,555
14
15.5
19.1
1984
42
30 of 30
0
1
5
0
8157
185
192,407
15
19.6
18.5
1985
43
4 of 28
0
0
1
0
1076
0
29,340
53
25.0
22.5
17 years
358
1
57
150
0
85976
665
1,250,299
15.0
17.3
NASCAR Winston Cup race number
20 of 28
August 12, 1973 at
Alabama International Motor Speedway, Talladega, AL
188 laps on a 2.660 mile paved track (500.1 miles)
Time of race:
3:26:17 Average Speed: 145.454 mph Pole Speed: 187.064 mph
Cautions: 7 for 52 laps
Margin of Victory: 7.2 sec Attendance: 56,000
Dick Brooks was an
American NASCAR driver born in Porterville, California. He
was the 1969 NASCAR Rookie of the Year,
and went on to win the 1973 Talladega 500. After he retired,
he served as a NASCAR sportscaster for a brief period of
time.
Surprisingly,
in what some say is the biggest upset in
Nascar history, the win came on August 12,
1973 at the then named "Alabama
International Motor Speedway".
Weird
things began happening even before the
Talladega 500 held at the "SPOOKY" track in
Alabama race started as Dick could not get
the #22 Plymouth engine started. It was
eventually fired up and Brooks regained his
starting spot in the field.
Californian Dick
Brooks, who created a legacy as a popular
Winston Cup driver who went on to parlay
that notoriety into a successful career as a
radio broadcaster, businessman and
humanitarian, died Wednesday at his home
near Spartanburg, S.C.
Dick Brooks
was born in
Porterville,
California,
in 1942, and
always
wanted to
race. He
began with
go-carts and
motorcycles,
but quickly
moved to
dirt track.
However,
California
at that time
was no place
to be if you
wanted a
serious
career in
racing, so
in 1969 –
the very
first time
he had ever
been present
at a NASCAR
event – he
came to
Daytona
International
Speedway and
competed in
the
Speedweek”s
activities.
He did well
enough to
earn a ride.
He started
33rd and
finished
32nd in the
500, which
featured a
50 car
field.
