Madison International Speedway: Dick Trickle Memorial comes to MIS on June 16

Contact: John Wells 608.225.1913

Track officials have announced that the first round of the Super Late Model Triple Crown Challenge slated for Sunday, June 16th will now be known as the Dick Trickle Memorial 99. The race will be the first of the four Triple Crown Challenge events scheduled for 2013 at Madison International Speedway.

“Dick Trickle was a hero to so many of the race fans in this area. He was one of the guys that put short track racing on the map. You just don’t have drivers today that can accomplish what he did being able to go from track to track and win regularly,” said MIS General Manager Dave Grueneberg.

Trickle logged an amazing amount of miles at Madison especially in the early 1970’s. He won track championships at Madison in 1971 and 1972 and took home an amazing 72 feature wins on the half-mile. His victory total tops the list of all-time feature winners at Madison. It has been reported that over the course of his career Trickle won more than 1200 races.

Grueneberg remembered Trickle as a fierce competitor and an all around good guy. “It wasn’t unusual to see Trickle pull into the pits shortly before the races, roll his car off the trailer, and go out and win. He was just that good.”

From an interview for the MIS Yearbook in 2005, Trickle had this to say about Madison. “Madison has always been one of the top racing venues in the Midwest. Not only is the track itself fast, but the fans are knowledgeable and love racing. It was always an enthusiastic crowd. The fans were great. From Rockford to the Dells and into southwestern Wisconsin. The half-mile featured a lot of speed and the races were always great. I always enjoyed it…it was and always will be a challenging track.”

In the same interview he was asked about his accomplishments and whether or not another driver could do the same, Trickle said, “All records are made to be broke and I’m happy to hold a few of them. It’s unlikely that someone will win over 1,200 races but that could happen too. The rules when I raced the short tracks were consistent. Back in my day, the good old days, you take the same car and run everywhere. I could take one car and do it all if I wanted. I ran 118 shows with just one car having to make only a few changes. Now there might be three of four different engine rules and they’re harder to police.”

He went on to add, “To race five or six nights a week today you just don’t have time to tear your motor apart before going to the next track. It seems promoters all want to set their own rules and all run on Friday or Saturday nights.”

My favorite comment Trickle made about Madison was a simple one-liner: “I won my share…maybe more than my share.”

The Super Late Model Triple Crown Challenge is a four event series with races also scheduled for Sunday, July 14, Sunday, July 28, and Sunday, September 8. The Midwest Trucks and INEX Legends will also be on the racing schedule for each of the Triple Crown events.

“Dick Trickle meant a lot to so many people who followed racing in this part of the country. Just about anyone who watched him race or met him has a special story to tell. We want to take some time to remember all that he did for racing,” added Grueneberg.
Come out to MIS on Sunday, June 16th for the Dick Trickle Memorial 99.

For more information about the Super Late Model Triple Crown Challenge at Madison International Speedway checkout the track website at madisoninternationalspeedway.com.