BROOKLYN, Mich. — Alex Bowman will drive a throwback car in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway that pays homage to Tim Richmond.
The announcement Friday came on what would have been Richmond’s 64th birthday. Richmond died of complications from AIDS on Aug. 13, 1989.
Richmond competed in NASCAR from 1980-87, winning 13 of 185 Cup races. He drove for car owner Rick Hendrick in 1986-87 and was paired with crew chief Harry Hyde in 1986. Richmond won nine of 37 races with Hendrick Motorsports.
“He’s definitely a character,” Bowman said Friday at Michigan International Speedway. “Just hearing stories. There are a lot of people at (Hendrick Motorsports) that worked with him or worked around him, so there’s a lot of stories that get told. It’s pretty interesting. If I was a race fan, that’s who I would have cheered for.”
Last year, JR Motorsports paid tribute with a throwback car to Richmond’s from 1983-85. Tyler Reddick drove that car for JR Motorsports.