Richard Brickhouse, a racer who captured a historic Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway, has died at the age of 87.
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According to an announcement, Brickhouse passed away at his home in Rocky Point, North Carolina, on July 24.
Richard is survived by his wife, Sara Lopez; his children, Angela Campbell, Cara Salter (Jason), and Richard F. Brickhouse Jr.; his stepchildren, Patricia Vazquez, Sarah Vazquez, and Paul Vazquez; his grandchildren, Sarah Salter, Savannah Garner (Donald), and Kristi Byers (Scott); and his three great grandchildren.
He is survived by many additional family members and friends.
A veteran of the United States Army, Brickhouse made his NASCAR Cup Series debut during the 1968 season. He competed in seven of the 49 races while driving the No. 03 Plymouth.
The North Carolina native made his debut at Rockingham Speedway, and he delivered a fourth-place finish. He crossed the line behind race-winner Donnie Allison, runner-up Bobby Allison, and third-place finisher James Hylton.
Brickhouse's schedule continued with the summer race at Daytona International Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, and a return trip to Rockingham Speedway.
He took on his largest schedule in 1969. He started 24 races, and he posted nine top-10 finishes. He also made history by winning the first-ever Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Brickhouse started ninth in the 36-car field, and he led 33 laps. He held off Jim Vandiver to capture his first and only Cup Series win.
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He only made eight more starts in the Cup Series after the 1969 season, and he failed to finish six of them mostly due to mechanical failures. Yet, Brickhouse remained involved when the sport headed to Talladega Superspeedway.
He returned to the site of his first win in 2009 for a special weekend. He took part in a press conference with Richard Childress and then he handed over the horseshoe-shaped winner's wreath to Jamie McMurray.
