{"id":1408847,"date":"2021-09-05T17:24:55","date_gmt":"2021-09-05T21:24:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1408847"},"modified":"2021-09-06T13:34:03","modified_gmt":"2021-09-06T17:34:03","slug":"doctor-behind-tim-richmond-nascar-banishment-abruptly-left-nfl-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/doctor-behind-tim-richmond-nascar-banishment-abruptly-left-nfl-job\/","title":{"rendered":"The Doctor Behind Tim Richmond's NASCAR Banishment Abruptly Left His NFL Job"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ask a 50-something NASCAR fan to identify a driver whose career ended too soon, and there\u2019s a good chance they\u2019ll name Tim Richmond<\/a>. For a man who finished in the top 10 of the Cup Series standings just once in six full seasons, Richmond left a lasting impression on motorsports<\/a> fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richmond was a talented driver on Sunday afternoons and a big personality the rest of the week. His playboy reputation didn\u2019t sit well with some, but his suspension has been the source of greater controversy since his death at the age of 34.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tim Richmond won 13 of his last 138 NASCAR Cup Series races<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"The
Driver Tim Richmond finished third in NASCAR Cup Series points on the strength of seven wins during the 1986 season. | ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tim Richmond only raced 185 times in parts of eight seasons, but he made the most of his time in the NASCAR Cup Series<\/a> by winning 13 of his last 138 starts, an impressive rate for anyone. That included a season-best seven victories in 1986 while representing Hendrick Motorsports<\/a>, the eighth organization in his nomadic career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That magical season began a stretch of nine checkered in flags in the span of 19 races, which assured that fans would forever remember Richmond. However, it also marked the twilight of his career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After finishing third in the 1986 points race, Richmond missed the first three months of the \u201987 season while recovering from double pneumonia. He announced his return by winning at Pocono and Riverside in his first two races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only those closest to him knew about Richmond's AIDS diagnosis by that time, but the rumors about his health swirled. Richmond would race only six more times, and he left Hendrick Motorsports before the end of the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Forest Tennant played a pivotal role in Tim Richmond\u2019s departure<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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