Dick Brooks

Richard Harold Brooks (April 14, 1942 – February 1, 2006) 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. Brooks held off veteran Buddy Baker by 7.2 seconds for the Talladega win. 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 points finishes (1975 through 1978), and 358 career races. Although Brooks only won one NASCAR race, he was a popular figure in that league of motorsports. Brooks drove for the underfunded Junie Donlavey team throughout his racing career.

Career

Brooks made his Grand National Series debut at the first Daytona 500 Qualifying Race in 1969, driving a self-owned Plymouth. Brooks had a solid year, and with twelve top-tens he finished 21st in the final standings. This also meant Brooks became the rookie of the year. He continued to drive his Plymouth in 1970 and scored fifteen top-five finishes in 34 races, improving to thirteenth in the final points standings. Brooks came close to winning the 1970 Georgia 500, but eventually finished third to Richard Petty and Bobby Isaac after having led 133 laps. In 1971, Brooks moved to the team of Mario Rossi, driving the No. 22 Dodge. In fifteen races with the team, Books scored twelve top-ten finishes. His best run of the season came at Darlington where he finished second to Buddy Baker.

For the next two seasons, Brooks did not have a full-time ride and practically picked up whatever ride came up. Brooks started the 1972 season at the Atlanta 500, driving the No. 90 Ford for Junie Donlavey. Brooks made three additional starts for Donlavey with a best finish of eighth, at the Winston 500. Brooks also drove five races for Marvin Welty but failed to finish any of them. Brooks only finished one other race that year, when he drove for Bill Champion at the Texas 500. Brooks started out his 1973 season driving the No. 6 Owens Racing Dodge to a third place finish at the Daytona 500. He returned to Donlavey and drove eight races for that team in 1973. The highlight of Brooks's career came at the Talladega 500, when he drove the Plymouth of Jimmy Crawford to an unexpected victory. Brooks was not supposed to drive Crawford's Plymouth, but after officials ruled that Crawford did not have enough experience on the big speedway, Brooks took over the ride.

Without a ride for the 1974 season, Brooks started to field a self-owned Dodge. Of the sixteen races that Brooks entered that year, he finished three times. His best finish of the season was in the Volunteer 500 at Bristol International Speedway.

Brooks returned to Donlavey for the 1975 season, driving the No. 90 Ford once again. In 25 races, Brooks scored fifteen top-ten finishes of which he finished six in the top-five. His best result that season was a second place, in the Delaware 500 at Dover Downs International Speedway. Brooks also finished in the top-ten in the final points standings for the first time. He continued to drive for Donlavey Racing in 1976. Brooks scored eighteen top-ten finishes that year and he finished tenth in the final points standings for the second year in succession. Brooks continued his good run for Donlavey Racing in 1977. He scored a total of twenty top-ten finishes that season of which he finished seven in the top five. He finished sixth in the final points standings, which would turn out to be a career high. Brooks had another good year in 1978, with seventeen top-ten finishes. He finished eighth in the final points standings and left the Donlavey team at the end of the season.

Brooks moved to the team of Nelson Malloch in 1979, driving the No. 05 Oldsmobile and Chevy. Brooks had a lot of mechanical issues during the season and only managed to finish thirteen of 27 races that year. Brooks scored eight top-ten finishes during the year and finished 22nd in the final points standings. He stayed with Malloch for the 1980 season but left the team after he only finished five of the first sixteen races. Brooks entered in three more races that season, which he drove for Banjo Matthews.

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, Brooks led the point standings for the only time in his NASCAR career. Brooks also led the most laps in the third race of the year, at Rockingham, but retired on lap 384. This was the only time in Brooks's career that he led the most laps during a race. Brooks faded to fourteenth at season's end. In 1984, the Donlavey team struggled to keep up with the better-financed teams and Brooks finished fifteenth. After driving three races for the Petty Enterprises team in 1985, Brooks left. 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.

Midway through the 1994 season, Brooks purchased the No. 40 Pontiac team from SABCO Racing, inheriting driver Bobby Hamilton and sponsor Kendall Oil. Hamilton left for Petty Enterprises in 1995, and Brooks fielded the No. 40 for Greg Sacks, Rich Bickle, Shane Hall, Andy Hillenburg, Randy LaJoie, and Butch Leitzinger, but after a season which saw the car lead only two laps with a best finish of twelfth, Brooks sold the team back to SABCO.

Later life and death

Brooks lent his name to a series of car dealerships in North and South Carolina.

After complications from a plane crash in late 2004, Brooks died of pneumonia on February 1, 2006.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time * – Most laps led)

Grand National Series NASCAR Grand National Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 Pts Ref 1969 Brooks Racing 32 Plymouth MGR MGY RSD DAY DAY DAY CAR AUG BRI ATL CLB HCY GPS RCH NWS MAR AWS DAR BLV LGY CLT MGR SMR MCH KPT GPS NCF DAY DOV TPN TRN BLV BRI NSV SMR ATL MCH SBO BGS AWS DAR HCY RCH TAL CLB MAR NWS CLT SVH AUG CAR JFC MGR TWS 21st 1780 1970 RSD DAY DAY DAY RCH CAR SVH ATL BRI TAL NWS CLB DAR BLV LGY CLT SMR MAR HCY KPT GPS DAY AST TPN TRN BRI SMR NSV ATL CLB ONA MCH TAL BGS SBO DAR HCY RCH DOV NCF NWS CLT MAR MGR CAR LGY 13th 2460 Dennis Gallion 86 Dodge MCH RSD 1971 Mario Rossi 22 Dodge RSD DAY DAY DAY ONT RCH CAR HCY BRI ATL CLB GPS SMR NWS MAR DAR SBO TAL ASH KPT CLT DOV MCH RSD HOU GPS DAY BRI AST ISP TRN NSV ATL BGS ONA MCH TAL CLB 36th 939 95 Chevy HCY Ferguson-Stephens 66 Pontiac DAR Ford MAR CLT DOV CAR Brooks Racing 32 Plymouth MGR RCH NWS TWS

Winston Cup Series NASCAR Winston Cup Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Pts Ref 1972 Donlavey Racing 90 Ford RSD DAY RCH ONT CAR ATL BRI MCH MCH NSV 49th 1023.5 Blank & Kalashian 66 Pontiac DAR NWS MAR Donlavey Racing 98 Ford TAL Marvin Welty 73 Ford CLT DOV RSD TWS DAY BRI TRN ATL TAL Seifert Racing 45 Mercury DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT Bud Moore Engineering 15 Ford CAR Champion Racing 1 Ford TWS 1973 Owens Racing 6 Dodge RSD DAY RCH 27th 3200.7 Donlavey Racing 90 Ford CAR BRI CLT DOV TWS RSD MCH DAY BRI ATL Mercury ATL NWS NSV RCH DOV NWS MAR 98 Ford DAR MAR Crawford Racing 22 Plymouth TAL NSV TAL B & B Racing 61 Chevy DAR Brooks Racing 32 Dodge CLT CAR 1974 RSD DAY RCH CAR BRI ATL DAR NWS MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT RSD MCH DAY BRI NSV ATL POC TAL MCH DAR RCH DOV NWS MAR CLT 27th 267.52 28 Chevy CAR ONT 1975 Donlavey Racing 90 Ford RSD DAY RCH CAR BRI ATL NWS DAR MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT RSD MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH DAR DOV NWS MAR CLT RCH CAR BRI ATL ONT 10th 3182 1976 Miller Racing 95 Chevy RSD 10th 3447 Donlavey Racing 90 Ford DAY CAR RCH BRI ATL NWS DAR MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT RSD MCH DAY POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR ATL ONT Langley Racing 64 Ford NSV 1977 Donlavey Racing 90 Ford RSD DAY RCH CAR ATL NWS DAR BRI MAR TAL DOV CLT MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR ATL ONT 6th 3742 Langley Racing 64 Ford NSV RSD 1978 RSD NSV RSD 8th 3769 Donlavey Racing 90 Mercury DAY TAL DAY POC TAL MCH DAR CLT ATL ONT Ford RCH CAR ATL BRI DAR NWS MAR DOV CLT MCH NSV BRI RCH DOV MAR NWS CAR 1979 Nelson Malloch Racing 05 Olds RSD DAY CAR RCH ATL NWS BRI DAR MAR TAL CLT TWS RSD DAY TAL BRI NWS 22nd 2622 Chevy NSV DOV MCH NSV POC MCH DAR RCH DOV MAR CLT CAR ATL ONT 1980 7 RSD RCH CAR ATL BRI DAR NWS MAR NSV DOV CLT TWS RSD MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI 27th 1698 Olds DAY TAL Billy Matthews Racing 41 Chevy DAR RCH DOV NWS MAR CLT CAR ATL ONT 1981 Buick RSD DAY RCH CAR ATL BRI NWS DAR MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT TWS RSD MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT 61st - Bobby Hawkins Racing 13 Ford CAR ATL RSD 1982 DAY RCH BRI ATL CAR DAR NWS MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT POC RSD MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV NWS 48th 347 Steve Harrison 8 Pontiac CLT MAR CAR ATL RSD 1983 Donlavey Racing 90 Ford DAY RCH CAR ATL DAR NWS MAR TAL NSV DOV BRI CLT RSD POC MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR ATL RSD 14th 3230 1984 DAY RCH CAR23* ATL BRI NWS DAR MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT RSD POC MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR CLT NWS CAR ATL RSD 15th 3265 1985 Petty Enterprises 1 Ford DAY RCH CAR ATL BRI DAR NWS MAR TAL DOV 53rd 249 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy CLT RSD POC MCH DAY POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR ATL RSD

Daytona 500 Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish 1969 Brooks Racing Plymouth 33 32 1970 13 19 1971 Mario Rossi Dodge 8 7 1973 Owens Racing Dodge 9 3 1974 Brooks Racing Dodge 23 9 1975 Donlavey Racing Ford 5 22 1976 9 41 1977 15 5 1978 Mercury 32 5 1979 Nelson Malloch Racing Oldsmobile 8 27 1980 41 36 1981 Billy Matthews Racing Buick 38 16 1982 Bobby Hawkins Racing Ford 15 38 1983 Donlavey Racing Ford 10 5 1984 12 26 1985 Petty Enterprises Ford 11 22

24 Hours of Le Mans results 24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 1976 Donlavey Racing Dick Hutcherson Marcel Mignot Ford Torino NASCAR 104 DNF DNF 1982 Stratagraph Inc. Hershel McGriff Tom Williams Chevrolet Camaro IMSAGTO 141 NC NC