Toyota NSCS Charlotte Mark Martin Notes & Quotes

TOYOTA NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS)
Mark Martin — Notes & Quotes
Charlotte Motor Speedway – May 17, 2013

MARK MARTIN, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
What memories do you have of Dick Trickle?
“Dick (Trickle) made himself a mentor to many, Rusty (Wallace), myself, Alan Kulwicki — you know we wouldn’t have been the racers that we were when we got here had we not come under his influence.  Of course, you have to change, after a while you have to adapt to circumstances as well.  I was proud of who we were and the racers we were.  For the influence that he had on us and the etiquette and the way he raced.  He raced us real hard on the race track, but off the race track, he was very free with parts or advice — he gave freely.  Really, really good dude.  I’m confused and broken-hearted about what happened.”

Why was Dick Trickle such a likable guy?
“He got the job first of all because he was the winningest driver in the country.  Probably bar-none.  Yeah he raced for five nights a week, but he won a lot of them too.  He had a real special personality.  He was tough, but he was fun.  He was just a very unique person.  He was in his element — short track racing where he didn’t have to look over his shoulder or worry about anything.  That’s why he didn’t come NASCAR racing when he might have and was young enough that he really could have gotten his feet planted firmly here.  He was doing it his way.”

Do you have any good Dick Trickle stories?
“He was the one that told me, and this is kind of corny, but it isn’t when you’re 18 or 19 years old.  He told me in order to finish first, first you must finish.  That stuck with me always.”

What were your thoughts when you first heard of the circumstances of his passing?
“Sad.  I knew Dick (Trickle) really well and I just can’t fathom it coming to this.  He is a little older than we were — Rusty (Wallace) and myself and some of the others that are in NASCAR now — that he was part of the influence that helped mold the people and the racers that we were.”

Did you have a chance to say good bye when you last spoke?
“No, I did not.”

Was Dick Trickle a guy that wouldn’t want to be seen feeling down?
“He’s not the kind of guy would be down in front of everyone, but if I know (Dick) Trickle, I would like to think he would like to be recognized for the good — and for the person he was.”

Do you remembering meeting Dick Trickle?
“Well, he was a hero for sure and it was just as thrilling and exciting for me getting to race against him as it was for me the first time I got to race with Richard Petty.”

Had you been in contact with Dick Trickle much in recent years?
“I haven’t been in contact with him since he quit driving in NASCAR much at all unfortunately, and so I’m realty out of touch with what was going on in his life.”

Did some people think he was up in Wisconsin?
“I did know he was here, but I’ve been in Daytona (Beach, Florida), so our paths just have not crossed.”

How should fans remember Dick?
“I’m sure he’d like to be remembered the way all of us that knew him remember him — and that is he was a hell of a hard guy to beat.”