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CONCORD, N.C. -- There is that lasting image of Dick Trickle in the Winston 500 lighting up a cigarette while driving his stock car with his knees during a caution lap. He places the cigarette through a hole he carved in his helmet for a quick toke and exhales. The green flag hits and out the window goes the cigarette butt and back to racing goes Trickle. "Dick always had a cigarette lighter in his car," said fellow NASCAR driver Geoff Bodine. Trickle was a unique driver with a unique name who found cult-like status before his death Thursday. Trickle, whose larger-than-life personality and penchant for fun won him legions of fans despite a lack of success beyond the nations small tracks, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. He was 71. The Lincoln County Sheriffs Office said authorities received a call believed to be from Trickle, who said "there would be a dead body and it would be his." Authorities tried to call the number back, but no one answered. Trickles body was found near his pickup truck at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Boger City, N.C., about 40 miles northwest of Charlotte. Sheriffs Lieutenant Tim Johnson said foul play was not suspected. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Dick Trickle on his passing today," NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France said. "Dick was a legend in the short-track racing community, particularly in his home state of Wisconsin, and he was a true fan favourite. Personalities like Dick Trickle helped shape our sport. He will be missed." Trickle earned his reputation as a successful short track driver before joining the Winston Cup series and earning rookie of the year in 1989 at age 48. He competed in more than 300 Cup races. Although he never won a Cup race and won only two Busch Series races, Trickle earned cult status in the 1990s. Former ESPN anchor Keith Olbermann would regularly mention where Trickle finished after talking about each NASCAR race. It caught on and drew snickers from race fans around the country. Bodine said there was only one way to describe Trickle, a native of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. "Fun," Bodine said. "Just plain fun." Trickle was never one to be told how to live his life. "Its all just sad," Bodine said in a telephone interview. "We dont understand why he would do this. Hopefully we will all learn why he would do that. There was something that triggered him to take his own life. We are all really saddened by this in the racing community." NASCAR does not keep track of short-track records, but according to the (Milwaukee) Journal-Sentinel, Trickle won more than 1,000 short-track races throughout the country during his prime. He was a seven-time winner in the regional ARTGO Challenge Series in the late 1970s and mid 80s. Trickle also captured the ASA AC-Delco Challenge Series in back-to-back years in 1984-85 before turning to Cup racing. "Dick Trickle was one of the best race drivers of the 80s, no one knew how many races he won," said Humpy Wheeler, the former president of Charlotte Motor Speedway. "He was right there with Red Farmer and other short track drivers -- the wins kind of got so big that they blended into each other. He was a product of the rich Wisconsin soil, where they race eight races a week in the season, and he could win all of them." Wheeler said he asked Trickle to try NASCAR in the 1980s, but Trickle initially declined because he was so successful on the short track circuit. "He could not make enough money then as he could on those Midwest tracks, so he deferred," Wheeler recalled. "For a guy who really won at least 700 races, I could see why. In those days, unless you were a top Cup driver, you couldnt win enough money to overcompensate for that." Trickle eventually did move to NASCAR, settling into Iron Station, N.C., where he lived for more than 20 years. Bodine said Trickle was full of stories and popular because of it. "People everywhere knew his name," Bodine said. "Thats why they used his likeness in that movie Days of Thunder. He was such a character." The main character in that popular niche racing movie, played by Tom Cruise, was named Cole Trickle. Bodine said that a few years ago he had to back out of a celebrity cruise for patients who were on kidney dialysis. He asked Trickle to fill in. "He made such an impression on people on that ship that everyone wanted to know when Dick was coming back," Bodine said. "They loved him. They tell me he was the last man to leave most of the bars on the ship and I believe it." Bodine also recalled inviting Trickle to compete in one of his bobsled events in 2004 at Lake Placid, N.Y. He said Trickle went down the first time and crashed. After being cleared by doctors to continue, Trickle tried again and crashed in the same place. "They were doing interviews with him on TV and he was like, I dont know what happened, I did the exact same thing I did the first time," Bodine said. "And were all looking at him like, Hey Dick, maybe that was the problem."Nike Baseball Jerseys . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. Adidas NHL Jerseys 2020 . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. https://www.cheapmlbjerseysjustwholesale.com/ . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player. Jordan Roland Jersey . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. Soccer Jerseys 2020 . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011.NEW YORK -- Back home again, Kentucky Derby winner Orb is the horse to beat in the Belmont Stakes. Orb was made the 3-1 morning-line favourite in a field of 14 entered for Saturdays final leg of the Triple Crown at Belmont Park, and trainer Shug McGaughey is confident his colt can bounce back from his fourth-place finish behind Oxbow in the Preakness. "Hes been here for three weeks, and I think it has to be a help not only mentally but being familiar with the footing as well," McGaughey said. "Hes done well here and trained well here. ... Im going to strike a line through the Preakness. It wasnt his day. It was (trainer) Wayne Lukas and Oxbow and Gary Stevens day. Were going to regroup and hopefully youll see the right horse here on Saturday." Orb drew the No. 5 post Wednesday, with Oxbow two gates over in No. 7. Revolutionary, one of trainer Todd Pletchers record five entries, is the second choice at 9-2. Oxbow is next at 5-1. "I think Shug has established his horse as the favourite today, and thats right," said Lukas, who has won a record 14 Triple Crown races, including the Belmont four times. "But I think he knows he has to take care of business in getting us out of the way, too." The field for the 1 1/2-mile Belmont is the largest since 1996, when Lukas won the race with Editors Note. "Its a great advantage to be on your home court, where you train your horses," said Lukas, who used to have a Belmont-based stable. "They dont have to ship in and get settled, and then get over the surface. Theyve already been doing that." Orb, under Joel Rosario, navigated his way past 16 rivals in the final half mile of the Derby to win by 2 1/2 lengths. In the Preakness, Orb was unable to find running room outside after breaking from the rail, and Oxbow led wire-to-wire under Gary Stevens. McGaughey is well-versed in what it takes to deal with the Belmont -- one long trip around the spacious oval. "The jockey is really going to have to read the race -- its what separates the top riders from some of those that arent," said McGaughey, who won the Belmont with Easy Goer in 1989 and spoiled Sunday Silences Triple Crown try.dddddddddddd. "If you turn down the backside at Belmont, its not like turning down the backside at Churchill Downs, or Pimlico or the Fair Grounds. "Youve got a long way to go, and big open space through there, and you better be patient. If youre not, its going to get to you." Orb comes into the race with five wins in nine starts for owners Ogden Mills "Dinny" Phipps and Stuart Janney III, while Oxbows Preakness win was just his third win in 11 starts for Calumet Farm. Pletcher is looking for his second Belmont win. He won it in 2007 with the filly Rags to Riches, and Unlimited Budget could make him 2-for-2 with his Belmont fillies if Rosie Napravnik can pull off the upset and become the second female rider to win a Triple Crown race (Julie Krone won the 1993 Belmont with Colonial Affair). "Shes a big, strong, talented filly. From a physical standpoint, she is going to match up well," Pletcher said. "My biggest concern is the mile-and-a-half, with her not as strongly bred as Rags to Riches. But shes trained very well." Pletcher will also send out Overanalyze, Palace Malice and Midnight Taboo. Mike Repole owns Unlimited Budget, Overanalyze and Midnight Taboo. Unlimited Budget, who won her first four starts before running third in the Kentucky Oaks, and Peter Pan winner Freedom Child are co-fourth choices at 8-1. The last Derby-Belmont winner was Thunder Gulch in 1995, and the last Preakness-Belmont winner was Afleet Alex in 2005. The last rematch of the Derby and Preakness winners was in 2011, when Preakness winner Shackleford ran fifth and Derby winner Animal Kingdom sixth behind Ruler On Ice. The field from the rail out is Frac Daddy (Alan Garcia, 30-1), Freedom Child (Luis Saez, 8-1), Overanalyze (John Velazquez, 12-1), Giant Finish (Edgar Prado, 30-1), Orb (Joel Rosario, 3-1), Incognito (Irad Ortiz, Jr., 20-1), Oxbow (Gary Stevens, 5-1), Midnight Taboo (Garrett Gomez, 30-1), Revolutionary (Javier Castellano, 9-2), Will Take Charge (Jon Court, 20-1), Vyjack (Julien Leparoux, 20-1), Palace Malice (Mike Smith, 15-1), Unlimited Budget (Rosie Napravnik, 8-1), and Golden Soul (Robby Albarado, 10-1). ' ' '