Father carries on racing legacy of his late son

I don't know how many people will write about Chris Trickle this week. Maybe too many. Maybe not enough. I wasn't sure I was going to until I talked to his father, Chuck, on Monday afternoon.

It was 10 years ago last month, Feb. 9, 1997, that up-and-coming racer Chris Trickle, the nephew of NASCAR legend Dick Trickle, was shot in the head, late at night, while driving his car to play tennis in his hometown of Las Vegas. Road rage is a possibility. Authorities never found a suspect. The case was never solved. Some ridiculous law in the state of Nevada says the statute of limitations on the crime has expired. Chris Trickle died March 25, 1998. He was alive for more than 400 days after getting shot, but after knowing him before the attack, it is hard to say he truly "lived" those days.

Severe brain damage left Chris completely dependent upon others. He spent months in hospitals and care facilities. Just before Thanksgiving in 1997, Chuck and Barbara Trickle brought their only son home. He received physical and speech therapy several days a week. He was fed through a straw.

Bill Weber

"They told us they were seeing 'something,' something positive," Chuck Trickle told me.

"I love the Packers. Chris was a Dolphins fan. He loved Dan Marino. One day they held up two pictures, one of Brett Favre, one of Dan Marino and asked him which one was Marino. He picked the right one."

Chris Trickle died after being taken to the hospital because of irregular breathing. He was just 25 years old.

His racing career began on two wheels, with all kinds of success. In 1990 he made the turn to pursue his dream, and follow his uncle to what was then the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.

He started slowly -- Hobby Stock, Sportsman Light and Sportsman division. He ran tracks in neighboring California and Arizona. Success didn't come quickly, but by 1994, if Trickle was in the race, he was probably going to finish in the top five.

He worked his way up to the Southwest Tour Series in 1996. He had nine top-10 finishes and won the season finale in November ... at the old Las Vegas Speedway Park. Fellow drivers voted him the most popular driver.

I try to stay away from the cliches, but he was such a nice kid. Just like his dad. It's hard to believe Chris has been gone so long, harder to believe if you are Chuck Trickle.

"We haven't changed a thing in his room," Chuck said Monday. "The pictures are still the same. Everything is the same. We leave the TV on ESPN. He loved sports. All sports.

"Everyone handles something like this differently." (Continued)