| Rick Baldwin | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Richard Allen Baldwin (1955-06-10)June 10, 1955 Corpus Christi,Texas, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | June 12, 1997(1997-06-12) (aged 42) San Antonio,Texas, U.S. | ||||||
| Cause of death | Head injuries from racing accident | ||||||
| NASCARCup Series career | |||||||
| 11 races run over 5 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 64th (1985) | ||||||
| First race | 1981Budweiser NASCAR 400 (Texas World) | ||||||
| Last race | 1986Budweiser 500 (Dover) | ||||||
| |||||||
Richard Allen Baldwin (June 10, 1955 – June 12, 1997) was an American racing driver who competed on theNASCAR circuit. He ran a few races each season between 1983 and 1985, running his self-ownedDodge Mirada andChrysler Imperial.
On June 14, 1986, Baldwin was substituting for the injuredBuddy Arrington at theMiller American 400 atMichigan International Speedway, part of theNASCAR Winston Cup Series. During qualifying, Baldwin spun and hit the wall, driver's side first, between turns one and two, resulting in massive head injuries.[1]
In January 1992, a lawsuit that was filed by Baldwin's wife Deborah, claiming the window net had allowed her husband's head to strike the wall,[1] was decided in favor of NASCAR, which was cleared of negligence by a twelve-person state district court jury.[2]
After eleven years in a coma, Baldwin died two days after his 42nd birthday in 1997. The fatality was the first driver death in the history of Michigan International Speedway. Baldwin had two daughters, Jennifer and Tiffany.[citation needed]
| Preceded by | NASCAR Cup Series 1986 (died in 1997) | Succeeded by |
 | This biographical article related to United States auto racing is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |