Rich Bickle

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Richard Bickle, Jr. (born May 13, 1961) is an American professional stock car racing driver.

Bickle, who has never completed a full season in the NASCAR Cup Series, has a long history of short track racing.

In 2012, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel described him as a "stud on the short track in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as well as a journeyman who never got a break in NASCAR." In 218 NASCAR starts, he won three NASCAR truck races and finished fourth in the NASCAR Winston Cup (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series).

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Early career

As a child, Bickle was introduced to the sport by his father, Rich Sr., who raced around Wisconsin. At the age of five, the younger Bickles started racing motocross. When winning the 250cc championship on Sunday nights when he was 16, he rode stock cars at Jefferson Speedway on Saturday nights in 1977. He went back to his barn to pick out one of his father's old race cars and selected a beat-up 1968 Pontiac GTO. "It was so beat up you couldn't even remember what it was." Bickle first rode a 1974 Pontiac as a sportsman at Jefferson for the second half of the 1977 season and the complete 1978 season. Bickle began racing motorcycles after graduating in 1979. That year, he built a 1972 Ford Torino with a 302 cubic inch motor that he started using at mid-season. In the car's first night out, he rode the bike to victory a heat and a semi-feature at Columbus 151 Speedway, and it was a success at Lake Geneva Raceway and Rockford Speedway. He modified the rear clip on the car to make it more suitable for Rockford before deciding to sell the vehicle and build a new one. He competed at Rockford, Lake Geneva, and Capital Speedway (now Madison International Speedway), winning 23 semi-features, the most in the United States, in 1980. At Lake Geneva and Rockford, he was named Sportsman Rookie of the Year.

In 1981, Bickle converted his Rockford car into a late model, racing it to a top-five finish at Lake Geneva and ninth position at Capital. He rode the car at Slinger Super Speedway and selected ARTGO races. At Lake Geneva, he captured his first late model feature of the season. He began racing in between 90 and 100 races as he could within 300 miles of his house in 1982, and by the end of the season, he had participated in between 90 and 100 events. At Wisconsin Dells Speedway (now Dells Raceway Park), he had won a few features and had a record of a record-breaking time. Wayne Erickson, track owner Wayne Erickson, announced that he would win the 1983 track championship at the off-season banquet for Slinger Super Speedway. Bickle concentrated on winning the track championship in the first year, and he finished in the top five in 17 of 18 features that season to win the track championship. He competed primarily at Slinger, Wisconsin International Raceway (WIR), and Capital in 1984. Despite being a regular competitor at Capital for many seasons, Bickle won his first half-mile feature at WIR.

Bickle converted his car, hauler, generator, and equipment for 1985 with a new sponsor. He won the track championship in the season opener at Capital and several other shows later this season. He had a good season with WIR and ran well in the ARTGO championships where he competed. He took the points championship at Capital Speedway in 1986. He had 17 feature wins this season, and he did a good job at Slinger, WIR, and Wisconsin Dells. He competed at several Wisconsin tracks in 1987. In 1987, he won a $15,000-to-win tournament in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Butch Miller, who had led the race, came to a pit stop with 60 laps remaining, and Bickle and Ted Musgrave took the lead. With 46 laps remaining, the race was declared over, with Bickle winning the championship.

He had competed at various short tracks, including Lake Geneva Raceway, Wisconsin International Raceway, and Slinger Super Speedway's late model track championships in 1983 and 1989. Bickle has won the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway a record five times: 1990, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, and 1999.

Career after NASCAR

Bickle performs at special events at his home tracks in Wisconsin. Bickle and his father, who have tentatively identified Rock County Flatheads and Fabrication, intend to start an auto fabrication shop in Edgerton, as of 2007. Bickle had a custom built car at his racing store in Mooresville. He began focusing on being a businessman and by 2012, he had three successful companies. He owned a hot rod store in Janesville, Wisconsin, a bar in Madison, Wisconsin, and a drive-shaft business in Madison. Bickle is co-owner of a tumultuous strip joint in Bristol, WI.

Bickle built a new chassis that he raced from 2005 to 2010. He was dissatisfied with the car's results and returned one of his early 2000s cars to Rockford Speedway for the 2011 National Short Track Championship. Bickle was the second fastest in practice and was ranked in the top five during the event. Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth finished third in 2012, third in third place in the Slinger Nationals. He fought his way up to the lead just after halfway after being sent to the back of the field for early-race contact. For the second time in the 2012 season, Bickle took the National Short Track Championship championship at Rockford Speedway for the second time.

Bickle revealed that 2013 would be his last season of racing stock cars, as he competed for the full season in the ARCA Midwest Tour, winning his fourth Slinger Nationals after the obvious winner, Steve Apel, was disqualified. In the middle of the 2013 National Short Track Championship Championships, Bickle vied for the lead and ended up finishing fourth. He ended his career on the following weekend, finishing 22nd at the Oktoberfest 100 ARCA Midwest Tour race at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway in October 6, 2013. In 2015, he came out of retirement - racing at the Slinger Nationals, Madison, and several races at Wisconsin International Raceway. He was inducted in the Southeastern Wisconsin Short Track Hall of Fame in 2015, citing his two Slinger track championships and four Slinger Nationals victories. Bickle is the subject of a 2019 book Barnyard to Brickyard - The Rich Bickle Bickle Story - and he's confirmed a book signing tour of Wisconsin race tracks in July 2019. Bickle continued to race super lates after the signing tour, and he confirmed in 2020 that the 2021 Snowball Derby would be his last contest.

In January, Bickle started riding a snowmobile in Eagle River, Wisconsin, in 2021. At the Vintage World Championship Snowmobile Derby, he took the Outlaw 600 class feature. Bickle will compete in the 2021 ARCA Menards season opener at Daytona for Empire Racing after several years away from a major racing series. Bickle won the annual Joe Shear Classic ARCA Midwest Tour race at Madison International Speedway on May 2, 2021. In early September, he won the Jim Sauter Classic ARCA Midwest race at Dells Raceway Park. At Slinger, he was aiming for the weekly Super Late Model season track championship; on the night, he won the final race and finished second, second to Luke Fenhaus for the championship. In an interview, he said he had competed at 226 race tracks at the time. In early December, Bickle made his last appearance at the 2021 Snowball Derby, making him his last appearance at the sport.

Motorsports career results

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

(Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. (Most laps lead) – Most laps led.)

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