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Apr 15, 2020 · Posted 1:00PM on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. Mike Rich watches from the pits during a NASCAR Cup Series race. Rich served as the rear tire changer for the Melling Racing team from 1988 through 1990. He lost his life in a pit road accident at Atlanta Motor Speedway in November of 1990.
- Bill Elliott’s NASCAR Team Involved in 1987 Pit Road Accident
- Bill Elliott Team Involved in Fatal Accident
- NASCAR Implements Pit Road Changes Following Death
Near the end of the 1987 NASCAR Cup Series season on the road course at Riverside, Bill Elliott’s crew was in the middle of a pit stop when Michael Waltrip and Jim Robinson made contact on pit road. Waltrip’s car slid into Elliott’s car, knocking it off the jack and injuring three pit crew members. Chuck Hill suffered massive injuries after the car...
During the 1988 season, Mike Rich was the right rear tire changer for a Bill Elliott team that won six times and, more impressively, captured the season series championship. In 1989, Elliott endured injuries early in the season but still managed to finish sixth in the points. In 1990, the team had 12 top-five finishes, but victory remained elusive ...
Tommy Cole, Bill Elliott’s jack man, was hit and sent flying. He suffered a broken arm and spent the night in the hospital. Mike Rich, however, never had a chance. He was pinned between the two cars and suffered head and chest injuries. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital and underwent surgery but died hours later. Rich’s death was a wake-up call...
- Senior Writer, Specialty Producer-Motorsports
Each of them were honored to work alongside NASCAR legends George, Ernie, Dan and Bill Elliott and contributed to their storied dynasty. One of those was Mike Rich, a rear tire changer that lost his life in a pit road accident during the season finale at Atlanta International Raceway on Nov. 18, 1990.
Nov 19, 1990 · HAMPTON, Ga. — Pit road, frenetic and heavily trafficked, claimed a member of Bill Elliott’s racing team Sunday. Mike Rich, 32, a construction worker from Blairsville, Ga., died of a heart...
Mar 1, 1991 · Mar 1, 1991 Updated Jan 26, 2015. Three and a half months after their fellow pit crewman Mike Rich lost his life at Atlanta, the members of Bill Elliott's team strode one by one to the stage of a ...
Nov 18, 1990 · Crew member Mike Rich died Sunday night in an Atlanta hospital from injuries sustained in an accident on pit road during the Atlanta Journal 500. Rich, a tire-changer for the Bill Elliott race...
Oct 18, 2005 · Published Nov. 20, 1990 | Updated Oct. 17, 2005. Services were scheduled today for Mike Rich, a member of Bill Elliott's crew who was killed in a pit-stop accident during Sunday's Atlanta...
