Dick Simon Explained

Dick Simon
Nationality: American
Birth Name:Richard Raymond Simon
Birth Date:21 September 1933
Birth Place:Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Module1:
Child:yes
Years:1969–1988
Total Champ Races:183
Years In Champ:20
First Champ Race:1970 Jimmy Bryan 150 (Phoenix)
Last Champ Race:1988 Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix (Nazareth)
Champ Wins:0
Champ Podiums:1
Champ Poles:0

Richard Raymond Simon[1] (born September 21, 1933) is retired American auto racing driver and racing team owner. Simon drove Indy cars in USAC and CART, and made 17 starts at the Indianapolis 500. At the 1988 Indianapolis 500, Simon set a record as the oldest driver in Indy 500 history (54 years, 251 days), a record that was later broken by A. J. Foyt.

Simon was a longtime car owner, founding Dick Simon Racing, helping to begin the Indy car careers of Stéphan Grégoire, Arie Luyendyk, Raul Boesel, Lyn St. James, and many others. Simon had a notable record at the Indy 500. Of the many rookies he entered at Indy over the years, not a single one failed to qualify for the race. Simon never won a race as a driver or as an owner. His best finish as a driver was 3rd at Ontario, and as an owner he had six second-place finishes. Simon had a best finish at the Indianapolis 500 of 6th in 1987 (as a driver), and 4th in 1993 as an owner with Boesel.

Simon sold his race team to Andy Evans who formed Team Scandia in 1997. He returned to Indy car racing in the late 1990s and entered cars in 2000 and 2001.

Early life

Simon was born in Seattle, Washington.[2] His mother developed multiple sclerosis, and died at a relatively young age, while Simon's father later left the family. This forced Simon to take over the upbringing of his younger siblings.

After completing his primary education in Seattle, Simon received a skiing scholarship that enabled him to attend the University of Utah. During his collegiate career he was highly decorated, twice winning the Intermountain Ski Jumping championship, and for three consecutive years winning the Landes Memorial Ski Jump, held in Alta, Utah.

Simon began his racing career in 1962, racing super modifieds. Between 1962 and 1967, he won more than 30 races in the western United States, and in 1965 won the South Lake Valley Racing Association championship.

Championship car career

Simon made his first USAC Championship car appearance at Seattle International Raceway in 1969, failing to qualify for that as well as two other races that season. Simon made his first start in 1970, driving a second-hand Vollstedt chassis at Phoenix International Raceway, where he sidelined by magneto failure after only 4 laps. He made his Indianapolis 500 debut that season and finished 14th position. At Ontario Motor Speedway that September, Simon captured his career-best finish of 3rd place, and he finished 10th in the 1970 USAC National Championship. Simon would continue to be marginally competitive throughout the 1970s, never matching his finishes of the 1970 season.

In 1979, Simon sided with USAC during its split with CART. In being one of the few drivers to complete the USAC schedule, Simon finished 8th in the Championship. In 1980 Simon moved to CART and continued to have little success throughout the 1980s while remaining marginally competitive. In 1982, Simon captured national attention after walking away from a spectacular rollover accident at Riverside, an incident that was later showed on ABC's That's Incredible!.[3] He logged his best CART season in 1987 when he made 11 starts and logged two top-tens including a 6th place at the Indy 500, good enough for 20th in the CART championship. A partial season in 1988 where Simon logged a solid 9th-place finish in the Indy 500 was his last as a driver.

Simon's driving career includes 183 starts (115 in USAC, 78 in CART) over 19 seasons spanning from 1970 to 1988. Among those starts are 17 Indianapolis 500 appearances. He completed 1,954 laps in the Indianapolis 500 without leading any, the second highest such total ever.

Team ownership

See main article: article and Dick Simon Racing. Dick Simon fielded his own race team beginning in 1983 and shortly thereafter began fielding cars for pay drivers, Dick Simon Racing being one of the most competitive teams offering race seats to such drivers almost always fielded current-year March and Lola chassis and had a competitive engine package. Simon himself retired from driving in 1988, one of the motivations being his difficulty in finding sponsors for himself as opposed to younger, up and coming drivers, saying in later that sponsors did not "want to sponsor somebody’s hobby, and that’s what they consider when an owner’s out there racing.”[4] In 1989 the team fielded two fully funded drivers in Scott Brayton and Arie Luyendyk as the team moved towards the front of the pack. Simon fielded a car in the 1992 Indianapolis 500 for Lyn St. James who became the second woman to drive in the race. Raul Boesel finished 5th in points with three runner-up finishes in 1993, the team's best season result.

At 61 years old, Simon stepped behind the wheel of Davy Jones' car for shakedowns ahead of the 1995 Indianapolis 500, as Jones was in California for a NASCAR event. Overall, team had a difficult 1995 and Simon sold the team to Andy Evans who turned it into Team Scandia. Simon returned to ownership in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series in 1999 but saw little success. The team was shut down after the team's driver Stéphan Grégoire failed to qualify for the 2001 Indianapolis 500.

Personal life

Simon was an adventurist and enthusiast. He was an experienced skier, scuba diver, registered pilot, sky diver, and parachutist. He was a national champion parachute jumper, and made over 1,600 jumps during the 1960s. In 1970, he left a desk job at an insurance company to pursue a career in auto racing. Simon is married to Dianne. Simon was once questioned by the FBI under the suspicion of being the airplane hijacker D. B. Cooper. He proved that he was discussing sponsorship with the president of General Foods in Upstate New York on the date of the hijack.[5] [6] [7]

Motorsports career results

American open-wheel racing

(key) (

Races in bold indicate pole position)

USAC Championship Car

USAC Championship Car results
YearTeamChassisEngine123456789101112131415161718192021222324Pts
1969Vollstedt EnterprisesVollstedt 67PHXHANINDYMILLANPPRCDRNAZTREIRPIRPMILISFDOVDSFINFBRNBRNTRESACSIR
DNS		SIRRSD
DNS		NA-
PHX
DNQ
1970Racing InternationalVollstedt 67PHX
24		TRE
9		INDY
14		MIL
11		LAN
9		MCH
19		IRP
13		ISFMILONT
3		DSFINFSEDTRE
DNQ		PHX
9		10th1080
John GreggVollstedt 65SON
6
Dayton-WaltherMorris 70Ford 159ci V8tCDR
11
Ron BurkeMoore 65 DOffy 252 ciSAC
DNQ
1971Dick Simon RacingFord 159ci V8tRAF
13		RAF
6		PHX
12		POC
17		MCH
15		MILTRE
25		PHX
7		20th405
Vollstedt 67TRE
7		INDY
14		MIL
9
ONT
22
1972Dick Simon RacingFord 159ci V8tPHX
18		TRE
14		INDY
13		MIL
9		MCH
7		POC
16		TRE
16		23rd200
Foyt 159ci V8tMIL
12		ONT
Eagle 72PHX
14
1973Dick Simon RacingEagle 72Foyt 159ci V8tTWS
6		TRE
10		TRE
7		INDY
14		MIL
17		POC
12		MIL
22		ONTONT
11		ONT
22		MCHMCHTRE
23		20th440
Eisenhour-Brayton Racing TeamCoyote 72MCH
17
Patrick RacingEagle 73Ford 159ci V8tTWS
21		PHX
8
1974Dick Simon RacingEagle 72Foyt 159ci V8tONT
8		ONTONT
28		PHX
13		TREINDY
33		MIL
4		POC
29		MCH
21		PHX
15		21st270
Vollstedt EnterprisesVollstedt 73MIL
11		MCHTRETRE
1975Dick Simon RacingEagle 72Foyt 159ci V8tONTONT
13		ONT
24		PHX
14		TRE
8		INDY
21		MIL
13		POC
23		MCH
9		MIL
17		MCH
15		TRE
11		PHX
13		22nd220
1976Vollstedt EnterprisesVollstedt 72/75PHX
7		21st330
Dick Simon RacingEagle 72Foyt 159ci V8tTRE
16		MIL
14
Vollstedt EnterprisesVollstedt 73/76INDY
32		POC
10		MCH
19		TWSTRE
13		MIL
16		ONT
30		MCH
21		TWSPHX
7
1977Vollstedt EnterprisesVollstedt 73/76ONT
6		PHX
7		TWSTREMIL
13		MIL
9		24th360
Vollstedt 77INDY
31		POC
16		MOSMCH
19		TWS
14		ONT
33		MCH
Lightning Mk1/76PHX
11
1978Vollstedt EnterprisesVollstedt 77PHX
4		ONT
6		TWSTREINDY
19		MOSPOC
30		MCH
13		ATL
18		TWS
6		MIL
21		ONT
14		MCHSIL
12		BRH
7		PHX
22		18th670
Vollstedt 73/76MIL
18		TRE
DNQ
1979Vollstedt EnterprisesVollstedt 77ONT
7		TWSINDY
26		MIL
13		POC
5		TWS
7		MIL
17		8th766
1980Vollstedt EnterprisesVollstedt 77ONTINDY
22		MIL
13		POC
21		MDO
DNQ		38th38
1981-82Leader Card RacersWatson PC7Cosworth DFX V8tINDY
DNQ		POC
20		ISFDSFINFINDY
DNQ		40th20
1982-83Dick Simon RacingCosworth DFX V8tISFDSFNAZINDY
15		23rd25
1983-84Dick Simon RacingCosworth DFX V8tDSFINDY
23		26th15

PPG Indy Car World Series

PPG Indy Car World Series results
YearTeamChassisEngine1234567891011121314151617PtsRef
1979Vollstedt EnterprisesVollstedt 77PHXATLATLINDY
26		TRETREMCHMCHWGLTREONTMCHATLPHXNC0[8]
1980Vollstedt EnterprisesVollstedt 77ONTINDY
22		MIL
13		POC
21		MDO
DNS		MCH
18		WGL
17		MIL
7		ONT
37		MCHMEX
23		PHX
25		31st185[9]
1981Leader Card RacersWatson PC7Cosworth DFX V8tPHX
10		MIL
7		ATLATLMCH
31		RIV
6		WGL
11		MEX
25		PHX
20		16th38[10]
Watson 78MIL
22		MCH
25
1982Leader Card RacersWatson PC7Cosworth DFX V8tPHX
DNQ		ATL
DNS		MIL
19		CLE
17		MCH
21		MIL
15		POC
22		RIV
7		ROA25th26[11]
Watson 82CMCH
13		PHX
19
1983Dick Simon RacingCosworth DFX V8tATL
DNQ		INDY
15		MIL
11		CLEMCH
14		MCH
19		CPL
14		LAGPHX
23		29th2[12]
Eagle 83ROA
13		POCRIV
25		MDO
15
1984Dick Simon RacingCosworth DFX V8tLBH
19		PHX
4		INDY
23		MIL
13		POR
20		MEA
24		CLE
DNQ		MCH
12		ROA
15		POC
12		MDO
24		SAN
12		MCH
15		PHX
21		LAG
14		CPL
DNQ		26th15[13]
1985Dick Simon RacingCosworth DFX V8tLBHINDY
26		MIL
13		PORMEA
17		CLEMCH
25		ROAPOC
10		MDOSAN
17		MCH
19		LAGPHX
DNQ		MIA37th3[14]
1986Dick Simon RacingCosworth DFX V8tPHXLBHINDY
14		MILPORMEACLE
22		TORMCHPOC
23		MDOSAN
20		MCHROALAGPHXMIANC0[15]
1987Dick Simon RacingCosworth DFX V8tLBH
20		PHX
10		INDY
6		MIL
20		POR
18		MEA
14		CLE
23		TOR
23		MCH
9		POC
21		ROAMDONAZ
18		LAGMIA21st15[16]
1988Dick Simon RacingCosworth DFX V8tPHX
19		LBHPOC
19		MDOROA24th11[17]
INDY
9		MIL
12		PORCLETORMEAMCH
7		NAZ
20		LAGMIA
Indianapolis 500
YearChassisEngineStartFinishTeam
1970VollstedtFord31align=center style="background:#CFCFFF;"14Racing International
1971VollstedtFord33align=center style="background:#CFCFFF;"14Dick Simon Racing
1972Ford23align=center style="background:#CFCFFF;"13Dick Simon Racing
1973EagleFoyt27align=center style="background:#EFCFFF;"14Dick Simon Racing
1974EagleFoyt10align=center style="background:#EFCFFF;"33Dick Simon Racing
1975EagleFoyt30align=center style="background:#CFCFFF;"21Dick Simon Racing
1976VollstedtOffenhauser16align=center style="background:#EFCFFF;"32Vollstedt Enterprises
1977VollstedtOffenhauser30align=center style="background:#EFCFFF;"31Vollstedt Enterprises
1978VollstedtOffenhauser10align=center style="background:#EFCFFF;"19Vollstedt Enterprises
1979VollstedtOffenhauser20align=center style="background:#EFCFFF;"26Vollstedt Enterprises
1980VollstedtOffenhauser29align=center style="background:#EFCFFF;"22Vollstedt Enterprises
1981WatsonCosworthalign=center colspan=2 style="background:#FFCFCF;"DNQLeader Card Racers
1982WatsonCosworthalign=center colspan=2 style="background:#FFCFCF;"DNQLeader Card Racers
1983Cosworth20align=center style="background:#CFCFFF;"15
1984Cosworth20align=center style="background:#CFCFFF;"23
1985MarchCosworth14align=center style="background:#EFCFFF;"26
1986LolaCosworth33align=center style="background:#CFCFFF;"14
1987LolaCosworth6align=center style="background:#CFEAFF;"6
1988LolaCosworth16align=center style="background:#CFEAFF;"9

NASCAR

(key) (

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

Winston Cup Series

NASCAR Winston Cup Series results
YearTeamNo.Make123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930PtsRef
1973Faustina Racing5DodgeRSDDAYRCHCARBRIATLNWSDARMARTAL
7		NSVCLTDOVTWSRSDMCHDAY
35		BRIATLTALNSVDARRCHDOVNWSMARCLTCARNA0[18]
1974RSDDAY
31		RCHCARBRIATLDARNWSMARTALNSVDOVCLTRSDMCHDAYBRINSVATLPOCTALMCHDARRCHDOVNWSMARCLTCARONTNA0[19]
Daytona 500

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dick Simon . 2023-05-18 . www.champcarstats.com.
  2. Hungness . Carl . Driver Biographies. Indianapolis 500 Yearbook . Speedway, IN . Carl Hungness & Associates . 1973 . 1 . 139.
  3. Web site: 1984-05-26 . AUTO RACING DICK SIMON IS A SURVIVOR . 2023-09-14 . The Morning Call . en-US.
  4. Web site: Indy Vet Simon, 61, Turns First Practice Lap The Spokesman-Review . 2023-05-18 . www.spokesman.com.
  5. The Talk of Gasoline Alley. Donald Davidson (historian). 1070 WIBC-AM. May 19, 2006.
  6. News: Simon's Stress. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221655/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1994-05-27/sports/9405260801_1_dick-simon-sixth-driver-fbi. dead. March 3, 2016. Sun Sentinel. Brian. Schmitz. May 27, 1994. May 6, 2015.
  7. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221655/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1994-05-27/sports/9405260801_1_dick-simon-sixth-driver-fbi Simon's Stress
  8. Web site: Dick Simon – 1979 CART Results. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. August 16, 2023.
  9. Web site: Dick Simon – 1980 CART Results. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. August 16, 2023.
  10. Web site: Dick Simon – 1981 CART Results. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. August 16, 2023.
  11. Web site: Dick Simon – 1982 CART Results. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. August 16, 2023.
  12. Web site: Dick Simon – 1983 CART Results. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. August 16, 2023.
  13. Web site: Dick Simon – 1984 CART Results. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. August 16, 2023.
  14. Web site: Dick Simon – 1985 CART Results. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. August 16, 2023.
  15. Web site: Dick Simon – 1986 CART Results. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. August 16, 2023.
  16. Web site: Dick Simon – 1987 CART Results. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. August 16, 2023.
  17. Web site: Dick Simon – 1988 CART Results. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. August 16, 2023.
  18. Web site: Dick Simon – 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. August 16, 2023.
  19. Web site: Dick Simon – 1974 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. August 16, 2023.

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