Richie Panch

Richard "Richie" Panch
Panch, circa 1970s
Born	(1954-05-28)May 28, 1954 Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.
Died	September 1, 1985(1985-09-01) (aged 31) near Rion, South Carolina, U.S.
Cause of death	Plane crash
NASCAR Cup Series career
47 races run over 4 years
Best finish	14th – 1974 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
First race	1973 Rebel 500 (Darlington Raceway)
Last race	1976 Dixie 500 (Atlanta International Raceway)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 11 0

Richard Panch (May 28, 1954 – September 1, 1985) was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver from 1973 to 1976. ^[1] He was born in Daytona Beach, Florida, and was the son of NASCAR Cup Series veteran Marvin Panch.

Career

Panch had officially raced a grand total of 9,295 laps - the equivalent of 11,040.9 miles (17,768.6 km) of stock car racing – and had led nine of them. ^[1] His average start was 18th place while his average finish was 23rd place. ^[1] His total earnings were $90,842 USD ($501,968.45 when adjusted for inflation). ^[1]

Death

Panch was killed on September 1, 1985, along with the other three people aboard a Piper PA-28 Cherokee that flew into a squall line and heavy rain near Rion, South Carolina, and came apart in mid-air. ^[2]

References

1. Richie Panch information at Racing Reference
2. planecrashinfo.com Famous People Who Died in Aviation Accidents: 1980s