Richard Panch (May 28, 1954 – September 1, 1985) was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver from 1973 to 1976. 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.2 His average start was 18th place while his average finish was 23rd place.3 His total earnings were $90,842 USD ($501,968.45 when adjusted for inflation).4
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.5
References
Richie Panch information at Racing Reference http://www.racing-reference.info/driver/panchri01 ↩
Richie Panch information at Racing Reference http://www.racing-reference.info/driver/panchri01 ↩
Richie Panch information at Racing Reference http://www.racing-reference.info/driver/panchri01 ↩
Richie Panch information at Racing Reference http://www.racing-reference.info/driver/panchri01 ↩
planecrashinfo.com Famous People Who Died in Aviation Accidents: 1980s http://www.planecrashinfo.com/famous1980s.htm ↩