Tim Richmond ( June 7 , 1955 – August 13 , 1989 ) was an American race car driver from Ashland , Ohio . He competed in IndyCar racing before transferring to NASCAR 's Winston Cup Series ( now Sprint Cup Series ) . Richmond was one of the first drivers to change from open wheel racing to NASCAR stock cars full @-@ time , which has since become an industry trend . He won the 1980 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award and had 13 victories during eight NASCAR seasons .