Cycle News Staff | September 5, 2012
Three-time U.S. Speedway Champion Rick Woods passed away at his home on September 1 at the age of 64. Although he had battled cancer in the past, no cause of death has been given, pending an autopsy.
“We’re still in shock,” Rick’s brother Gene Woods told SpeedwayBikes.com. “We had no clue this would happen.”
Gene Woods had organized a benefit auction when his older brother Rick was diagnosed with cancer back in 2007, but it was perceived that his cancer treatment had been successful.
Rick Woods is generally considered to be American speedway racing’s first superstar and he helped put speedway racing on the map, paving the way for the likes of Mike and Steve Bast, “Wild” Bill Cody and Bruce Penhall.
