Legendary Arizona racer dies at 86
Legendary racer Carl Trimmer, the winningest stock car driver in Arizona history and six-time Dirt Late Model state champion over a career spanning more than 50 years, died early Saturday morning after suffering a cerebral aneurysm, his son Rick Trimmer reported. The Tucson native was 86. | Slideshow
Over a 50-year career, Trimmer won more than 800 feature races on dirt and asphalt, including the 1988 Western World Championship at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, a Dirt Late Model event he started 11 times and finished on the podium more than half the time.
His son lauded his father’s “genuine personality and stark honesty” in noting his passing in the Manzanita Speedway History Facebook group.
Trimmer, whose day job was cement truck driver, won 20 points championships over a 21-year stretch, including 10 NASCAR Sunbelt Region titles on dirt and asphalt.
Among other Dirt Late Model victories, the driver of the No. 74 captured 1983’s Rincon Optimist Classic in Tucson and 1990’s Snowbird Classic at Manzanita.
Trimmer’s wife Lola died in 2020. A complete list of survivors wasn’t available.