(born
2007
James Hylton was born on August 26, 1934 to a
Roanoke ,
Virginia family and was one of thirteen children. Hylton's early years centered primarily around farming but he soon found himself, like many other southern teenagers, immersed in the world of stock car auto racing.
Hylton's career in
Auto Racing began in the late fifties when he began working as a mechanic for the legendary
Rex White . James, Rex and Louis Clements teamed to win 26 races and most importantly the 1960 NASCAR Grand National championship. In 1964, White scaled back his driving duties and James began his tenure as crew chief for the
Ned Jarrett /
Bondy Long team. During the 1964 season the team won 14 races and finished second in points. In 1965, the team won 12 races and won the NASCAR Grand National championship.
On
July 8 ,
1964 , Hylton made his first Grand National start at the
Old Dominion 400 at
Old Dominion Speedway at
Manassas, Virginia . James finished 19th and collected $100 for his efforts. Things improved dramatically in 1966, as Hylton finished second in the points chase and won the coveted NASCAR Rookie of the Year award. James also captured his first pole at
Starlite Speedway in
Monroe, North Carolina . Hylton again finished second in points during the 1967 season while driving Dodges for owner Bud Hartje. James was a model of consistency during this two year period as he had 46 top five finishes in 87 races.
Hylton won the
NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie Of The Year honors in
1966 , and finished second in the season points standings. He won only two races over his career. Although, he didn't win a lot, he was always in the thick of the championship hunt. He finished in the Top 10 in the season points standings in ten of the twelve years between 1966 to 1977.
On
June 24 ,
2006 , Hylton started his first
Busch Series race since
June 27 ,
1982 at the
AT&T 250 held at the
Milwaukee Mile . This made him the oldest driver to start in a 'top level' NASCAR event.
In 1968, James became a car owner / driver, a dual role that continues to this day. James found his way to victory lane for the first time on
March 1 ,
1970 at the
Richmond 500 , driving the familiar number 48 Ford. During the late sixties and early seventies, Hylton amassed an amazing consistency record that was rivaled only by those of Richard Petty and Cale Yarbrough.
On
August 6 ,
1972 , James forever etched his name in the history books by claiming the
Talladega 500 . Hylton led 106 laps of the 188 lap race and won $24,865 for the day. Hylton won by one car length over ARCA legend Ramo Stott.
Hylton continued driving the full schedule until 1982, when he handed over driving duties to Canadian driver
Trevor Boys . James soldiered on as an owner in NASCAR Winston Cup until 1993.
James moved to the ARCA circuit during the 1990s, and ran in 16 of 23 ARCA REMAX Series schedule in 2006. He finished 18th in the final points standings. Hylton completed his final race at the
Iowa Speedway , and finished 37th.
Hylton attempted to make the 2007 Daytona 500 in equipment leased from
Richard Childress Racing , sponsored by
GrahamFest and Retirement Living TV.
[http://www.jayski.com/teams/58.htm Jayski ESPN Hylton said "I am doing this for seniors to show that at 70 years old, you don't have to go hunting for an old-folks home. You can go race for a little bit."
In the final practice session for the .
