James Hylton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James Hylton
Hylton at Iowa Speedway in 2006
Born	James Harvey Hylton (1934-08-26)August 26, 1934 Roanoke, Virginia, U.S.
Died	April 28, 2018(2018-04-28) (aged 83) Franklin County, Georgia, U.S.
Awards	1966 Grand National Series Rookie of the Year Highest rookie point finish in NASCAR Cup Series history.
NASCAR Cup Series career
602 races run over 27 years
Best finish	2nd (1966, 1967, 1971)
First race	1964 Old Dominion 400 (Manassas)
Last race	1993 TranSouth 500 (Darlington)
First win	1970 Richmond 500 (Richmond)
Last win	1972 Talladega 500 (Talladega)
Wins Top tens Poles 2 301 4
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
4 races run over 4 years
2011 position	139th
Best finish	135th (2008)
First race	1982 Coca-Cola 200 (Rockingham)
Last race	2011 Royal Purple 200 (Darlington)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career
1 race run over 1 year
2011 position	102nd
Best finish	102nd (2011)
First race	2011 Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125 (Pocono)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0

James Harvey Hylton (born August 26, 1934 – died April 28, 2018) was an American stock car driver. He won two races in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. He also competed for a long time in the ARCA Racing Series. Hylton finished second in points in NASCAR's top series three times. He holds the record for the highest points finish by a rookie driver.

Even though Hylton only won two races at the Cup level, he had 140 top-5 finishes. He also had 301 top-10 finishes in 601 races. Hylton was often close to winning the championship in the 1960s and 1970s. He finished second in points in 1966, 1967, and 1971. Hylton also holds a record as the oldest driver to finish a race in NASCAR's top three series. He did this at Daytona in the Xfinity Series in 2008 when he was 73 years old.

Early Life

James Hylton was born on August 26, 1934. He grew up on a family farm in Roanoke, Virginia. He was one of thirteen children in his family. James spent his early years mostly helping with farming. But soon, he became very interested in stock car racing.

Racing Career

Hylton started his auto racing career in the late 1950s. He began working as a mechanic for another driver named Rex White. Hylton, White, and Louis Clements worked together. They won 26 races and the 1960 NASCAR Grand National championship.

In 1964, Rex White started driving less. Hylton then became the crew chief for the team of Ned Jarrett and Bondy Long. That year, their team won 14 races. They finished second in the points standings. In 1965, the team won 12 races and the NASCAR Grand National championship.

On July 8, 1964, Hylton raced in his first Grand National event. It was the Old Dominion 400 at Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Virginia. He finished 19th and earned $100. Things got much better in 1966. Hylton finished second in the points race. He also won the series' NASCAR Rookie of the Year award. Hylton also got his first pole position at Starlite Speedway in Monroe, North Carolina. A pole position means starting the race from the very front.

Hylton finished second in points again in 1967. He was driving Dodges for team owner Bud Hartje. Hylton was very consistent during these two years. He had 46 top-5 finishes in 87 races. He finished second to Richard Petty in 1967. Petty won 27 races that year, but Hylton had no wins.

Hylton won the NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year award in 1966. He finished second in the season points standings. He was 1,950 points behind David Pearson. Hylton only won two races in his career. But he was always a strong contender for the championship. He finished in the top 10 in points in ten of the twelve years between 1966 and 1977.

In the 1972 Talladega 500, Hylton won in a surprising way. The tire company Goodyear gave teams special tires for fast tracks called superspeedways. But these new tires would break apart after driving long distances. Hylton's team could not afford the new tires. So, they used the older ones. Hylton and Ramo Stott, another driver with less money, drove carefully around the other cars. Hylton won the race by less than a second.

Driver and Owner

In 1968, Hylton started doing two jobs. He became both a car owner and a driver. He continued in this dual role for many years. He won his first race on March 1, 1970. This was at the Richmond 500. He was driving his famous number 48 Ford. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Hylton was incredibly consistent. Only Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough were as consistent as he was.

On August 6, 1972, Hylton made history. He won the Talladega 500. Hylton led the race for 106 out of 188 laps. He won $24,865 that day. Hylton won by just one car length over ARCA legend Ramo Stott.

Hylton kept driving a full schedule until 1982. Then, he let Canadian driver Trevor Boys take over driving duties. He continued as a team owner in the NASCAR Winston Cup until 1993.

ARCA Racing Series

Hylton teaching Jim Lamoreaux how to race at Daytona in 1999

Hylton moved to the ARCA Racing Series in the 1990s. In 2006, he raced in 16 of the 23 ARCA REMAX Series events. He finished 18th in the final points standings. Hylton had planned for his last race to be at the first race at Iowa Speedway. However, he returned to compete there more times later on.

Comeback Attempts

Hylton tried to make a comeback in 2004. He tried to qualify for two races in the Craftsman Truck Series. He raced for Welz Racing and Ron Rhodes Racing.

On June 24, 2006, Hylton started his first Busch Series race. It was since June 27, 1982, at the AT&T 250 in Milwaukee Mile. This made him the oldest driver to start in a "top level" NASCAR event.

Hylton tried to qualify for the 2007 Daytona 500. He used equipment from Richard Childress Racing. Hylton said he was doing it to show that older people can still be active. He wanted 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 last practice for the 2007 Daytona 500, he had the 15th fastest time. He was in a good position to qualify for the race. But a problem with his clutch caused him to fall out of the "draft" (a way cars save fuel and go faster by driving close together). He did not qualify for the race.

At 74 years old, Hylton returned to Daytona in 2009. He tried to qualify for the 2009 Daytona 500. Hylton teamed up with E&M Motorsports. But problems with the car's carburetor meant he couldn't complete a timed lap. NASCAR rules say you must make a timed lap to qualify. So, Hylton and his team had to withdraw from the race.

Hylton planned to try and qualify for the 2010 Daytona 500, but it didn't happen. In 2011, Hylton set a record at the 2011 Royal Purple 200 in Darlington. He became the oldest driver in history to start a NASCAR race in the top three divisions. He was 76 years old. At the start of the 2013 season, Hylton said it would be his last. In his final race at Kansas Speedway in October, other ARCA teams helped him. They gave him a brand-new car and engine. He finished 18th in his very last race.

Team Ownership After Retirement

Hylton said that after he stopped driving, he would still be involved in the ARCA Racing Series. He planned to own a team and hire a younger driver for his No. 48 car. Sean Corr drove the car in 2014, along with other drivers. Corr returned to Daytona in 2015. Brad Smith was supposed to drive for the full season. But an injury at Talladega forced him out. James Swanson then took over as the team switched to Dodge cars.

Death

On April 28, 2018, James Hylton died in a traffic accident. His son, James Hylton Jr., also died in the accident. The team's crew chief, Terry Strange, survived with serious injuries. They were driving home from an ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway. The accident happened on Interstate 85 near Carnesville, Georgia.

Images for kids

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  Hylton's 2013 ARCA car at Road America