An elderly white-haired man chewing on an unlit cigar in any given garage area was trademark James Hylton. Whether in conversation with armies of friends or quietly turning wrenches on his race cars, his easy smile, soft-spoken demeanor and unwavering desire to race totally defined him.
News of his sudden passing circulated through Talladega Superspeedway’s garage area Saturday morning and created a stunning feeling of numbness. The highway accident that took his life hours earlier seemed hard to believe, especially since it involved someone that was a cornerstone of the sport for over six decades.
The crash that occurred at 6:10 a.m. at exit 164 on Interstate 85 near Carnesville, Ga. also took the life of son James Harvey Hilton, Jr., a longtime crew chief with Hylton Motorsports. Crew member Terry Strange was driving the truck at the time of the fatal accident and is in serious condition in a Greenville, S.C. hospital. The three men had to be extricated from the GMC truck, which was pulling a white box trailer carrying a racecar and other equipment, the authorities said.
It is believed Hylton Sr. may have suffered a heart attack or some type of medical emergency, causing Strange to briefly attend to him and lose control of the truck and trailer. In the blink of an eye, they had crashed hard into a ravine in the median area with the north and south bound lanes. Sadly, both father and son died at the scene of the crash en route to Hylton Motorsports in Inman, S.C. As of this writing, information is still being processed by the Georgia Highway Patrol.
Several NASCAR stars tweeted condolences to the Hylton family, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Darrell Waltrip on Aril 28th.
Waltrip wrote: My heart hurts this afternoon, James Harvey Hylton one of my early hero’s and his son were killed today in a car crash, James was #48, that was my number in the late model sportsman series, tried to get him to change his number, he wouldn’t, we became great friends after that!
Earnhardt followed by saying: “Thoughts and prayers out to Hylton family and friends. James was a legend. He enjoyed his time in stock car racing and saw the sport evolve and grow over the many decades that he was involved.”
The native of Virginia started his NASCAR career in 1964 and rose to second in the points standings in 1966, 1967 and 1971, twice behind seven-time champion Richard Petty and once behind three-time champion David Pearson. Hylton’s victories came at Richmond in 1970 and Talladega in 1972. In all, the good-natured driver and team owner amassed up 140 top-five finishes and 301 top-10s in the Cup series. Amazingly, he also attempted 21 Daytona 500s between 1966 and 2007, finishing as high as third in 1967.
His last official Cup start came on March 28, 1993 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. He raced full time in the ARCA Series between 2009 and 2013, starting 175 races in that division as a driver and made his final start there at the age of 78 in 2013. As an owner, he fielded a car in 638 Cup and 413 ARCA events with driver Kirk Shelmerdine (former crew chief for Dale Earnhardt) earning the team its lone ARCA win on Oct. 9, 2003 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
A joint statement from NASCAR and ARCA said: “Racing competitively in parts of six decades, James Hylton’s dedication, passion and longevity in motorsports is virtually unmatched. Hylton won the rookie of the year at NASCAR’s highest level, the 1972 race at Talladega Superspeedway and regularly contended for championships during the early years of his career. His racing influence continued into the ARCA series, where he competed as a driver and, most recently, a car owner. We have lost a truly special member of the racing family and a beloved figure among generations of competitors and race fans alike. We extend our deepest condolences to the Hylton family on the tragic loss of James Hylton and his son James Jr.”
Bobby Allison, NASCAR’s 1983 Winston Cup champion and winner of 85 races, battled Hylton for track position for over 20 years and remembered him as a dedicated competitor.
“James was a really neat guy,” Allison said. “He dragged his race cars all over the country and transformed from a really good mechanic for 1960 NASCAR champion Rex White into a really good driver. He was happy doing what he was doing and was an incredible person to be around. (Laughter) I don’t know why he had the cigars because he never smoked them. He dedicated his whole life to racing and truly helped NASCAR become what it is today.”
At such a difficult time, their families will continue to be in the prayers of fans and competitors alike.
Ben White is a motorsports columnist for The Dispatch.
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