"Oldest NASCAR Driver" James Hylton Calls It Quits At 79 - October 4, 2013

October 4, 2013

(Photo; dodgecharger.com)

The oldest driver to race in each of NASCAR's three highest divisions, Hylton called it a career at Kansas Speedway after an ARCA race. The Cup rookie of the year in 1966, Hylton spent the last several years of his career racing in the ARCA series.

Hylton's friends put together a car they believed could compete at Kansas, and it even sported a gold paint scheme that honors the early years of his racing career. Hylton finished 18th.

"I'm retiring at the end of the day, but my heart is wanting to keep going," he said. "But it's a done deal. I won't be back as a driver."

Born on his family's farm in Virginia in 1934, Hylton's family had to work hard to make ends meet during the Depression. Hylton remembers toiling in the fields all day to help out.

He started driving in his father's Ford Model T, his brother taught him how to work the pedals. And from that humble beginning, Hylton embarked on a winding career in motor sports. He served as a mechanic for Rex White and then as crew chief for Ned Jarrett in the early days of NASCAR, then got back behind the wheel and placed second in the Cup standings in 1966.

Hylton also finished second in points to Richard Petty in 1967 and 1971, and won twice in more than 600 Cup starts, at Richmond in 1970 and Talladega in 1972. In all, the good-natured Hylton racked up 140 top-five finishes and 321 top-10s in the Cup series.

On April 28, 2018, James, his son James "Tweet" Hylton Jr., and the team's crew chief Terry Strange were driving home from the ARCA race at Talladega, and the team's hauler was in a traffic accident going northbound on Interstate 85 near Carnesville, Georgia. Both Hyltons died in the accident, while Strange survived with severe injuries. It is unclear how the accident occurred.