Hylton honored with Pocono Raceway award
SCENEDAILY - 2:06PM ET FRIDAY APRIL 6, 2007 -
James Hylton has been named the 2007 recipient of Pocono Raceway's Bill France Award of Excellence.
The award is presented annually to the person, corporation or organization that has made outstanding contributions to Nextel Cup Series racing. This prestigious award, first presented in 1977, is dedicated to the inspiration of Bill France Sr., founder of NASCAR.
Hylton's racing career began when he was a mechanic for Rex White. They won 26 races and the 1960 Grand National championship. In 1964, Hylton became the crew chief for Ned Jarrett and they won 28 races in two seasons and the 1965 championship.
Hylton moved behind the wheel on July 8, 1964, competing in the Old Dominion 400 at Manassas, Va., In 1966, he finished second in the standings and won the rookie of the year. He was second in points again in 1967.
Moving to a car owner/driver role, he won for the first time on March 1, 1970, in the Richmond 500. His second win came in August at Talladega Superspeedway. He competed as a full-time driver until 1982, when he decided to concentrate on his duties as car owner. He continued to own his team until 1993.
He returned to racing in the late 1990's in the ARCA series and this year, at the age of 72, he tried to qualify for the Daytona 500.
"James Hylton and his numer 48 stock car were fixtures on the NASCAR scene and he competed successfully against better funded teams. His grit and determination are an inspiration to all who know him," said Pocono Raceway CEO Dr. Joseph Mattioli. "We are proud to announce that James Hylton has been named the recipient of Pocono Raceway's 2007 Bill France Award of Excellence."
Past winners of the award include Bill France, Jarrett, Jack Roush, Rick Hendrick Richard Childress and Joe Gibbs.
SCENEDAILY - 2:06PM ET FRIDAY APRIL 6, 2007 -
James Hylton has been named the 2007 recipient of Pocono Raceway's Bill France Award of Excellence.
The award is presented annually to the person, corporation or organization that has made outstanding contributions to Nextel Cup Series racing. This prestigious award, first presented in 1977, is dedicated to the inspiration of Bill France Sr., founder of NASCAR.
Hylton's racing career began when he was a mechanic for Rex White. They won 26 races and the 1960 Grand National championship. In 1964, Hylton became the crew chief for Ned Jarrett and they won 28 races in two seasons and the 1965 championship.
Hylton moved behind the wheel on July 8, 1964, competing in the Old Dominion 400 at Manassas, Va., In 1966, he finished second in the standings and won the rookie of the year. He was second in points again in 1967.
Moving to a car owner/driver role, he won for the first time on March 1, 1970, in the Richmond 500. His second win came in August at Talladega Superspeedway. He competed as a full-time driver until 1982, when he decided to concentrate on his duties as car owner. He continued to own his team until 1993.
He returned to racing in the late 1990's in the ARCA series and this year, at the age of 72, he tried to qualify for the Daytona 500.
"James Hylton and his numer 48 stock car were fixtures on the NASCAR scene and he competed successfully against better funded teams. His grit and determination are an inspiration to all who know him," said Pocono Raceway CEO Dr. Joseph Mattioli. "We are proud to announce that James Hylton has been named the recipient of Pocono Raceway's 2007 Bill France Award of Excellence."
Past winners of the award include Bill France, Jarrett, Jack Roush, Rick Hendrick Richard Childress and Joe Gibbs.