Don't get me wrong, I hate being middle aged! For the past year, it's been legit for me to order from the senior menu at the local hash house. I dislike young men and women calling me "maam" at the supermarket then wanting to wheel my groceries out to my car for me. Even though I love them, my two vintage race cars are 30+ years old and I'll be racing them in a senior type series. I'd much rather race a new DIRT modified with the big guys. But James Hylton and his lifelong friend building a team from scratch with good equipment and attempting to make the Daytona 500 makes me feel like a kid again.

For those of you who live on Pluto and haven't gotten the word, James Hylton is 72 years old. Working his way up through being a wrench for modified legend Frankie Scheinder, then working with Ned Jarrett's Grand National Ford team in '64, James bought a '65 Dodge from Cotton Owens and set out to achieve his goal of driving himself. With one car, James ran 41 of 49 races and was christened NASCAR Grand National Rookie of the Year in 1966. For a reason beyond me, the Ford and Chrysler's factory teams overlooked James's skills. So he became an independent driver for the rest of his career. How far James's career might have gone in a factory ride we'll never know, but I wouldn't be surprised if he won more races and a Championship or two. This guy was good!

Racing without factory support, James became a "money racer" by necessity.. To keep grits on the table and his car on the track, James's priority was to avoid taking unnecessary chances on the track, bring his car home in one piece, a finish as high as he could in each race and hope for a good end of the year profit from the points fund. Some folks derisively called drivers like James "strokers", but the truth is that the little guys back then were living a dream that many of us would have loved to live. His skills were great enough that he finished 2nd in the point standings 3 times and in the top 10 5 times during his career. Not too shabby, yes?

Racing as an independent didn't mean not taking a shot at winning if circumstances were right. James accomplished this feat twice, at Richmond in '70 in a year old Ford, and at Talladega in 1972 in a '71 Mercury. These races weren't flukes either. Upon his return from Indy cars in '72, Cale Yarborough drove for James Hylton. If it hadn't been for his primary sponsor, Pop Kola not coming through with the money, James may well have had a winning career as a car owner and driver. He also trained many legendary crew chiefs. Andy Petree, Dale Earnhart's crew chief during several of his championship years learned his trade with Hylton, living in a 12 foot camper in James's side yard. There were other luminaries that worked their way into the sport by helping James. Mr. Hylton has never officially "retired" as a driver. He raced in several ARCA races and made a start in a Busch Series race late year.

So what in the heck does an old man attempting to make The Great American Race in a young man's world have to do with making all of us "veteran fans" feel proud? It's as simple as making mud. James is proving that age has nothing to do with reaching for the stars! Making the field of the Daytona 500 has little to do with it. James is already a hero in many of our eyes. Rather than sitting at home in a rocking chair dreaming that he were at the 'Beach behind the wheel of a stock car as in the good old days, James is living that dream, darn it!. He is an inspiration for all of us over the age of 50 that may have slacked up a bit in life, thinking we're too old to live out a dream. I'm certain that I'm going to reach a bit higher for the things I really want to do in life.. You younger fans who want to race should draw inspiration from James also. By climbing through the window of the no. 58 Chevy, James is showing the world that anything is possible if you want it badly enough.

Enjoy a Snickers bar today!

Jan....the Tbirdchick