Jimmie Earl McElreath[1] (February 18, 1928 – May 18, 2017) was an American open-wheel racing driver, known for competing in the USAC Championship car series.[2][3] He won the inaugural California 500 in 1970, driving a spare car owned by A. J. Foyt.
| Jim McElreath | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Jimmie Earl McElreath February 18, 1928 Arlington, Texas, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | May 18, 2017 (aged 89) Arlington, Texas, U.S. | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| Major victories California 500 (1970) | |||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 181 races run over 24 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 2nd (1966) | ||||||
| First race | 1961 Hoosier Hundred (ISF) | ||||||
| Last race | 1983 Ted Horn Memorial (DuQuoin) | ||||||
| First win | 1965 Trenton 100 (Trenton) | ||||||
| Last win | 1970 California 500 (Ontario) | ||||||
| |||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 4 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| First race | 1964 Daytona Qualifier #2 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last race | 1971 Miller High Life 500 (Ontario) | ||||||
| |||||||
Racing career edit
Jim began his racing career in 1945 at the age of 17. He raced stock cars in Dallas, Texas. Jim would race in the local Texas bullrings for the next fifteen years while working as a bricklayer. It was in 1960 when he and fellow Texan racer Johnny Rutherford decided to race in the Midwest. Both would eventually find super modified rides in the International Motor Contest Association (IMCA). Jim did well enough that by late-summer 1961 that he was offered a ride by fame car owner Lindsey Hopkins in the Hoosier Hundred, a race at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on the United States Auto Club (USAC) National Championship Trail. He finished third in this race, an impressive start to his Indy Car career.
He raced in the 1961–1983 seasons, with 178 combined career starts, including 15 in the Indianapolis 500 in 1962–1970, 1973–1974, and 1977–1980. He finished 48 times in the top 5, with five victories. He was runner-up in the 1966 championship and third in 1963, 1965, and 1970. In 1962 he was named Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, a result of his 6th-place finish.[4]
Jim won the inaugural California 500 at Ontario, California on September 6, 1970, driving A.J. Foyt's team car. He battled with Art Pollard for the last 10 laps after Al Unser and Cale Yarborough retired with mechanical issues.[citation needed]
Award edit
McElreath was a 2002 inductee to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.[5]
Personal life edit
Jim's son, James Jr., was killed in a sprint car crash at Winchester in October 1977. James Jr. had attempted to qualify for the 1977 Indy 500 earlier that year. Alongside his father, they were attempting to become the first father and son combination to qualify for the same race. However, James Jr. was too slow to make the field.[6]
Jim's daughter, Shirley, married racing driver Tony Bettenhausen Jr. The couple died when their private plane crashed in Kentucky in February 2000.
Complete USAC Championship Car results edit
Complete PPG Indy Car World Series results edit
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Pos. | Pts | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | McElreath Racing | PHX | ATL | ATL | INDY 35 | TRE | TRE | MCH | MCH | WGL | TRE | ONT | MCH | ATL | PHX | - | 0 | [7] | ||
| 1980 | McElreath Racing | ONT | INDY 24 | MIL | WGL 12 | MIL 9 | ONT | MCH | MEX 6 | PHX | 28th | 240 | [8] | |||||||
| Grant King Racing | POC 27 | MDO | MCH | |||||||||||||||||
| 1981 | McElreath Racing | PHX 19 | MIL | ATL | ATL | MCH | RIV | MIL | MCH 11 | WGL DNQ | MEX 13 | PHX DNQ | 36th | 4 | [9] | |||||
| 1982 | PHX DNQ | ATL | MIL | CLE | MCH | MIL | POC 18 | RIV DNQ | ROA | MCH | PHX | 39th | 3 | [10] | ||||||
| 1983 | ATL 11 | INDY | MIL | CLE | MCH 13 | ROA | POC 23 | RIV | MDO DNP | MCH | CPL | LAG | PHX | 30th | 2 | [11] | ||||
| 1984 | Dale Coyne Racing | LBH | PHX DNQ | INDY | MIL | POR | MEA | CLE | MCH | ROA | POC | MDO | SAN | MCH | PHX | LAG | CPL | - | 0 | [12] |
Indianapolis 500 results edit
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Kurtis Kraft | Offenhauser | 7th | 6th |
| 1963 | Watson | Offenhauser | 6th | 6th |
| 1964 | Kurtis Kraft | Novi | 26th | 21st |
| 1965 | Brabham | Offenhauser | 16th | 20th |
| 1966 | Brabham | Ford | 7th | 3rd |
| 1967 | Moore | Ford | 11th | 5th |
| 1968 | Coyote | Ford | 13th | 14th |
| 1969 | Brawner Hawk | Offenhauser | 7th | 28th |
| 1970 | Coyote | Ford | 33rd | 5th |
| 1971 | Coyote | Ford | Did not qualify | |
| 1972 | Coyote | Foyt | Did not qualify | |
| 1973 | Eagle | Offenhauser | 33rd | 23rd |
| 1974 | Eagle | Offenhauser | 30th | 6th |
| 1976 | Eagle | Offenhauser | Did not qualify | |
| 1977 | Eagle | AMC | 20th | 23rd |
| 1978 | Eagle | Offenhauser | 26th | 20th |
| 1979 | Penske Racing | Cosworth | 19th | 35th |
| 1980 | Penske Racing | Cosworth | 11th | 24th |
| 1981 | Penske Racing | Cosworth | Sold Car | |
| 1982 | King | Chevrolet | Did not qualify |
Notes edit
- ^ "Jim McElreath". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
- ^ Miller, Robin (18 May 2017). "Jim McElreath, 1928-2017". racer.com. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ "Indianapolis 500 fixture Jim McElreath dies at 89". foxnews.com. 19 May 2017. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ Cadou Jr., Jep (June 1, 1962). "Rookie-Of-Year Honor Goes To Jim McElreath". The Indianapolis Star. p. 1. Retrieved December 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com
. - ^ "Sprint Car HOF". Archived from the original on 2012-07-29. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
- ^ The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 2, 2007
- ^ "Jim McElreath – 1979 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ "Jim McElreath – 1980 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ "Jim McElreath – 1981 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ "Jim McElreath – 1982 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ "Jim McElreath – 1983 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ "Jim McElreath – 1984 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
