Jim jeffords race driver at thompson raceway

Constantine in an aston martin db and bob grossman driving a ferrari tdf coupe. During the inaugural race, the two scarabs came to meadowdale, and chuck daigh was the winner. Seasons spanning over two years for example 2014 championships have their race results accounted for in the year the championship ends. As one driver put it, if you have a cabin on the lake, why go to danville in august. So, we were like the captains of the respective cars. The big bore production race was equally exciting, as jim jeffords, in the. Jim nelson raced at berlin raceway from 1960 until his death in 1965, when he suffered a horrific crashed while leading a feature race at the grand rapids speedrome in 1965, just one week after the death of his friend dick carter. Jim jeffords was the driver of the famous nickey chevrolet purple people eater corvettes. The 2019 shirt was a jim swintal favorite depicting phil hill in a jaguar leading fred wacker in his eight ball allard in the 1952 race at the corner of lake and rhine in downtown elkhart lake. Jim jeffords, the former senator from vermont who singlehandedly redrew the national political map in 2001 when, after a quartercentury as a moderate republican lawmaker, he.

In 1957, jeffords was named as a corvette racing team driver, although he would occasionally drive corvettes for other teams during the 1957 season. Pete lovely, dick thompson, augie pabst, harry heuer, charles wallace, paul oshea, lake underwood, jim jeffords, don yenko, frank dominianni, chuck stoddard, bob tullius, duncan black, bruce jennings, don. The second year showed the battle between augie pabst and dick thompson as they pass under the bill mitchell bridge in the 1960 june sprints. Scca nationals 1957 world sports racing prototypes. In august, at montgomery, chuck daigh won handsomely in the second team car built at thompson raceway reventlow won imperiously. For all his achievements, reventlows life was marked by a series of failed personal relationships, and it would end in tragedy at the bottom of a. Sports cars, race cars, auto racing photo archive, racing. Corvettes at carlisle race car reunion celebrates the brands racing heritage. The 1959 12hour florida international grand prix of endurance for the amoco trophy took place on 21 march, on the sebring international raceway, florida, united states. Vrg drivers school, ff challenge series, veerg challenge series. Over labor day 1958, jim met lance reventlow at the hotel lobby next to thompson, ct raceway. The following numbers are a summary of the more detailed information available in the career details further below on the page. Augie pabst usas cars photo gallery racing sports cars. International speedway at 155 mph during openingday ceremonies in 1959.

This was the end of the competition life for chassis 4510, although jim jeffords and jim hall practiced in it for the 1960 road america 500. The famed old black studebaker gasser car built by the legendary junior thompson and sonny messer, a clone of. Thompson, ct thompson raceway connecticut autocross. Held on the fan midway and open for anyone with a grandstand ticket, the event is a great opportunity to meet nascar stars of the future. The teams in attendance all expressed a positive attitude about the index class and they all seemed to enjoy the opportunity to race. Sports car racing photo gallery of augie pabst usas cars photo gallery. By the end of 1960, he was a respected champion truly on the ascendancy when a mysterious allergy hospitalized him for nine months and ended his career. Reventlow would go on to success as a racing driver, race car constructor and entrepreneur. Driving the 500 solo and running third overall most of the race, jeffords retired. Jim jeffords and road america historical research, in. Jim jeffords kicked off his racing career in 1954 at the age of 27, married with four young boys and living in milwaukee. March 31, 2010 vallejo native jeff gordon, who holds the track record for wins at infineon raceway, will join race fans for a chalktalk session on june 20 prior to the start of the nascar sprint cup series event at the california road course. In his first time behind the wheel, jeffords delivered a fourthplace finish, and the race signified the start of a longterm relationship between chevrolet and jeffords.

Over labor day 58, jim met lance reventlow at thompson conn. Carlisles corvette race car reunion hot rod network. Jim jeffords racing career profile driver database. We each had other codrivers, but if one of the cars went out of the race, we could become a co driver for the other. This last car was quite a handful, very fast on the straightaway but very heavy. Jim jeffords was close behind, finishing second in class and ninth overall. Please send me email with any additional info on this or any other vir race virginia international raceway. Thompson enjoyed a 30year drag racing career as a driver and was still actively involved as an engine builder for nostalgia vehicles. Jeffords appeared in the very first road america race at elkhart lake in 1955 racing in the scca c production class driving a jaguar.

Sports car racing photo gallery of chevrolet photo gallery. However, there he was racing around north carolina motor speedway in rockingham with the traditional yellow rookie stripe on his bumper. With two formula one world championships to his name, one would hardly consider scottish driver jim clark a rookie. Riverhead raceway modified vintage race 17 x jim reed in. Our thoughts and prayers are with jim s family and friends. Jim jeffords, corvette racing legend and motorsport. James thompson racing career profile driver database. It was the opening round of the 1959 world sportscar championship. He currently competes in the world touring car championship. Nickey 12 loyal katskee usa ferrari 16 jim rathmann usa lister corvette 49 bruce boyle usa jaguar dtype 72 sy haybeck lotus did not start. Driver nationality car entrant laps timeretired pos. James jeffords racing 2002 corvette hall of fame racing category 2002 induction. Corvette hall of fame inductee, james jim jeffords was a twotime national driving champion, recognized for his exciting racing mark in legendary race cars and automobiles such as the nickey chevrolet s purple people eater, and chevrolet powered specials like jerry earls sr2, the scarab, and the maserati birdcage. The 1959 scca national sports car championship season was the ninth season of the sports car club of americas national sports car championship.

He has twice been champion of the british touring car championship btcc, and was third in the 2007 world touring car championship. Justin thompson 440 race swainsboro raceway youtube. James jeffords racing 2002 corvette hall of fame national. Jim jeffords, corvette racing legend obituary vette. But in its heyday, thompson raceway was as vital to sports car racing as lime. The 1957 scca national sports car championship season was the seventh season of the sports car club of americas national sports car championship. Dick thompson usa chevrolet corvette stingray 10 jim jeffords usa scarab mk. Driver nationality, car, entrant, laps, timeretired, pos.

Join jeff gordon prerace at infineon raceway hendrick. Nov 29 dec 8, 1958 nassau speed week won 25 lap, 1st class, 1st oa, first american driver in an american car to ever do this. Photos from meadowdale, the ghost track of motorsports. Jim passed on march 6, 2014, in palm desert, california james jeffords 19262014 the article was written by jim gessner and art evans and appeared in the june 2014 issue of vette vues magazine. Jim jeffords, corvette racing legend and motorsport entrepreneur. During the 58 nassau speed week, jeffords won the 25lapper becoming the first american driver to win at nassau in an american car. Corvette racing tribute corvettes at the petersen museum. Jimmy owens sprint car driver at knoxville raceway. In the memorial trophy race, he was first in class, third overall. They had dinner and that meeting changed jims racing direction. Jeffords and nickey participated in 21 race weekends 42 races with the famous purple people eater vettes at tracks across the country. I invited jim hall to be my co driver in this race and frank harrison brought three maseratis. Later, one of the scarabs was purchased for jim jeffords to drive for nickey chevrolet of chicago. Thompson raceway park general manager jim curtis stated that despite the low car count the june 10th race is still on and any decision about the future of the class will be determined based on future car counts.

Photos at the end first, we will print the text so it is easier to read followed by copies of the actual printed pages. On may 4, 1957 jim entered the car in little scca club race, still in the familiar white blue colors. Sports car magazine includes archived information about race cars, auto racing photo aarchive, racing memorabilia, and auto racing film. Jim jeffords, who won national sports car championships in 1958 and 1959 while at the wheel of the famous purple people eater chevrolet corvettes, has died. The track was the home track for the scarab in the hands of jim jeffords, harry heure, augie pabst and don devine, and the car won a lot of races out. Pabst, jim jeffords, harry heuer, don devine, bill wuesthoff, john kilborn and jack. He blew the engine, which prevented him in racing the may 19 scca regional at cumberland. From 19521967, the oval track and an adjacent section of the speedway property were leased to owners of the neighboring sports car track, the thompson raceway. Jim jeffords, corvette racing legend and motorsport entrep. Reventlow at the hotel lobby next to the thompson, connecticut raceway. Corvette hall of fame inductee, james jim jeffords was a twotime national driving champion, recognized for his exciting racing mark in legendary race cars and automobiles such as the nickey chevrolets purple people eater, and chevrolet powered specials like jerry earls.

Dick thompson, briggs cunningham, jim jeffords, 1960 indianapolis 500 winner jim rathmann. Racing heroes lance reventlow kurt ernst on jun 19th, 2014 at 8. Over the course of his sixdecade career, jim jeffords contributed much to motorsports in america in a number of different roles, including scca national championshipwinning driver, transam team manager, and vice president of road america. The good luck continued in early 1957 where paul goldsmith drove one car to production class. Does anyone have or know of any online source for the usac sports car races of 1959 ive seen magazine articles on the lime rock race won by rodger ward in a oval track midget car, and mention of other. Despite his world class credentials this was his first foray into nascar stock car racing and rules were rules, even for jim clark. Use the tabs below to select which reservation you are making garage, camping, test day etc. Thompsons drag race place from gassers to funny cars hemis and gasser legends. James thompson born 26 april 1974 in york, england is a british auto racing driver. The 1958 scca national sports car championship season was the eighth season of the sports car club of americas national sports car championship.

Jeffords died on march 6, but his death was publicly announced on march 25 in a statement from the road america race track in elkhart lake, wisconsin. It began january 12, 1958, and ended october 5, 1958, after sixteen races. It began may 19, 1957, and ended november 17, 1957, after fifteen races. All the discussion of compiling race results and info from various series got me to thinking which can be dangerous. They found it too heavy and tiring for a 500mile race and opted for harrisons new birdcage. In 1957, jeffords was named as a corvette racing team driver, although he would occasionally drive corvettes for other teams during the. Once we had the two c3s, what wed do was, tony and i would be the lead driver on each car. Later, one of the scarabs was purchased for jim jeffords to. Then won 1st class, and 3rd oa in the memorial trophy race. In the late 1960s, thompson speedway opened the road course known as thompson version 3. See all 28 photos also on the race car reunion panel was former owens corning racing driver jerry thompson. At nassau, dick thompson drove one car to a class win and 7th overall in the 20lap governors trophy race. The site dedicated to sportscar race results and chassis numbers histories is under construction.