I'll never forget, in the spring of that year, when James won the Hulman Classic, in the Amax Coal sponsored #23. There weren't too many drivers that my dad had more respect for than Jim McElreath, so it was a pretty happy day at our little section of backstretch fence. He beat so many drivers who are known as legends today, so there was definitely a feeling a new star was born. And it was such a sad day, on that day 40 years ago, to learn that this young star was gone. Gone way before his time.

Jerry