Thirty-two years ago today we lost a fine young man with much potential when James McElreath was fatally injured in an accident during the USAC sprint car race at Winchester. RIP, James. Gone but not forgotten.
i was there that day, twins 50's. a sad day. James was the same age as me. made me really think about racing and why i sit in the stands. those men are brave.....
Yeah that was a very bad day. James was the first person I ever saw die in a race car. It was pretty horrible. That's why I get mad when I see 13-14 year olds in sprint cars.
I was always a big fan of James and his Dad Jim. James was just getting his feet wet in Indy Cars at that time. I was looking forward to seeing him run at Indy, with his Dad, but it wasn't to be.
RIP James.
David.
In 1977 my then fiance and I had traveled the USAC sprint circuit pretty much all year, helping the Bowen Olds team and some others. Over the course of the season, we had gotten to know James and his girlfriend as well as the elder McElreath. We finally got married on Oct. 15 and initially had decided NOT to go to Winchester. Sunday morning about 10:00 we decided to go but sit in the stands, instead of going to the pits. James had run the Western World at Manzy the night before and caught the "redeye" from Phoenix, and as coincidence would have it, James girlfriend decided not to go to the pits that day and sat with us. To this day I can hear her scream above the roar of the engines as James' car cleared the first turn wall.
My wife and I have never forgotten James or that day. We always say a prayer for the McElreaths the day after our anniversay. The racing world lost a great talent and the world lost a very nice young man. R. I. P. James
