#58 Team News and Links Page
The 2007 Paint Scheme - Click on Car to go to the Paint Scheme Gallery
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OFFICIAL Team/Drivers
James Hylton
SPONSORS
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UN-OFFICIAL team/driver
(not posting new unofficial sites anymore: too many have no updates, are old, driver bashing, requests ignored)
#58 Team Past News and Rumors
(NOTE: some older links may not work)
- Hylton will not attempt the Daytona 500: The preliminary entry list for the Feb. 17 Daytona 500 includes 52 cars, but does not include James Hylton. The 73-year-old has decided not to compete in the season-opening Sprint Cup event after previously announcing his plans to attempt to run the race. He says that team owner John Carter had planned to have him a car for the race, but it didn't work out. Hylton planned to run as a teammate to #08-Carl Long under the E&M Motorsports banner, using Long's backup car in the Daytona 500. "They were building a new [car of tomorrow] car," he said Thursday during NASCAR Media Day at Daytona International Speedway. "I came down here and tested with Carl Long early on. Then they were building a backup car, and the plan was bring the backup car, and if he didn't need it, I was going to enter it and run in it." Hylton said that Carter has told him he will definitely have a car to enter in the July race at Daytona International Speedway and that he could run in some other Cup events as well. Hylton is entered in the Daytona ARCA race but must qualify for that race. He says his performance in that event could lead to more Cup racing down the road.(SceneDaily.com)(2-7-2008)
- Hylton teams with EM Motorsports team for Daytona ARCA race: John Carter, owner of EM Motorsports, informed James Hylton that he was selected to drive the team’s 2007 Dodge Charger in the 2008 ARCA Daytona 200 on February 9th. Hylton tested the 2007 Charger at Daytona International Speedway in mid December and was 18th fastest with a best lap of 50.702 seconds / 177.508 mph. In 2005, John Carter / EM Motorsports scored a 9th place finish in the Daytona 500 with a Dodge Charger driven by Kevin Lepage. The 2007 EM Motorsports Dodge Charger will be sponsored by Rhino Energy Drink of Austria. Hylton has said that Speedweeks 2008 will be his final run at Daytona as a driver in the ARCA/REMAX series. Hylton sees this effort as a great opportunity to start the 2008 ARCA/REMAX season off with a bang. Hylton is also looking for an opportunity to attempt a start in the 50th Daytona 500.(Hylton Motorsports PR)(12-31-2007)
- Hylton hopes to attempt to make Daytona 500: Come Saturday, Feb. 9, ARCA/REMAX Series fans will have one last shot to see a legend tour the 31-degree high banks of historic Daytona International Speedway. "This will be my last time to race here at Daytona," said 73-year-old James Hylton from the garage at historic Daytona International Speedway Saturday, the second day of a three-day ARCA RE/MAX Series test session in preparation for the ARCA 200 ARCA RE/MAX Series race. "I want to go out on a high note. I want to win the ARCA race here in February and I'd like to make the Daytona 500. That would be a great way to finish my run here at Daytona." Hylton, who has been testing a #48 Chevrolet for owner John Carter this weekend, has been a mainstay at DIS since 1959 when the facility first opened. But only this past February, he gained the notoriety fit for a king. Hylton, the 1966 NASCAR Rookie of the Year, was the center of attention prior to 2007 Daytona 500 as he looked to become the oldest man to run in NASCAR's biggest, richest and most prestigious race. The media frenzy that went with it is something he enjoyed, but nothing he'll miss. "I'm trying to work out a deal to be able to do that again (run in the 50th running of the Daytona 500)," Hylton said. "I don't have anything yet, but I'm working on getting back in. As far as (2007) went, I think things got a little out of hand with all that. They were writing the story not because I was the greatest driver that ever showed up. It was just hard for a lot of people to believe a 72-year-old man could drive a race car. Don't get me wrong: I enjoyed my '15 minutes of fame,'" he said. "But I respect the age thing. I'll be around, maybe as a mechanic or something else. But I won't be behind the wheel."
AND/Notes: For the second straight day, Eric Darnell topped the charts in his Roush Fenway Racing Ford with a fast lap of 180.545 mph. David Reutimann formed a race team this off-season for his cousin Wayne to compete in select ARCA RE/MAX Series races that are held in conjunction with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events. Wayne Reutimann, 19, has been working his way up the motorsports ladder in the USAC Silver Crown Series and is grateful that his cousin is creating this opportunity for him. David Reutimann is receiving plenty of assistance from Michael Waltrip Racing. For the time being, his operation is working out of the Michael Waltrip Racing shop, he acquired a couple of MWR superspeedway cars and some of the MWR crew members have been helping prepare them during the nighttime hours. Hylton fast lap was 177.508 and Reutimman was at 177.040.(DIS PR)(12-16-2007)
- Hylton gets a sponsor for Talladega: SLMCO Pure Water Systems announced that it would become the primary sponsor of #58-James Hylton in both the Nextel Cup Series and the ARCA series races at Talladega Superspeedway in Oct. SLMCO Pure Water Systems manufactures portable Reverse Osmosis machines that produce 450 gallons of pure water per day and weigh only 70 lbs. The company also manufactures custom compact machines and containerized self-contained mobile units with generators. More info or other sponsor oppurtunities, go to www.slmcopurewater.com.(Hylton Motorsports PR)(8-9-2007)
- Hylton Named 1st-Qtr Winner of NMPA/Pocono Spirit Award: #58-James Hylton, the 72-year-old stock car competitor who attempted to qualify for this year’s Daytona 500, has been selected as the first-quarter recipient of the National Motorsports Press Association/Pocono Spirit Award. Hylton found himself in the national spotlight during 2007 Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway when he attempted to become the oldest driver to qualify for the Nextel Cup Series’ season-opening Daytona 500. The two-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series winner nearly pulled off the feat, finishing 23rd in one of the two Gatorade 150-mile qualifying races. While disappointed that he was unable to make his first Nextel Cup Series start since 1993, Hylton, who has 601 career starts in the series, vowed he would be back. “If I’d have turned this deal down,” Hylton said of his Daytona effort, “when I got to be an old man, I’d look back and say, ‘I should have taken that chance.’” Hylton received 44 votes cast by the membership. Jimmie Johnson, the defending Nextel Cup champion and driver of the Hendrick Motorsports #48 Chevrolet, received 15 votes. Former Craftsman Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton received one vote as did Patti Petty, who along with husband Kyle, founded Victory Junction Gang Camp. The NMPA/Pocono Spirit Award, which has been presented annually since 1992, recognizes character and achievement in the face of adversity, as well as sportsmanship and contributions to motorsports. Four quarterly winners are selected, with one overall Spirit award winner chosen by a vote of the NMPA membership at year’s end. The award will be presented during the group’s annual dinner and awards ceremony in January, 2008.(NASCAR PR)(5-23-2007)
- Hylton A Recipient of Pocono Raceway's Bill France Award Of Excellence: James Hylton, a name associated with major league stock car racing for more than five decades as a driver, crew chief and car owner, has been named the 2007 recipient of Pocono Raceway's Bill France Award of Excellence. The Pocono Raceway Bill France Award of Excellence has been presented annually to the person, corporation or organization that has made outstanding contributions to the sport of NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Racing. This prestigious award, first presented in 1977, is dedicated to the inspiration of Bill France Sr., founder of NASCAR.(Pocono Raceway PR)(4-9-2007)
- Hylton plans attempt Talladega in April: #58-James Hylton isn't ready to let go of the steering wheel just yet. Hylton, 72, who came within a few laps of qualifying for the Daytona 500, wants to give the Nextel Cup Series another try -- this time at Talladega Superspeedway in April. "We've still got the car we ran Daytona with, the same car," Hylton said. "We've prepared this car for Talladega, which is not a real big jump. Unless something drastic happens, we'll be at Talladega, because we're set up to go there." He's in talks with the sponsor of that car [Daytona car], Retirement Living TV, to back him again in the April 29 event at Talladega. He had originally hoped to try to make last weekend's event at Bristol Motor Speedway, but couldn't get a Car of Tomorrow built in time. Yet the two-time winner and former rookie of the year [1966] on NASCAR's premier circuit is still buzzing over the publicity generated by his attempt to make the Daytona 500.(NASCAR.com)(3-29-2007)
- Hyton's Clutch gives out; plans to attempt more races: #58-James Hylton's dream of competing in the Daytona 500 at the age of 72 came up nine laps short during Thursday's Duels at Daytona. The combination of a faulty clutch and a late-race restart foiled Hylton's effort to earn a starting berth in Sunday's Daytona 500. "I'm disappointed because I was locked in the eighth place there, and that was where I needed to be," Hylton said. "And then the dadgum caution come out. I knew I was a dead duck because the clutch worked, but it was like you had to bleed the clutch. You couldn't shift. I had to shift without the clutch. And you can't give these guys a half-car length."(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
AND [Hylton] will return to Daytona International Speedway for the Pepsi 400, and among the handful of races he intends to attempt this season is the Aug. 19 race at Michigan International Speedway.(Detroit News)(2-16-2007)
- Sponsor joins Hylton's Daytona 500 effort: Retirement Living TV has come aboard as a co-sponsor of James Hylton's #58 Chevy at Daytona. The channel is available on Comcast and DirecTV and is geared toward senior citizens.(St Petersburg Times)
AND Retirement Living TV is proud to announce a primary sponsorship of the #58 Retirement Living Chevy driven by James
Hylton. The sponsorship begins this weekend when the JC Weaver-owned team begins their quest to race in this year's Daytona 500 at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway. Retirement Living TV aims to inform, involve and inspire fans and improve America's image, attitudes and perception of aging. Hylton,72, hopes to go down in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest driver to qualify for the prestigious Daytona 500. "TV for Your Freedom Years" can be seen in over 26 million homes nationwide. Its programming highlights topics that include health, lifestyle, finance and politics. The network is the first created for viewers age 55 and up. Hylton begins preparation for the Daytona 500 this Saturday when the team hits the track for practice. The team will then participate in pole qualifying on Sunday. Retirement Living TV (www.rl.tv) launched on September 5, 2006 and can be seen in 26 million homes.(Moore Consulting Group PT)(2-7-2007)
- Crew chief named for Hylton team: James Hylton, Jr, has been named as Crew Chief and Andy Kirkpatrick as Car Chief on the #58 GrahamFestUSA.com Chevy for the Daytona 500.(GrahamFestUSA.com / Hylton Motorsports PR)(1-10-2007)
- Stock Car Racing Legend James Hylton Enters Daytona 500 in RCR car: in 1966 James Harvey Hylton was named “Rookie of the Year” in NASCAR’s Grand National Division [now known as Nextel Cup], starting an amazing career that would span
five decades. During his career, Hylton would go on to finish second in NASCAR Grand National points in 1966, and repeat that performance during the 1967 and 1971 seasons. He would also score wins in the 1970 Richmond 400 [Cup], the 1970 NASCAR Grand
American Citrus 250 [not sure what series] and the 1972 Talladega 500 [Cup] along with capturing four pole positions in NASCAR Winston / Nextel Cup competition. During his career, Hylton recorded 140 Top-Five finishes and 301 Top-Ten finishes in NASCAR Winston / Nextel Cup and in 2006, he finished 18th in points in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.
When asked why he has sat his sites on the 2007 Daytona 500, Hylton states “I have never been able to come to Daytona with a well-financed operation and a first-rate car. I have always wanted to be able to race the 500 and not be limited by budget constraints and even though it has taken over 40 years, I am finally at that position. At my age, the odds against me are astronomical but
it’s a challenge and I love a good challenge.”
Long-time friend J.C. Weaver and his upcoming music festival, GrahamFest, will sponsor Hylton. Weaver is owner of Mountain Rock Music, a publishing and recording company.
Hylton will drive the #58 Chevy built and prepared by Richard Childress Racing of Welcome, NC. The car was constructed on a Ronnie Hopkins chassis and is powered by engines from the RCR shop. A crew chief for the team will be named during January. Hopkins is also constructing a “Car of Tomorrow” for Hylton Motorsports, which will debut in March at Bristol. When Hylton Motorsports comes to Bristol, Damon Lusk of Kennewick, WA, will take Hylton’s place in the seat of the #58 car and Hylton will become Crew Chief. Lusk has two wins in ARCA RE/MAX Series competition along with along with 10 Top-5 and 23 Top-10 finishes. Lusk has also recorded 17
Busch Series starts and six Craftsman Truck series starts. “We are looking at running 19 Nextel Cup races in 2007 and Damon is a perfect fit for our plans,” states Hylton. Hylton has competed in 16 Daytona 500s, with his best finish being a third in 1967.(Hylton Motorsports PR)(1-3-2007)
