In the nearly 60 years that NASCAR has been holding races, there have been lots of upset wins. Few have been as stunning as the one Jimmy Crawford and his brother pulled off at Talladega on Aug. 12, 1973. The Crawford brothers Jimmy and Peter of Toccoa were pilots for Eastern Airlines at the time took a car prepared in their parents’ basement in College Park, hired a journeyman driver named Dick Brooks and astounded the racing world by winning the Talladega 500. James Harrison Crawford Jr., 62, of Fayetteville died of a heart ailment Saturday at his house on Lake Jackson. The body was cremated. The memorial service was Thursday [May 31st] at Carl J. Mowell and Son Funeral Home, Fayetteville, GA. Eddie Wood, co-owner of the #21 Ford now driven by Bill Elliott and a friend of Mr. Crawford, said the Crawfords’ Talladega win was a major accomplishment. “They came into NASCAR and basically did it on their own, mostly just the two of them,” Mr. Wood said of the Crawfords’ brief but successful venture into major-league racing. “And that day at Talladega, they did a really good job and beat the best in the sport.” Mr. Crawford started his NASCAR career as a driver, concentrating on the superspeedways. From 1970 to 1974, he made 15 starts in the series now known as the Nextel Cup. His best days as a driver came in February 1974, when he qualified for NASCAR’s biggest race, the Daytona 500, and finished 19th. “Just making the 500 was as tough then as it is now,” Mr. Wood said. But it was the Talladega win that earned Mr. Crawford and his brother a special place in NASCAR history.” “It was our day in the sun,” Mr. Crawford said in a 2000 interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We were all just stunned. I didn’t really believe it happened until I read it in the paper on Monday morning.” The Crawfords rarely raced after their Talladega victory. NASCAR’s rules on engines and cars were changing, rendering most of their equipment obsolete. And the sport was growing, getting more expensive and too time-consuming for people who had other careers. “We would have liked to have gone on and been more successful,” Mr. Crawford said. “But the handwriting was on the wall.” The Crawfords disappeared from the racing scene but were never forgotten. Just two weeks ago, Mr. Wood called Mr. Crawford to reminisce about the old days. “I hadn’t talked to him in 30 years,” Mr. Wood said. “But after we talked for a few minutes, it all came right back, just like we’d been talking on and off all along. We had some good times back then.” Survivors other than his brother include his wife, Rebecca B. Crawford; three daughters, Natasha Crawford of Fayetteville, Renee Crawford of Los Angeles and Charisse Meitin of Gaithersburg, Md.; a son, James Crawford IV of Newnan; his mother, June Crawford of College Park; and six grandchildren.(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(5-31-2007)
