Two-time Cup series winner James Hylton, son killed in highway accident

CARNESVILLE, Ga. — Former NASCAR driver James Hylton, the 1966 Rookie of the Year, was killed in a traffic accident Saturday, authorities said. He was 83.

Hylton and his son, 61-year-old James Hylton Jr., died at the scene of the crash, which happened on Interstate 85 in Carnesville a little after 6 a.m., according to the Georgia State Patrol. Both were from Inman, South Carolina.

Investigators said the vehicle traveled off the left side of the road and hit an embankment, killing two passengers and leaving the driver severely injured.

Franklin County Deputy Coroner Clayton Bryant said the three men had to be extricated from the GMC truck, which was pulling a trailer carrying a race car and other equipment.

On Tuesday, Bryant released the cause of the deaths. Hylton died from trauma to the torso, and his son died from trauma to the head and torso.

The three were returning to South Carolina after Friday’s ARCA Series race at Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway, as Hylton Sr. still owned a team that competed in the series.

ESPN