Jake Elder

J. C. "Jake" Elder (November 22, 1936 – February 24, 2010) was a NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup Series crew chief.

Elder was known as "Suitcase Jake" because he could never settle down at one organization for a long period of time, hopping from one organization to the next. He served as crew chief for many additional seasons for different teams before he retired.

One day at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Elder was disappointed with his perception that other teams were illegally soaking their tires to gain additional speed. So he applied a gallon of rubber softener to his team's qualifying tires in plain view of the other teams and NASCAR officials to protest what he deemed the other teams were doing secretly.

Retired NASCAR legends decided to form the "Suitcase Jake Commemorative Fund" for Elder. These retired drivers raced in an event on July 18, 2008, at Music City Motorplex to benefit Elder.

Elder died on February 24, 2010, of natural causes while at Autumn Care of Statesville, North Carolina. NASCAR released a statement "[He] was one of the first crew chiefs in NASCAR to achieve celebrity status with our fans. He was a pioneer in that regard, and his celebrity was well deserved. He was truly one of the greatest crew chiefs of all time, winning two championships with David Pearson. Our sport has lost one of its legends."