Jim Fitzgerald

James Joyce Fitzgerald (December 1, 1921 – November 8, 1987) was an American racing driver. He is the winningest driver in Sports Car Club of America history, with over 350 career wins. Fitzgerald was also at one time the oldest driver to run a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race, being 65 years old when he ran in the 1987 Budweiser 400 at Riverside International Raceway for Hendrick Motorsports.

Career Fitzgerald spent his early life as an engineer for Western Electric, specializing in missile systems, and began his racing career in 1957. Fitzgerald then ran Datsun 1500 Roadsters, followed by a 2000 Roadster when competing in the SCCA National Championship Runoffs. Fitzgerald won his first SCCA National Championship in D Production in 1970, Fitzgerald won the GT-1 national championship in 1984, and would also become the winningest driver in SCCA history with over 350 wins in his career, along with winning the final National held at Virginia International Raceway.

After his retirement from Western Electric in 1980, Fitzgerald became an instructor at SCCA driving schools, which included helping NASCAR drivers prepare for the road courses Watkins Glen International and Sears Point Raceway. A resident of Clemmons, North Carolina, Fitzgerald befriended NASCAR team owners Richard Childress and Rick Hendrick in the process, The race made Fitzgerald the oldest driver to run a Cup race at the age of 65, a record that would stand until Morgan Shepherd ran the 2013 Camping World RV Sales 301 at the age of 71. Fitzgerald had planned to compete in additional Winston Cup Series races for Hendrick during the 1988 season.

Death Entering the Trans-Am Series race Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on November 8, 1987, the final race of the 1987 Trans-Am season, Fitzgerald was the oldest racer. On lap three, Fitzgerald crashed his Nissan 300ZX Turbo into a Jersey barrier in turn 1 at over , according to fellow competitor Paul Gentilozzi. An autopsy eventually revealed that Fitzgerald had died from a broken neck.

In 1988, Road Atlanta dedicated the track's Jim Fitzgerald Memorial Park in Fitzgerald's honor.

In 2011, SCCA inducted Fitzgerald into the Hall of Fame.

Motorsports career results

SCCA National Championship Runoffs

NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series NASCAR Winston Cup Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Pts 1986 Wawak Racing 74 Chevy DAY RCH CAR ATL BRI DAR NWS MAR TAL DOV CLT RSD POC MCH DAY POC TAL GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR ATL RSD39 120th 46 1987 Hendrick Motorsports 51 Chevy DAY CAR RCH ATL DAR NWS BRI MAR TAL CLT DOV POC RSD17 MCH DAY POC TAL GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR RSD ATL 79th 112