On July 8, 1964, James Hylton made his first NASCAR Grand National start at the Old Dominion 400 at Manassas, Virginia.  Hylton finished 19th and collected $100 for his efforts.  In 1966, things improved dramatically as Hylton finished second in the points chase and won the coveted NASCAR Rookie of the Year award.  In 1967, Hylton again finished second in points while driving his underfunded Dodge Coronet. 

Hylton found his way to victory lane for the first time on March 1, 1970 at the Richmond 500, driving the familiar number 48 Ford Torino.  Hylton finished the 1971 season in second position in the Winston Cup points standing behind champion Richard Petty. On August 6, 1972, James forever etched his name in the history books by claiming the Talladega 500 at Alabama International Speedway.  Hylton led 106 laps of the 188 lap race and won $ 24,865 for the day.  Hylton's latest NASCAR competition appearance was in July 2008 at Daytona's Winn-Dixie 250 Nationwide Series event.

Hylton has competed in 601 NASCAR Sprint Cup series events, 6 NASCAR Grand National East Events, 3 NASCAR Nationwide Series Events and 3 NASCAR Grand American Series events as a driver.