Hylton is Last Man Standing from Seventies Pony Car Era

MEMPHIS TN (July 1) - Serving as a shining beacon of hope amidst what has been an all too dark time for the American auto manufacturers is the reemergence of the fabled pony cars.  The new incarnation of the famed breed has caught the attention of consumers as witnessed by their robust showroom sales.  NASCAR has noticed the types resurgent popularity as evidenced by the recent selection of the Mustang and Challenger for NASCAR Nationwide Series competition.  The pony cars will return to NASCAR action during this weekend's Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona.  This event will be the first NASCAR event for the pony carsa since the Grand National East Series Buddy Shuman 100 at Hickory NC on November 11, 1973.  The event was captured by Tiny Lund in a Camaro by a one lap margin over Bobby Isaac.

The current production fleet of retro inspired pony cars are represented by the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, and Dodge Challenger, all of which trace their lineage back to the type’s inception.  The pony cars first appeared in 1964, as Ford introduced the small but sporty Mustang to the American car buying public.  Ford’s competitors soon introduced their own pony cars as the Camaro, Barracuda, Cougar, Javelin, Firebird, and Challenger were born.  As the pony car became a consumer favorite both NASCAR and SCCA officials began taking note of their rising popularity.  Soon NASCAR launched its Grand American Division and SCCA launched its Trans-AM division for competition between the manufacturers.. 

During the pony car era, NASCAR’s premier Grand American Division race was the Florida Citrus 250, contested annually at Daytona International Speedway in February.   In 1970, James Harvey Hylton took it upon himself to give the sporty pony cars a try and registered an entry for the February 20^th event.  The race was 67 laps contested over Daytona’s twisting 3.81 mile road course and was comprised of a field of 38 cars.  The pole position for the event was captured by Tiny Lund in a 1969 Camaro with a speed of 105.821 mph while Hylton qualified third in his 1969 Camaro (pictured at above) with a speed of  102.059 mph.  Camaro drivers captured 15 of the top 20 positions, all in 1968 and 1969 versions of the car.  This was brought about because the redesigned second-generation 1970 Camaro was not released in time to allow NASCAR teams to complete race versions of the cars for the event .

The race would start off with Don Yenko, the 1969 Florida Citrus 250 winner, making a strong charge through the field by racing from 14^th to 4^th during the first 4 laps.  Unfortunately the defending champ's Camaro would be sidelined on lap 27 with a blown head gasket.  The crowd of 12,500 watched Lund dominate the early part of the race until Hylton passed him for the led on lap 29.   The two South Carolina drivers would  do battle for the remainder of the race with late challenges coming from AMC Javelin driver Jim Paschal and  Wayne Andrews in the Reid Shaw Mercury Cougar. 

“Tiny spun me out as I was entering the road course portion of the track,” reminisces Hylton some 40 years later “I did a 360 and got right back in behind him.  I decided to do a little ‘retaliation’ and gave a little ‘tap’ to his big ole blue number 55 Camaro.”  Lund (pictured at left) spun his car into the sandy infield and damaged his transmission in an effort to catch back up with the Hylton.  “After he tore his transmission up, he was pretty much done and I knew he couldn't catch me” remarked Hylton.

Hylton and his bright yellow Camaro would complete the race in 2 hours 29 minutes and 46 seconds for a average speed of 101.241 mph.  The winner’s purse would be $5,580 as Hylton captured his first victory in a NASCAR sanctioned event.   The Florida Citrus 250 was the second career Grand American Division  start for the Inman SC driver.  He recorded his first start in the division on September 28, 1968 as he piloted a 1968 AMC Javelin to a fifth place finish in the Blue Ridge 150 at North Wilkesboro Speedway.  “I knew I had an oil leak but I was determined to finish the race and get the win,” said Hylton “It was a thrill to get my first NASCAR win at Daytona and to top it off I won a couple of weeks later at the Grand National race in Richmond.”

Hylton would return to Daytona for the 1972 edition of the Florida Citrus 250.   This time the veteran driver would pilot a 1972 Chevrolet Camaro that he would qualify second for the event behind pole winner H.B. Bailey.  Hylton would wind up the day in 11^th position as Bobby Allison and his 1969 Ford Mustang would dominate for the win.   The Grand American Division would only contest four races during the 1972 season as anemic attendance figures in 1971, forced the division to merge with the Grand National East Division for the 1972 season.  As the pony cars are poised to return to NASCAR action, James Harvey Hylton stands as the only active driver remaining from that bygone era.