MEMPHIS TN (May 28) - Stock car racing legend James Harvey Hylton returns to action on June 5th in the Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 at Pocono Raceway.  The ARCA Racing Series event will be Hylton's 29th career start at the Pennsylvania speedway.  During his career Hylton has recorded 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts and 16 ARCA Racing Series starts at Pocono.

Hylton's first start at Pocono would come in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Purolator 500 on August 4, 1974.  Hylton qualified his 1974 Chevrolet Malibu (pictured at left) in 18th position but would be relegated to a 34th place finish after ignition issues sidelined his car. The rain-shortened event was captured by Richard Petty with Buddy Baker, Cale Yarborough, David Pearson and Benny Parsons rounding out the Top-Five.  The Purolator 500 was the first NASCAR event contested at the 2.5 mile track, which opened in 1971.

Hylton's best finish at Pocono would come on August 3, 1975 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Purolator 500.  The Inman, SC driver would pilot his 1974 Chevrolet Malibu to a 9th place finish as fellow South Carolinian David Pearson took the checkered flag in a Mercury. Pearson passed second place finisher Richard Petty for the lead with 14 laps to go in the 200 lap event.  The race would be clouded by controversy as NASCAR officials black-flagged Pearson with two laps to go in the race for engine smoke.  The Purolator sponsored Pearson ignored the flag and captured the race much to the chagrin of the STP sponsored Petty.

Hylton's first start in ARCA Racing Series competition would occur on July 23, 1988 in the AC Spark Plug 100.  Hylton drove his 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS to a 14th place finish in the 40 lap race.  Hylton finished on the lead lap in the event captured by Michigan's Bob Keselwoski, also in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo.