Jimmy Horton

Infobox NASCAR driver
Name = Jimmy Horton
Birthdate = birth date and age|1956|7|3 | Birthplace = flagicon|USA Folsom, New Jersey
Best_Cup_Pos = 36th - 1990 (Winston Cup)
First_Cup_Race = 1987 Miller High Life 500 (Pocono)
Last_Cup_Race = 1995 UAW-GM Teamwork 500 (Pocono)
Total_Cup_Races = 48
Years_In_Cup = 8
First_Busch_Race = 1985 Goody's 300 (Daytona)
Last_Busch_Race = 1989 Gatorade 200 (Darlington)
Total_Busch_Races = 7
Years_In_Busch = 4

Jimmy Horton (born July 3, 1956) is a racecar driver from Folsom, New Jersey. [Siano, Joseph. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE1DC1238F93BA25751C0A966958260 "Experience Is Lacking"] , "The New York Times", February 18, 1990. Accessed September 30, 2007. "Last week, the race winner, Jimmy Horton of Folsom, N.J., said the accidents probably were a result of drivers' inexperience at Daytona."] He raced in 48 NASCAR Winston Cup races in 8 seasons. [http://www.racing-reference.info/driver?id=hortoji01 Driving statistics] , Retrieved September 27 2007] He was a regular on the ARCA circuit in the 1980s and 1990s. Horton has won many of the most noted races for dirt track modifieds in the Northeastern United States.

Racing career

Local racer

Horton first became known as a modifed racecar driver in the Northeastern United States. He began racing in a small block sportsman in his father's racecar in the early 1970s. He won the sportsman championship at Orange County Speedway in 1974.

He won modified track championships at numerous tracks. He was the 1976 Modified champion at Orange County driving his dad's #43. That season, he was involved in one of the rare dead heat modified feature wins along with fellow future NASCAR racer Tighe Scott. It was the first race of a twin 50 feature and it was too close to call. Scott and Horton's cars collided after the race. After 1976 he started racing in the #3 Statewide dirt modified. He won track championships at Bridgeport Speedway (NJ) in 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1997, 1998 and 2003. [ [http://www.thenewbridgeportspeedway.com/record_book.php Bridgeport Speedway Past Champions (1973-2006)] , Retrieved September 26 2007] He won the Eastern States 200 in his later career. He won modified track championships at New Egypt Speedway (NJ) in 2004 and 2006. [ [http://www.newegyptspeedway.net/standings.htm New Egypt Speedway website, Point Champions section of Standings page] , Retrieved September 26 2007]

NASCAR

Horton made his first NASCAR start in the Busch Grand National series in 1985. He raced in 7 Busch races in his career.

Most of his career Winston Cup starts were at tracks in the Northeastern United States for underfunded teams. Horton is known in NASCAR circles for replacing Darrell Waltrip for 2 races in his #17 Tide car in 1990 for Hendrick Motorsports during Waltrip's injury. He started 5th in the summer Daytona race, and finished 17th. He finished a career best 13th in the summer race at Talladega.

Horton was involved in a major crash during the 69th lap of the 1993 DieHard 500. Horton's car was clipped by Stanley Smith's car. Horton's car hit three other cars before it flew over the wall and landing on an access road outside of the track. Smith suffered near-fatal head injuries in the incident.

ARCA

Horton won numerous ARCA races, including the series premiere event, the Daytona ARCA 200, in 1990 and 1992. The 1992 victory was his seventh superspeedway victory, which at the time was the second most in series history. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0D6133FF93AA35751C0A964958260 Horton Wins At Daytona] , February 9, 1992 New York Times; Retrieved September 26 2007] He used a NASCAR Chevrolet Lumina purchased from Darrell Waltrip for the victory.

Personal life

His son Jimmy Horton IV (born March 2 1987) races Modifieds as his father's teammate at New Egypt Speedway (NJ) and Bridgeport Speedway (NJ). [http://jimmyhortoniv.com/jimmyiv.php Who's The Next Big Deal in Dirt Modified Racing] ; Area Auto Racing News; October 3, 2006; by Brett Deyo; Retrieved September 27 2007]

References

External links

* [http://jimmyhortoniv.com/ Jimmy Horton IV (son) website]