Jim Shampine
American racing driver (born 1941)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
D. James Shampine (March 25, 1941 – September 4, 1982) was one of the most successful drivers in Supermodified competition and an equally skilled racer in asphalt and dirt-track Modified stock cars. He won 92 feature races at Oswego Speedway New York, and with his innovative car designs captured 38% of the Supermodified events held from 1970 to 1979.[1]
March 25, 1941
| Jim Shampine | |
|---|---|
| Born | Donald James Shampine March 25, 1941 |
| Died | September 4, 1982 (aged 41) |
| Oval track racing career | |
| Debut season | 1962 |
| Car number | 8-Ball |
| Championships | 8 |
| Finished last season | 1982 |
| Previous series | |
| 1959-1961 | Drag racing |
| Championship titles | |
| 1977 International Supermodified Association Champion | |
Racing career
Jim Shampine began drag racing in 1959 at the quarter-mile ESTA Safety Park Dragstrip in Cicero, New York. Then in 1962 he bought his friend Nolan Swift's championship-winning “Ten Pins” numbered modified, converted it to a supermodified, and renumbered it the enduring “8-Ball”. He went on to win seven (1967, 1970, 1972–1974, 1976 & 1979) Oswego Speedway track championships, as well as an International Supermodified Association championship competing at venues throughout the northeast.[2][3][4]
Shampine concurrently campaigned his modified at New York's asphalt speedways: Fulton, Lancaster, Shangri-La in Owego, Spencer in Williamson, and Utica-Rome in Vernon. He also competed successfully in a dirt-track modified at Langhorne Speedway in Pennsylvania and Weedsport Speedway in New York, and captured the 1970 track championship at the Rolling Wheels Raceway in Elbridge, New York.[5]
Jim Shampine died in a modified racing accident at Oswego Speedway on September 4, 1982.[6] He was inducted into the Eastern Motorsports Press Association, the Northeast Dirt Modified and the New York State Stock Car Association Halls of Fame.[5][7]