James Pardue (October 26, 1930 – September 22, 1964) was a

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

race car driver who lived in

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Summary

He made his debut in 1955 at Martinsville, where he finished 28th after suffering hub problems in his

Chevrolet Bel Air The Chevrolet Bel Air is a full-size car produced by Chevrolet for the 1950–1975 model years. Initially, only the two-door hardtops in the Chevrolet model range were designated with the Bel Air name from 1950 to 1952. With the 1953 model year, ...

vehicle. He made his first full-time attempt in 1960 where he had eleven top-tens. In 1963, he won his first race at Richmond VA's Southside Speedway, followed up by another win the following year at

Dog Track Speedway Dog Track Speedway was a 1/4-mile dirt then 1/3-mile paved oval in Moyock, North Carolina. It hosted seven NASCAR Grand National (now NASCAR Cup Series) races between 1962 and 1966. The track switched from a quarter mile to third mile between 196 ...

in Moyock, NC. Pardue's car number was 54. A part of his career was during the same time that the popular television show, ''

Car 54, Where Are You? ''Car 54, Where Are You?'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1963. Filmed in black and white, the series starred Joe E. Ross as Gunther Toody and Fred Gwynne as Francis Muldoon, two mismatched New York City pol ...

'' was running on network television. On the door of his car, he added a small "Car" above the number, and "Here I Am" below it. In 1964, he was doing a tire test for Goodyear at

Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including th ...

, when a tire blew and caused him to lose control. The car went through the guardrail in Turns 3 and 4 and came to rest outside the track. The 33-year-old Pardue did not survive the wreck. Despite his season being cut short, he still finished 5th in points. Items from Pardue's career, including a door from his car and Burton & Robinson Racing Team apparel, are on display at the Wilkes Heritage Museum in Wilkesboro.

References

NASCAR drivers 1930 births 1964 deaths Racing drivers who died while racing Sports deaths in North Carolina People from North Wilkesboro, North Carolina Racing drivers from North Carolina {{NASCAR-bio-stub