Monte Shelton (1933 – June 16, 2019) was an American racing driver from

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

Early life

He was born in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

before his family moved to

Vanport, Oregon Vanport, sometimes referred to as Vanport City or Kaiserville, was a city of wartime public housing in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States, between the contemporary Portland, Oregon, Portland city boundary and the Columbia River. It was destr ...

in 1943, where his father worked in a shipyard. He later joined the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

, serving on the USS Bluebell before going to Portland State College to work towards a degree in elementary education before he eventually became interested in automobiles.

Racing career

Shelton began racing in the early 1960s, with his career gaining traction a few years later when he began competing in the

United States Road Racing Championship The United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC) was created by the Sports Car Club of America in 1962. It was the first SCCA series for professional racing drivers. SCCA Executive Director John Bishop helped to create the series to recover ra ...

. Shelton also became regular competitor in

Can-Am The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an Sports Car Club of America, SCCA/Canadian Auto Sport Clubs, CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1987. History Can-Am started out as a race series for group 7 sports racers with two r ...

from 1966 to 1974, scoring points only in the 1974 season driving a

McLaren M8F The McLaren M8A was a race car developed by driver Bruce McLaren and his Bruce McLaren Motor Racing team for their entry in 1968 Can-Am season. The M8A and its successors dominated Can-Am racing for four consecutive Can-Am seasons, until the ...

. Shelton also started several

Trans-Am The Trans-Am Series is a sports car racing series held in North America. Founded in 1966, it is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Primarily based in the United States, the series competes on a variety of track types includin ...

races between 1976 and 1987, where he took 5 race victories driving a variety of different Porsches. In sports car racing, he participated in the

24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on the Sports Car Course layou ...

, with a best finish of 3rd in the 1979 edition of the race with co-drivers Bruce Canepa and

Rick Mears Rick Ravon Mears (born December 3, 1951) is a retired American race car driver. He is one of four men to win the Indianapolis 500 four times (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991) and is the current record-holder for pole positions in the race with six (197 ...

. He also participated many other

IMSA Camel GT IMSA GT was a sports car racing series organized by International Motor Sports Association. Races took place primarily in the United States, and occasionally in Canada. History The series was founded in 1969 by John and Peggy Bishop, and Bill ...

races, including the

12 Hours of Sebring The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II air base in Sebring, Florida, US. The event is the second round ...

. Included in his sports car career were two class victories in the

Six Hours of the Glen The Six Hours of Watkins Glen (currently sponsored as the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen) is a sports car endurance race held annually at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. The race dates from 1948, and has been a part of the ...

Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", is an automobile race track located in the town of Dix just southwest of the village of Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the hom ...

. Outside of sportscars, Shelton had a brief single-seater career driving in

Formula 5000 Formula 5000 (or F5000) was an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars tha ...

cars, racing a Gurney Eagle during the

1971 SCCA L&M Continental 5000 Championship The 1971 SCCA L&M Continental 5000 Championship was the fifth annual running of the Sports Car Club of America's professional open wheel racing series.Wolfgang Kopfler, Formula A and Formula 5000 in America - Race by Race, 2003, pages 7 to 50 Li ...

. In amateur racing, Shelton participated regularly in Portland's Rose Cup races, winning seven times over five decades. He also served as a co-founder of

SCCA The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional r ...

's Oregon Region and held a competition license with the organization for over 60 years. On October 14, 2004, he was inducted into the

Oregon Sports Hall of Fame The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall. Operated by the Oregon Sports ...

. In 2017, he was inducted into the Northwest Motorsports Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Outside of racing, Shelton owned a collector car dealership called "Monte's Motors", where he specialized in British automobiles. Shelton died June 16, 2019 from complications from

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

Racing results

24 Hours of Daytona

12 Hours of Sebring

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shelton, Monte 1933 births 2019 deaths Racing drivers from Portland, Oregon 24 Hours of Daytona drivers 12 Hours of Sebring drivers Trans-Am Series drivers Deaths from pancreatic cancer Deaths from cancer in Oregon