James R. Trueman (May 25, 1935 – June 11, 1986) was an American businessman and

automobile racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organi ...

team owner. His most successful business ventures were Red Roof Inn motels and the

Truesports Truesports
Truesports taurtoisemotorsports.com was an automobile racing team founded by

racing team.

Bobby Rahal Robert Woodward Rahal (born January 10, 1953) is an American former auto racing driver and team owner. As a driver he won three championships and 24 races in the CART open-wheel series, including the 1986 Indianapolis 500. He also won the 2004 a ...

won the

1986 Indianapolis 500 The 70th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Saturday, May 31, 1986. After being rained out on May 25–26, the race was rescheduled for the following weekend. Bobby Rahal was the winner, becomin ...

for the team. Eleven days after the victory, Trueman succumbed to

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

and died at the age of 51.

Business

One of Jim Trueman's first business interests was ''Deibel's'', a German-style restaurant in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

. In 1972, Trueman opened his first Red Roof Inn motel. Soon he had three. The business was very successful, and by 1986, there were at least 155 motels in the chain.

Mid-Ohio

On October 1, 1981, Trueman purchased

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside the village of Lexington. Mid-Ohio has also colloquially become a term for the entire north-central regi ...

, a race track near

Lexington, Ohio Lexington is a village (United States)#Ohio, village along the Clear Fork River in Troy_Township,_Richland_County,_Ohio, Troy Township and Washington_Township,_Richland_County,_Ohio, Washington Township in Richland County, Ohio, Richland County i ...

. Immediately he began improving the facility. The track welcomed the

CART A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people. It is different from the flatbed tr ...

series back in 1983. The facility became one of the most popular road racing tracks in the United States, hosting also IMSA, Grand-Am,

IROC International Race of Champions (IROC) was a North American auto racing competition, created by Les Richter, Roger Penske and Mike Phelps, promoted as an equivalent of an American motorsports All-Star Game. Despite its name, the IROC was pr ...

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 ...

, motorcycle racing, vintage events, and various other races.

Auto racing

Trueman began driving sports cars in 1962. He entered the Can-Am series and drove through the 1970s. He won 125 races in 23 years. He was the SCCA national champion in 1975 and 1978.

Team owner

Trueman used his riches from the motel business to expand his auto racing interests. He signed on Red Roof Inns to sponsor

Vern Schuppan Vernon John Schuppan (born 19 March 1943) is a retired Australian motor racing driver. Schuppan drove in various categories, participating in Formula One, the Indianapolis 500 and most successfully in sports car racing. Although he consider ...

in the

1981 Indianapolis 500 The 65th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 24, 1981. The race is widely considered one of the most controversial races in Indy history. Bobby Unser took the checkered flag as the wi ...

. Schuppan finished a strong third. In 1982, Trueman switched from

Can-Am The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an SCCA/ 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 races in Canada (''Can'') and four races in the United ...

and experienced instant success. In 1985, Trueman was diagnosed with cancer. He kept his illness secret for many months. At the

Trueman spent the entire month of May at the track, but was visibly frail and quiet. The race was originally scheduled on his 51st birthday, but rain delayed the race.

's car was fitted with a "Happy Birthday JRT" decal to celebrate. The following Saturday, May 31, 1986, the race was finally run. With two laps to go Rahal passed Kevin Cogan on a restart, and held on to win. The emotional Rahal nearly broke down in victory lane. In victory lane, Trueman stood up and took the traditional milk for winning Indy. Several years later, ABC television reporter Jack Arute revealed that Trueman whispered in his ear "I can go now." On Thursday June 5, 1986, five days after the victory, the city of

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

held a victory parade downtown. Trueman was too sick to attend. Six days later he died.

Personal

Jim Trueman was married to his wife Barbara, with whom he had three children. He attended

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pu ...

where he became a

Sigma Chi Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American fraternal literary societies. The fraternity has 244 active (undergraduate) chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has initiated more tha ...

and also served in the military. His philanthropic efforts included the James R. Trueman Fitness Center at Wheeling Jesuit University. The rookie of the year award in

was named in his honor. His grandson Austin Cindric is a driver in

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 h ...

. Austin is the son of Jim's daughter Megan. Austin was born twelve years after his grandfather died. Jim Trueman's son-in-law is

Team Penske Team Penske (formerly Penske Racing) is an American professional auto racing organization, competing in the NTT IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Debuting at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona, the organiza ...

president and racing strategist Tim Cindric.

Racing record

SCCA National Championship Runoffs

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trueman, Jim 1935 births 1986 deaths Deaths from cancer in Ohio Ohio State University alumni Racing drivers from Ohio Sportspeople from Cleveland SCCA National Championship Runoffs winners 20th-century American businesspeople Truesports